35
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60The TelegraphRobbie CollinThe TelegraphRobbie CollinAbsurdly, the film ends up flouting its own self-imposed rules to reach a suitably syrupy conclusion – and thereby avoid the more bittersweet, thought-provoking landing you find yourself wondering if it has the courage to go for. Well, it doesn’t: Genie is a sugar-only zone. But then, it is Christmas. Or near enough.
- 50RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoRogerEbert.comBrian TallericoIt's a PG-rated movie about a goofy genie and a dad who learns a life lesson, so the bar may be low for families looking for a bit of Hallmark-esque escapism this holiday season. But that doesn’t mean one can’t wish this was better.
- 50VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanThe funny moments in Genie, and there are a handful of them, emerge mostly from McCarthy just tossing off lines with her dislocating insouciance.
- 30The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyThe holiday themes feel arbitrary and tacked on; one guesses the script was rescued from Curtis’s bottom drawer and spruced up with some Christmas fairy dust. The story, finally, is only about a man who learns the true meaning of punctuality.
- 25IndieWireSamantha BergesonIndieWireSamantha BergesonCharacter development, life lessons, holiday cheer? All a distant wish.
- 20The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawIt’s as if everyone involved is terrified of actually making people laugh in case that gives offence somehow, or disrupts the algorithmic calculation that theoretically makes this a palatable piece of content. The whole thing is as bland as cellophane.