Recess: School's Out (2001)

Critic Reviews

• Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

  Refreshingly subversive.

• John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

  About as exciting as a lunchbox full of carrot sticks.

• Mike Clark, USA Today

  Passably speedy on the level of other TV retreads that seem miscast on the big screen.

• Wesley Morris, San Francisco Chronicle

  It's fun, it's kind of somber and it succeeds in making you think about how you might be squandering middle age.

• Gene Seymour, Newsday

  There are times when I wonder why so much energy is expended finding alternatives to funny animals who hit each other with anvils.

• Elvis Mitchell, New York Times

  There's nothing new here, not even the idea of Mikey's singing voice coming from Robert Goulet.

• Nell Minow, Common Sense Media

  Simply a TV episode blown up for the big screen.

• Geoff Andrew, Time Out

  Its well characterised comedy of playground manners and teasing social awareness rings confidently through.

• Chris Gore, Film Threat

  It has my favorite characters and it's kind of like a mystery.

• Marrit Ingman, Austin Chronicle

  The film never gets too far beyond disposable youth fare, best consumed like mouthfuls of sugary cereal.

• John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online

  If you have to take the kids to a low-rent cartoon, this experience at least is enjoyably trippy.

• Dwayne E. Leslie, Boxoffice Magazine

  This is a smart story and well paced.

• Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix

  Director Chuck Sheetz spins it into an enjoyable breeze. The humor regularly hits the mark, and the kid lessons are well baked.

• Mark Dujsik, Mark Reviews Movies

  These are definitely characters with comedic promise, but the movie is so concerned on establishing its big story, that it leaves them too far behind.

• Ted Murphy, Hollywood.com

  "Recess: School's Out" isn't great art, but it is a pleasant and swift moving cartoon that should appeal to children of all ages.

• Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

  Adults will enjoy it more than they expect.

• Bob McCabe, Empire Magazine

  Even if it did keep the ankle biters quiet for an hour or so, this still wouldn't be worth your money.

• Michael Thomson, BBC

  The film works because it is peppered with sharp, smart, and sometimes wonderfully odd comic moments.

• Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile

  The writing is clever and never patronises its youthful target audience.

• Dan Lybarger, Lawrence Journal-World

  Watching this big-screen adaptation of the television cartoon, "Disney's Recess" is about like having recess on a rainy day.

Read all 25 critic reviews