52
Metascore
22 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80IGNSiddhant AdlakhaIGNSiddhant AdlakhaWith a stunningly honest performance from the director’s son — Jojo Rabbit star Roman Griffin Davis — Silent Night balances the eccentricities of a Christmas get-together with nihilistic acceptance of certain doom, making for a film that’s both bleak and dryly funny.
- 67IndieWireChristian BlauveltIndieWireChristian BlauveltIf Silent Night ultimately aces its peculiar tone, it struggles with having anything to say.
- 67The Film StageJared MobarakThe Film StageJared MobarakGriffin has made a comedy, but she pulls no punches.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeThe Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeThis shaky apocalyptic film doesn’t land at times, but its gripping final act, a handful of standout performances and attempts at commentary about class and climate change will probably keep most audiences engaged.
- 60EmpireIan FreerEmpireIan FreerAfter an unsatisfying start as a comedy, Silent Night finds its feet as an ambitious, thoughtful chamber piece about what it means to peer into the abyss. Merry Christmas, everyone!
- 55TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeGriffin juggles her many characters well, and she’s very smart about weaponizing the coziness of Christmas movies to make uncomfortable points. Silent Night may wind up being a successful calling card for her (as a director if not as a screenwriter), but for all the beautiful wrapping, it’s mostly an empty box.
- 50The PlaylistMarya E. GatesThe PlaylistMarya E. GatesHighly ambitious, dark as midnight, and often hilarious, Griffin’s debut film Silent Night doesn’t always work, but her insightful look at the inherent selfishness of humanity and our absurd need to cling to hope no matter what is spot on.
- 50Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonSilent Night works best as a grim chamber piece that subverts the season’s usual good cheer — or, depending on one’s temperament, serves as a tart distillation of the nagging gloom those who hate the holidays often feel.
- 25Slant MagazinePat BrownSlant MagazinePat BrownThe film misplaces the root of our current existential dilemma, then covers it with tepid droll comedy and clunky melodrama.