51
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckDelivers an easily digestible and amusing portrait of youthful hijinks that should well please its target audience.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshLos Angeles TimesKatie WalshIt's a fun, rebellious romp that celebrates creativity and outside-the-box thinking, though parents might hope that their children won't be too inspired to copy the elaborate pranks that these characters pull off.
- 67Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenThe film mixes vivid cartoons coming to life from the pages of Rafe’s sketchbook with the live action. The film is reminiscent of some of the best aspects of John Hughes’ teen movies: playful albeit with strong emotional centers that ground their suburban teen rebels.
- 50San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubSan Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubIt's a so-so film with jarring tone changes and a plot that sputters before a predictable ending. But there are moments of inspiration and authenticity.
- 50The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerIronically, Middle School’s message is about encouraging kids and grown-ups to think outside the box and yet, the filmmakers themselves do precisely the opposite.
- 50The New York TimesAndy WebsterThe New York TimesAndy WebsterThe find here is Alexa Nisenson as Georgia, Rafe’s know-it-all little sister, who takes cars out for a spin. She is blessed with the best lines, comic and dramatic, and appears delightfully cognizant of the fact. If only the movie had more of her.
- 50Slant MagazineKeith WatsonSlant MagazineKeith WatsonUnimaginatively directed and indifferently shot, the film never establishes a distinctive voice for itself.
- 42The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerThe A.V. ClubJesse HassengerThough its title and general tone lament the stifling atmosphere of the years between childhood and full-fledged teenhood, the movie misses the animal hostility and physical awkwardness of genuine tweens.
- 35TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeThe film’s attempts at comedy and sentimentality are equally unsuccessful, resulting in a movie that feels more like a third-rate “Saved by the Bell” knock-off than a legitimate teen flick.