The Beach Bum follows the hilarious misadventures of Moondog (Matthew McConaughey), a rebellious rogue who always lives life by his own rules. The comedy comes from director Harmony Korine (Kids, Spring Breakers) and co-stars Snoop Dog, Zac Efron, Isla Fisher, and Jonah Hill. Branded as a subversive comedy, the film has yet to be granted a UK release date but fans of Korine are eagerly awaiting one.
What do critics say about The Beach Bum?
Rotten Tomatoes gives the comedy a 50 percent rating, indicating mixed reviews.
The critics’ consensus reads: “The role of a lifetime for Matthew McConaughey, The Beach Bum is set apart by Harmony Korine’s distinctive style, but that isn’t always enough to offset the unfocused story.”
Stephanie Zacharek for TIME Magazine:
The Beach Bum is barely a movie; it’s more of a joyous squiggle adorned with a paper cocktail umbrella, a “What did I just see?” dollar-store trinket. But in these dark times, it’s just the ticket.
Chris Nashawaty for Entertainment Weekly:
It was fun while it lasted. Still, it might be time to start wondering if the McConaissance is finally over.
A.A. Dowd for AV Club:
This may be Korine’s most accessible and deceptively lighthearted movie. But it only looks like a goof.
David Fear for Rolling Stone:
If anyone was going to make the great ripping-bong-hits-while-Rome-burns movie of right now, it would be Korine.
A.O. Scott for the New York Times:
What The Beach Bum celebrates as transgression is pure tedium. What it takes for divine lunacy is frat house doggerel.
Brian Truitt for USA Today:
It isn’t good and it isn’t bad – it is, to borrow a fitting adjective, alright.
Katie Walsh for Nerdist:
The strength of The Beach Bum is in its visuals, the vibe it captures as a mood board/tone poem.
Johnny Oleksinski for the New York Post:
Meet Moondog – a movie character you’ll want to punch in the face.
Kristy Puchko for the Guardian:
In The Beach Bum, the writer-director turns his observational eye and provocateur verve to a Miami community of misfits, who chase bliss in sex, drugs and misadventures.
Brian Tallerico for RogerEbert.com:
The Beach Bum works by never losing its tonal statement that all that really matters is what matters to you … man.
Michael Nordine for indieWire:
Like Moondog, Korine finds a vulgar poetry in his own self-indulgence.
Jon Frosch for the Hollywood Reporter:
I, admittedly, had a hard time getting on its woozy wavelength. But The Beach Bum is a work of undeniable commitment and craft…
Peter Debruge for Variety:
Such hedonism isn’t irredeemable in and of itself, and yet, one wishes Korine were interested in more than just testing boundaries.