81
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawA neglected 1976 gem from a neglected Hollywood genius. May was known for her comedy but here proves absolutely fluent in the language of mobster lowlife, with an edge of caustic, disillusioned humour, and strange yet shockingly real outbursts of violence in which cafe owners and bus drivers are suddenly roughed up.
- 90Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrOne of the most innovative, engaging, and insightful films of that turbulent era of American moviemaking.
- 89Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenMikey & Nicky is commonly, and unfairly, categorized as a John Cassavetes knock-off, which diminishes the originality of Elaine May's screenplay and this character study she crafted especially for co-stars Cassavetes and Peter Falk. She unleashes the darkest, most mercurial side of Cassavetes, and in Falk finds the actor's moral ambiguity that had been obscured as a result of his then-popular run as TV's Columbo.
- 88Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenFew films have so exquisitely captured how straight American men reveal their affections and insecurities to one another, as well as how they’re both threatened and awed by each other.
- 75LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenLarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenClearly May is invested in the material — she wrote it — and deserves credit for creating a fruitfully improvisational atmosphere. Yet she doesn’t leave a very distinct signature here, such as the social satire she brought to A New Leaf and The Heartbreak Kid.
- 75The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayMikey & Nicky is sometimes dull and sometimes confusing—and it's both at once in the first 10 minutes, when Cassavetes is semi-comatose in a hotel room—but it also features plenty of absurd-but-believable human behavior.
- 70Time OutTime OutWith an imaginative use of locations, carefully controlled atmosphere, and superb performances all round, it's an often impressive, always watchable modern noir thriller, based on credible human motivations.
- 50TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineThere is much to enjoy in this movie, but just as much to yawn over. One has the feeling that this was a play that was never produced on stage but went directly to the screen from the typewriter. Since so much of it is dialogue with very little cinematic action, it just feels stagebound.
- 40The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyMiss May is a witty, gifted, very intelligent director. It took guts for her to attempt a film like this, but she failed.