“Snatched” marks Amy Schumer’s highly-anticipated follow-up to “Trainwreck” and Goldie Hawn’s return to the big screen after 15 years, but critics are disappointed with the mother-daughter comedy.
Among the flaws cited are Hawn’s “half-committed performance” in which she isn’t able “to inhabit her stature as a great comedic performer,” as well as the “predictable” mother-daughter relationship and Schumer’s jokes that are derived from booze, food and sex — similar to her jokes in “Trainwreck.”
The film, directed by Jonathan Levine and written by Katie Dippold, also stars Ike Barinholtz, Wanda Sykes and Joan Cusack. Currently, it holds a score of 38 percent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. It hits theaters Friday.
“What we’ve gotten in ‘Snatched” is an uninspired, scattershot disaster romp that mostly serves the talents of one half of the marquee pairing, underuses the other half, and struggles to blend R-rated humor, foreign misadventure, and oil-and-water mother-daughter dynamic into a cohesive diversion,” wrote TheWrap’s film critic Robert Abele. “There are plenty of worse comedies out there, but ‘Snatched’ has that vexing air of disappointment to it.”
“‘Snatched’ has its fair share of laughs, but the film’s attempts at sustaining a legitimate emotional underpinning throughout are unsuccessful, thanks to a lackluster turn from Schumer, and some tiresome writing all across the board. It’s one of the first summer films this year worth skipping,” added IGN’s Alex Welch.
See 9 of the worst reviews below.
Tom Huddleston, Time Out London:
“‘Trainwreck’ was the perfect introduction to Amy Schumer‘s talents, striding the line between saucy, sweet and spill-your-popcorn funny. But with her second major film role, Schumer needed to show her range – can she play anything other than a directionless, oversexed thirtysomething who drinks too much but learns a few valuable life lessons before the credits roll? On this evidence, um, no … What follows is a series of aimless, goofy hijinks, as the pair hamfistedly escape only to bicker their way across the Amazon jungle. A few of the gags hit home – Schumer’s flawless timing makes the best of some creaky one-liners. Her blend of glee and horror when she inadvertently murders one of their captors hints at the sharper, more interesting film that might’ve been. But too much of the humour derives from Emily’s insatiable appetite for booze, food and sex, while the central mother-daughter relationship is predictable. Goldie Hawn broke a self-imposed 15-year retirement for this – she must be missing her armchair now.”
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice:
“The laughs don’t come, especially those that pivot on that multivalent word for the punch line: In a scene that signals the soft racism to follow, Linda mishears the standard English greeting of the Ecuadorian concierge, handing out a complimentary drink, as ‘whale cum.’ ‘Snatched’ is Hawn’s first movie since 2002’s ‘The Banger Sisters.’ Her half-committed performance here, however understandable, suggests she may have regretted the decision to end her semi-retirement.”
Will Leitch, The New Republic:
“‘Snatched’ is what happens if you come up with a super-high-concept idea–Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn are a daughter and mother kidnapped in a foreign country!–and then stopped, pretty much cold, right there. The movie stretches and crawls and creaks its way barely past the 90-minute mark, gasping and coughing all the way … The movie doesn’t care and doesn’t expect us to. It has no propulsive energy, no overarching point to make, and no reason to exist outside of its own basic concept. It doesn’t even do much to mock these pampered Americans who tromp around the world like they own it and then scream for help when they step one pace outside their comfort zone. They are meant to be the rooting interest, and the Ecuadorian culture is just a place for them to learn and love and laugh. The movie doesn’t seem to have taken a second pass at anything.”
A. O. Scott, The New York Times:
“Though this movie ostensibly celebrates the spirit of adventure and openness to experience, it takes no risks and blazes no trails. It’s ultimately as complacent, self-absorbed and clueless as its heroine, and not always in an especially amusing way.”
Tim Grierson, Screen International:
“Just as the comedic tension doesn’t escalate, ‘Snatched’ falters while trying to explore Emily and Linda’s relationship. Essentially, Emily has to learn to stop being self-centered and Linda needs to take chances. The characters’ emotional progression is so rudimentary — and, more frustratingly, not very funny — that it slows down the movie’s momentum. As a result, ‘Snatched’ relies too much on its actresses’ rapport to make us care about fundamentally dull people in a mildly hair-raising scenario.”
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star Ledger:
“Imagine you’re at a large party when an old friend comes up to you and starts telling a funny story. It starts off promisingly — then quickly meanders. You soon begin to suspect your pal is several drinks ahead. But you fix a smile on your face, and wait, tolerantly, hopefully, for them to finish. That’s pretty much how I watched ‘Snatched.’”
Alex Welch, IGN:
“‘Snatched’ has its fair share of laughs, but the film’s attempts at sustaining a legitimate emotional underpinning throughout are unsuccessful, thanks to a lackluster turn from Schumer, and some tiresome writing all across the board. It’s one of the first summer films this year worth skipping.”
Jason Guerrasio, Business Insider:
“On paper, it’s easy to see why a studio couldn’t resist the pairing of Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn in a comedy. And then having them play mother and daughter and tying the movie to Mother’s Day — that just seems like a can’t-miss opportunity. But, sadly, you are going to be disappointed with ‘Snatched.’ The movie, opening Friday, has such a dull and unoriginal story that even two comedy pros like Schumer and Hawn can’t salvage it.”
Kate Erbland, IndieWire:
“Lauded actress and boundary-busting comedian Goldie Hawn hasn’t appeared in a film in over a decade, let alone starred in one, so her return to the big screen should be considered a very big deal. Too bad that the Oscar-winning actress’ first project in 15 years isn’t just a misfire, but one that commits the unforgivable sin of not allowing Hawn to inhabit her stature as a great comedic performer. Jonathan Levine’s ‘Snatched’ has bigger problems than just that one, but the decision to cast Hawn as a worrywart mother saddled with a woefully immature daughter (Amy Schumer) on a trip from hell is indicative of many of this limp action-comedy’s biggest sins. And there are so many.”