Bandits
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | Release Date: October 12, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
60
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
12
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Levinson's quirky caper is rich with laughs. Read full review
80
New Times (L.A.)Robert Wilonsky
Delightful almost in spite of itself. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
An amusing tale of larceny triumphant, Bandits is an entertainment with a rogue's imagination. Read full review
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Almost every scene has something to chuckle over. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
The main reason to see Bandits is celebrity actors riffing with each other. That's not a bad reason, though. These two actors are also skillful comedians.
80
TimeRichard Schickel
Works as a sweetly loony ensemble piece, a sort of cracked romance that's typical of director Barry Levinson at his shrewd but unpretentious best.
80
Washington PostRita Kempley
As for Billy Bob, they all steal the money, but he steals the show. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
Good value for the money, a funny, character-driven action comedy with three disparate stars -- who have great chemistry together. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
The film is such a good-natured and easygoing ride that it's ultimately very hard to resist. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
The picture is written and acted as a lark and a romp. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
For sheer escapist fun, the proudly ridiculous Bandits fills the bill. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
It's a rare romantic comedy/road picture that's not only flat-out funny, but also presents complex and well-developed characters. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Taken as a whole, Bandits is a success, a two-hour entertainment that floats along, stumbling into various genres, discovering its moments. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Billy Bob Thornton, wearing a succession of toupees, wigs, fake facial hair, and funny hats, and twitching more than a horse's behind, is the best reason to see Bandits. Read full review
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
The disparate but highly skilled leading trio of Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett keeps this road movie engaging even when it veers giddily onto the shoulder. Read full review
70
Village VoiceDennis Lim
Neither sardonic nor slapstick enough, Bandits is framed as a flashback -- which merely heightens the general feeling of inevitability. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Isn't awful, but neither is it the tangy entertainment it could have been.
63
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Bandits isn't much more than a pleasant dawdle, one made extra-likable by Thornton and Blanchett, whose ace performances keep the film zipping along even at its most predictable. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineTanya L. Edwards
Overall the mix of comedy and action is smooth and utterly enjoyable. Read full review
60
SlateDavid Edelstein
Levinson must think he's on safe ground morally by keeping Bandits bloodless, as if the absence of carnage somehow makes kidnapping and armed robbery wholesome. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
A comedy that might have made Butch and Sundance jump off a cliff. Read full review
50
Film ThreatHeather Wadowski
The action-comedy could have easily been a delightful romp thanks to its A-list cast and well-written script, but poor editing causes Bandits to be just another hum-ho movie. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
What we're getting in this movie isn't necessarily better; it's just more. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
The picture's strength is comedy -- but the love and crime stories too often drag, falter or just plain frustrate. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Mined for comedy and milked for drama, though what results is diminished by the very framing device contrived to punch it up. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
So determined to be clever and whimsical that it neglects to be anything else. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Guilty of behaving like a petty thievery corporation; it steals from so many other sources that we're forced to realize that it has little of its own to offer. As such, it can't help but fail to meet expectations, given the talents involved. Read full review
40
Rolling StonePeter Travers
What started as cute becomes cloying and bloated. Charm should never feel like it weighs a ton. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Too long, too slow, too self-consciously chatty and too much at the mercy of a slim premise that doesn't wear well under endless repetition. Read full review
40
SalonCharles Taylor
Nothing is more dispiriting than forced high spirits. Bandits keeps reminding you of what a good time you should be having. You leave with a feeling of being swindled, and that's the only genuine thing about it. Read full review
38
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Long before this interminable film reaches its bogus finale, you'll realize that the people in it aren't real. Read full review
20
Mr. ShowbizKevin Maynard
This self-consciously kooky road movie about an unusual trio of bank robbers aims for Hal Ashby misanthropy, but hasn't a single emotionally grounded or plausible moment to justify its purely cinematic eccentricities.
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