Beastly 2011

James Rocchi, MSN Movies: Blandly literal and flabbily familiar, the great irony of Beastly is that this filmed version of the classic parable of how beauty is only skin-deep has so very little going on under the surface. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: Roses and love bloom, and you might giggle yourself sick, but this is the kind of cornball entertainment that rainy afternoons were made for. Throw in a cozy sofa too. Beastly will size down well on your television. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: Beastly is just as superficial and obsessed with looks as the characters and the mindset it rails against, which would seem like a bitter, frustrating irony if it merited the emotional reaction to care that much. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Everything and everyone looks very pretty, with even Kyle's disfigurement looking like it would make a cool T-shirt logo; nothing, and nobody, makes any sense. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: In every aspect, from story to tone to characterization to visual aesthetic, it's laughably perfunctory, as though everyone involved were too embarrassed to give it more than a half-ironic token effort. Read more

Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: There is one good thing you can say about "Beastly": The title perfectly sums up what you'll see on screen. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: It's possible you need a break from the dirty mind of "Twilight.'' But in favor of a dollar-store "Beauty and the Beast'' with no mind at all? Read more

Amy Nicholson, Boxoffice Magazine: Teens convinced that a pimple will kill their social life will find Beastly bracingly honest. It's the cynicism, not the phoned-in uplift, that works in this JV Grand Guignol. Read more

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader: A pallid, formulaic teen romance that might have benefited from a little snark. Read more

Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: It takes guts to transform heartthrob Alex Pettyfer into a disfigured hero for the bulk of Beastly, a contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It takes even more guts to do it differently than the book's fans might expect. Read more

Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly: Stunningly bad. Read more

Eric D. Snider, Film.com: You have to admire the bravery of the filmmakers, who went ahead and made a movie despite not understanding the subject matter. It's also pretty impressive that anyone could miss the point of Beauty and the Beast. Read more

Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: The best thing about this movie -- starring Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens and Mary-Kate Olsen -- is that it's only 86 minutes long. Read more

Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: A sly and pleasant-enough young-adult programmer that is more likeable than not. Read more

Howard Cohen, Miami Herald: Beastly, for all its potential pitfalls, works better than it has any right to. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: Beneath it all, however, is a movie with a good heart. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: For a fable about a magical curse, "Beastly" is strangely earthbound. And once it starts, it just seems to go on sappily ever after. Read more

Linda Holmes, NPR: There are flashes of genuine wit and charm that, while they cannot support the rest, hint at what was intended and not realized. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: More than lives up to its name with ultra-campy performances, high-glucose direction (Daniel Barnz), laughable dialogue, cheesy effects and a back-lot simulation of a Manhattan street that wouldn't pass muster on an after-school special. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Sure, Beastly's underlying message is a worthy one, but by the time the film gets there the audience's ability to empathize will be sorely tested. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Like Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens is blessed with amazing looks to go along with her limited acting. Read more

Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com: Beauty and the Beast Lite. Might appeal to 11-year-old girls. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Oh, yes, the script is a little ham-fisted, plowing through exposition and establishing character with a steam shovel, but in a tale like this, sometimes being obvious and cutting to the chase can be a virtue. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: An intolerably sappy "Beauty and the Beast" for the Clearasil set. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Beastly gets one timeless fact right: For hatchet faces, fatty cakes and Frankenskanks, high school can definitely feel like a curse. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: What really grates about this movie, apart from the atrocious script, direction and acting, is the premise that "unusual" is synonymous with "ugly." Read more

Time Out: 'Beastly' is a special brand of hogwash: a fairy tale that preaches inner beauty while refusing to obscure the looks of its doomed hero. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: It's dogged by awkward dialogue, a ridiculous plot and lackluster performances, especially by the leads, Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: A brain-dead update of the classic fairy tale whose feeble understanding of its own point runs only skin-deep. Read more

Nick Schager, Village Voice: [A] tin-eared, corny attempt at fairy-tale interpretation. Read more