Velvet Buzzsaw
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): February 1, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
14
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
SlateInkoo KangFeb 5, 2019
The sum amounts to far less than its parts, but oh, what parts! Read full review
60
Film ThreatChuck FosterFeb 1, 2019
In the end, you’re entertained, but not so invested in the characters that you’re hooked to every word. It’s enjoyable, but not memorable, and certainly, nothing that lingers in the mind or makes you want to gush to your coworkers the next day. Read full review
60
Rolling StonePeter TraversJan 31, 2019
Velvet Buzzsaw is never less than a feast for the eyes even when it reduces the plot to B-level butchery. What’s missing is the potent provocation that Gilroy seemed to be developing at the start. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeJan 28, 2019
Gilroy avoids the ghoulish extremes of Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals and offers up a believably pretentious battleground. He’s as invested in crafting a fully fleshed art world as he is in creating a full-on horror film and while the two often blend well, at other times, his concoction is far less effective. Read full review
50
CNNBrian LowryMay 21, 2019
There's a lot of teeth-sinking, bordering on scenery-chewing, in this latest film from writer-director Dan Gilroy, which reunites him with Gyllenhaal and real-life spouse Rene Russo after their collaboration on "Nightcrawler." Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzFeb 1, 2019
Velvet Buzzsaw is ultimately a matter of taste – and mine was to spit it right back out. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChuck BowenJan 31, 2019
With its silvery sheen and sexy lure of celebrity actors being naughty, the film recalls the decadent, self-consciously chic art it parodies. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJan 30, 2019
In a nutshell, the problem is this: If Gilroy wanted to set a horror movie in the world of art commerce, fine. No problem. It’s not a bad idea. But to do it, Gilroy needed to respect the horror genre enough to create something sophisticated. Instead he went to the horror bargain basement and pulled out the cheapest horror conventions he could find, straight out of slasher bin. Read full review
50
ScreenCrushMatt SingerJan 30, 2019
A great cast and a fairly clever turn into the realm of horror can’t redeem what otherwise feels like a very familiar, very safe piece of satire. Read full review
50
Screen DailyAnthony KaufmanJan 28, 2019
It’s ultimately a forgettable lark, amounting to little more than a spiteful attack on the vapidity of the commercial art-world. There’s nothing lampooned here that we haven’t already seen before, whether it be a pretentious art critic or avaricious art dealers. Read full review
50
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJan 28, 2019
Gilroy’s film needed to be 60% better or 20% worse in order to transcend the forgettable silliness of its existence, but it could stand the test of time as a lasting monument to the idea that our own personal taste is the only real thing we ever had. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Jan 28, 2019
If there’s undeniable difficulty in Velvet Buzzsaw’s genre alchemy—its attempt to mix a caustic, half-comic portrait of the gallery set with a supernatural Tales From The Crypt scenario—it’s all in service of a moldy screed about the commodification of art. Is there anything safer than telling people something they’ve heard a thousand times before? Read full review
50
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodJan 28, 2019
Apologies in advance, but for lack of a better descriptor the whole thing is a mess. It’s not even good enough to be a cult movie which is backhanded compliment anyway. But, hey, at least the actors tried. Read full review
42
ConsequenceMichael RoffmanJan 31, 2019
Disappointing and confounding, Velvet Buzzsaw can ultimately be filed under What Could Have Been given the kind of talent involved. Read full review
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