‘Snatched’: Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn’s Latest Comedy Bombs With Critics

The reviews are in and it’s not looking great for “Snatched.” The film stars Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn, a mother-daughter duo on an unexpected wild adventure through South America.

“Snatched” follows Emily (Schumer), who loses her retail job and gets dumped by her boyfriend before a big trip. Unable to get a refund, Emily forces divorced mom Linda (Hawn) to join her in South America. The trip takes a turn for the worse and the pair find themselves on a dangerous mission through the jungle.

The film hits theaters on May 12, but bad reviews from critics may keep viewers out of theaters. At press time, “Snatched” had a 40 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, a 48 percent on Metacritic and a 1 out of 5 on IndieWire. In addition to the awful ratings, Hawn’s latest comedy in years has also received unfortunate reviews from a number of outlets.

In addition to the negativity from critics and journalists, it seems potential moviegoers have taken issue with the plot of “Snatched.” In fact, some Twitter users suggest it’s “racist” and “outdated.” Those critiques stem from the fact that in the movie, Emily and her mom are kidnapped by a group of men portrayed in a negative and stereotypical light.

What exactly are the critics saying about “Snatched”? Here’s a complete roundup:

The New York Times

The New York Times’ “Snatched” review starts off pleasant. The film is praised for a few funny moments, which include Emily contracting a tapeworm and her brother having to reach out the the State Department in the hopes of rescuing his mom and sister. However, the publication notes that the film’s “ultimately as complacent, self-absorbed and clueless as its heroine, and not always in an especially amusing way.”

Reviewer A. O. Scott pointed out many of the same problematic points as other writers and potential moviegoers. He noted the “cultural insensitivity” and underlying racism in having “dark-skinned thugs with funny accents” as the villain in “Snatched.” He also adds a few qualms of his own, writing that the movie “takes no risks and blazes no trails.”

Variety

Like other outlets and platforms, Variety slams “Snatched” for including “racist-lite cliche Ecuadorian kidnappers” and lackluster comedy. Film critic Owen Gleiberman wrote that the film “never strays far from the fractious, one-note surface.” He goes on to say that the movie “doesn’t set the bar very high” for comedy.

Gleiberman’s scathing review takes aim at Schumer and Hawn equally. He notes that Hawn’s character was meant to be “one of those cranky maternal comic nightmares,” but missed the mark. In fact, he compared the mother-daughter jokes in “Snatched” to “firecrackers with damp fuses.”

IndieWire

Perhaps one of the most brutally honest reviews of “Snatched” came from IndieWire. Writer Kate Erbland called the movie “criminally unfunny,” adding that Hawn “deserves better” — and that was only her headline. Casting, “unlikeable” characters, bad jokes and more made this film a total flop in the critics’ eyes, and she held nothing back in her review.

For starters, Erbland found both Emily and Linda insufferable. She described Schumer’s character as “immature, selfish, and rude,” in addition to being completely dependent on those around her and harboring some sort of social media addiction. Linda’s touted as a worrywart with little substance who lacked the kind of chemistry with her on-screen daughter necessary to make such a comedic piece work.

Supporting characters reportedly added nothing to the film. Ike Barinholtz, Wanda Sykes and Joan Cusack— all generally funny people — were touted by Erbland as being “bizarre” more than anything else. She noted that they were “so thinly, boringly drawn that it’s impossible to read deeper meanings into them.”

IndieWire’s review also slammed “Snatched” for flat jokes throughout. Erbland wrote that the movies was “actively so, barely attempting to make jokes and completely free of the kind of wacky set piece that could lift the lacking narrative out of embarrassing ebbs.” Ouch!

The Daily Beast

Not every “Snatched” review was bad. The Daily Beast didn’t exactly find the film Oscar-worthy, but repeatedly called it “fine.” One critique, written by Kevin Fallon, notes that while the mother-daughter comedy doesn’t quite live up to “Trainwreck,” it was hardly as bad as many film critics, journalists and the like anticipated.

The Daily Beast celebrated the film’s “blissful 97 minutes” of runtime and called it “the perfect airplane movie.” Fallon also hailed Schumer as an expert in diving deep into the “self-absorbed white girl” she portrays in many movies and shows. While a surface level take on the role would be great for a short sketch, Schumer’s exploration of the characters helps to take viewers through an entire movie and even relate to her in some ways, like it or not.

Collider

Collider’s Matt Golberg was among few writers to share an almost entirely positive review of “Snatched.” In fact, one of his only qualms with the film was that it was “admittedly a bit predictable.” Otherwise, he enjoyed the comedy as well as the casting and felt viewers would to.

“Snatched” debuts on Friday. Given all the bad press, will you be catching this one in theaters?