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
92
TheWrapCarlos AguilarJan 28, 2019
Inventively, Gilroy utilizes exaggerated horror tropes to take to task our cynical thoughts about artistic creation. His sharp Velvet Buzzsaw is an exquisitely diabolical exposé on the merciless materialistic ambitions that run rampant in cultural fields. Read full review
90
The New York TimesGlenn KennyJan 30, 2019
The confident storytelling and the bravura acting — Daveed Diggs, Toni Collette and John Malkovich contribute compelling caricatures — carry “Buzzsaw” all the way home. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperFeb 5, 2019
With a combination of bone-dry wit and blood-drenched horror, writer-director Dan Gilroy’s Velvet Buzzsaw skewers some of the most pretentious denizens of the art world you’d ever want NOT to meet — and does so with precision and flair and pitch-black humor. Read full review
83
The Film StageDan MeccaJan 28, 2019
Velvet Buzzsaw may not be visionary, but it’s a ton of fun. Read full review
75
The Associated PressJake CoyleJan 31, 2019
Velvet Buzzsaw doesn’t lead anywhere inward; it becomes just a litany of (exquisite) death scenes for art-world caricatures. Still, what caricatures they are. Read full review
75
IGNMatt FowlerJan 30, 2019
The film's a fun and humble horror offering set among the world of pretension and status. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattJan 28, 2019
For a lot of its runtime, Velvet is fun and silly and enjoyably outrageous. It’s hard, though, to walk away with a real sense of anything more than blood on the canvas and a blank where your feelings — beyond mild bemusement, and a sudden appetite for prime Los Angeles real estate — should be. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayJan 30, 2019
While the art world caricatures are hardly fresh, there’s a lot about Velvet Buzzsaw that’s pretty savvy and even inspired. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaJan 28, 2019
It’s clear between this and Nightcrawler that Gilroy and Gyllenhaal have some kind of gonzo chemistry. Even if Velvet Buzzsaw starts to sputter slightly after it’s made its point, it’s plenty exciting to witness the incredibly specific madness they whip up together. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyJan 28, 2019
There’s enough fun, writerly glee and actors enjoying their little rampages to make Velvet Buzzsaw a decent distraction for a couple of hours, but also something of a schizophrenic case all its own. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeJan 28, 2019
In her capacity as a film critic — and the sort of populist who was allergic to snobs like Morf — Pauline Kael famously quipped, “Movies are so rarely great art that if we cannot appreciate great trash we have very little reason to be interested in them.” Gilroy doesn’t even aspire to making great art, but he’s getting better at delivering the latter. Read full review
67
The VergeTasha RobinsonFeb 1, 2019
Velvet Buzzsaw is a messy movie, and not just in the sense that Gilroy ends up painting a room with blood at one point. Read full review
65
The AtlanticDavid SimsFeb 1, 2019
In the end, Velvet Buzzsaw is a pretty soulless piece of art about the soullessness of art; but that doesn’t mean it can’t have a little fun proving its point. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoJan 29, 2019
It’s a wildly inconsistent film, sometimes disappointingly clunky and as superficial as the world it’s mocking, but it’s also an ambitious piece of work with unforgettable imagery and an ace ensemble. Read full review
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