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The Pest (1997)

tomatometer

14

Average Rating: 2.2/10
Critic Reviews: 7
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 6

No consensus yet.

audience

62

liked it
Average Rating: 2.7/5
User Ratings: 30,208

My Rating

Movie Info

A man discovers the lighter side of being hunted down like an animal in this manic comedy. Pestario "Pest" Vargas (John Leguizamo) is a low-rent con man from Miami's South Beach who has fallen deeply in debt to ill-tempered members of the Scottish mafia (complete with kilts). Desperate to raise $50,000 to stave off having his legs broken (and possibly turned into haggis), Vargas takes an offer for a very high paying one day job from Gustav Shank (Jeffrey Jones), a German businessman visiting

PG-13, 1 hr. 24 min.

Comedy

Jun 13, 2000

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Cast

All Critics (23) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (2) | Rotten (21) | DVD (4)

Pic exists solely to showcase Leguizamo's wild and crazy antics, which are very much an acquired taste.

March 27, 2009 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

When Mr. Leguizamo isn't doing third-rate ethnic parody, he is wallowing in scatological jokes that are so poorly prepared and executed that they make similar antics by Mr. Carrey play like classic routines.

August 30, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comment
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Talented and versatile actor-comedian John Leguizamo indulges himself so totally with incessant mugging, mimicking and all-around showing off that he begins to wear out his welcome before the opening credit sequence is over.

February 14, 2001 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | Comment
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

This film is utterly without discipline or focus in a way that -- to one's shame --one eventually finds oddly endearing.

January 1, 2000 Comment
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Obviously, someone must have told Leguizamo he's a comic genius. Whoever did that isn't his friend.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | Comment
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's the kind of movie where every paying customer deserves to receive a handwritten apology from the producers.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: ReelViews | Comment (1)
ReelViews
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It seems to be targeted at eight-year-old boys with attention-deficit disorder, and could have been more competently made by any one of them.

August 4, 2009 Full Review Source: AV Club | Comment
AV Club

Even surrounded by unbearable sloppiness, Leguizamo is fascinating to watch.

August 4, 2009 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Pass that can of Black Flag, hon.

June 25, 2005 Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | Comment
Austin Chronicle

If you have any doubt that John Leguizamo is not funny, this movie will handily reinforce that notion.

February 2, 2003 Comment
New Times

The script and Leguizamo's talents don't mesh, so the actor comes off as more offensive than funny.

June 5, 2002 Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | Comment
Boxoffice Magazine

There is not a socioeconomic, political, ethnic or gender group that is left unoffended.

April 17, 2002 Full Review Source: Film Scouts | Comment
Film Scouts

Essentially a collection of ethnic and bodily function jokes punctuated by chases.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: E! Online | Comment
E! Online

This movie defies review. To critique it would be like writing about a restaurant that only serves birdseed. Of course, humans don't like birdseed -- it's not meant for our species.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | Comment
Boston Phoenix

By their nature, pests are meant to get under your skin and this one certainly does.

January 1, 2000 Comment
Jam! Movies

A revoltingly bad stinker that is easily in the running for the worst film of the decade.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Cinematter | Comment
Cinematter
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Pest

Fun and unforgettable. The thing is: The Pest is terrible dumb, and totally bad written. Rotten.

May 27, 2011
Lucas Martins

Super Reviewer

Lets Skip this one.

December 15, 2009
ScoopOnline
Wahida K

Super Reviewer

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