64
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneBig, bright, corny, muscular, beautifully photographed. [12 Nov 2000, p.27]
- This running account of Pier 6 brawls, miscegenation, romance and religion that disrupt the idyllic life on a post-World War II South Sea island paradise is sheer contrivance effected in hearty, fun-loving, truly infectious style.
- 70Time OutTime OutIn short, a very bleak - but very funny - comedy.
- 70Village VoiceAndrew SarrisVillage VoiceAndrew SarrisBy any interpretation, Donovan's Reef is a beautiful example of cinematic art, and the atavistic desire to let the movie sweep over the spectator without disruptive analysis is at least understandable. [01 Aug 1963, p.13]
- 70Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasA minor but enjoyable romp. [03 Mar 1991, p.66]
- 67Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenSupremely goofy in tone, the film pits Wayne (in his last Ford film) and Marvin as drunken pals who careen from one friendly brawl to the next. A Pacific island paradise becomes their silly playpen.
- 63Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrA rowdy, cheerful film on the surface, it has a disturbingly sour undertone supplied by Ford's realization that this paradise cannot be, and never was.
- 60The TelegraphThe TelegraphJohn Ford's Second World War film is a morality play that is both sentimental and comical. [02 Nov 2013, p.40]
- The verdant, lush Hawaiian setting is visually stunning but the slapstick is forced and unbecoming.