The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (2004)

All Critics (126) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (89) | Rotten (40) | DVD (21)

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie takes on rather too much water during its extended feature-length submersion.

December 1, 2008 Full Review | Comments (2)

Todd McCarthy

Variety

Top Critic

The Nickelodeon cartoon series about an oceanic sponge and his starfish sidekick washes onto the big screen with a tide of weak one-liners, exaggerated reactions, and vaguely nauseating gags.

May 20, 2008 Full Review | Comments (5)

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

Anyone expecting anything more risky will be sadly disappointed.

February 9, 2006 Full Review

Time Out

Top Critic

Could SpongeBob, all gangly goodwill and ice cream appetite, be the anarchic savior for our stressed-out times?

November 23, 2004 Full Review

Ed Park

Village Voice

Top Critic

If you are a non-parent and you're entertained by this, wow, good for you.

November 22, 2004 Full Review | Comments (9)

Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

Top Critic

Like the TV show it's based on, it's a daffy, enjoyable creation.

November 21, 2004 Full Review

Randy Cordova

Arizona Republic

Top Critic

The questions that the religious right needs to ask are how and why they ever confused homosexuality with pedophilia. Not only does blurring this issue do gays a disservice, it lets SpongeBob get away with murder.

January 10, 2011 Full Review | Comments (16)

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Very similar to the edgy animated TV show.

December 29, 2010 Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

It's never afraid to break out of movie conventions and revert back to its series randomness and sheer Monty Python-esque humor that made it a hit with kids in the first place.

April 29, 2009 Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Brilliantly funny, inventive and delirious.

May 20, 2008 Full Review

Jamie Russell

Film4

There are a few laughs for adults in this film. There are a few clever cultural references. Mostly, however, I found it underwhelming.

March 6, 2008 Full Review

Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

The new feature film has some of the charm of the small-screen original, but it lacks the sustained goofiness of the series.

February 18, 2007 Full Review

Dan Lybarger

Kansas City Star

It's back to the drawing board for the TV show's creators, who have previously proven themselves capable of much better than this soggy and waterlogged miscalculation.

October 11, 2006

Russ Breimeier

Christianity Today

A film for kids, students, stoners, anyone who enjoys a break from reality.

April 1, 2006 Full Review | Comment (1)

Will Lawrence

Empire Magazine

hile there is something a little familiar about the use of a journey narrative, and the hint of an uplifting message at the end of the film, the breezy insouciance, gleeful absurdity and wacky innocence of the series remains.

January 17, 2006 Full Review

Philippa Hawker

Sydney Morning Herald

The story is so good-naturedly silly that while not exactly challenging, it should keep even the grown-ups at least smiling.

September 30, 2005 Full Review

Scott Nash

Three Movie Buffs

...asks the audience to endure three times as much frenetic potty humor, repetitive jokes and screechy voice acting as they are used to. The result is exhausting.

July 25, 2005 Full Review | Comments (3)

Uri Lessing

www.kcactive.com

SpongeBob's resilient, Pollyana-like nature is hard to resist.

April 13, 2005 Full Review

Mark Pfeiffer

Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

A high enough absurdist quotient to match the colorful jocularity that serves as the main draw for kids.

March 18, 2005 Full Review

Brent Simon

Now Playing Magazine

• 1. Patrick Star: Are they laughing at us?
  2. SpongeBob SquarePants: No, Patrick, their laughing next to us!
  – Submitted by Chris G (2 months ago)
• 1. Squidward Tentacles: [Spongebob in Squidward's Shower] Can't this wait until work?
  2. SpongeBob SquarePants: There's no showers at work!
  – Submitted by Alex A (5 months ago)
• 1. Patrick Star: [both dying from lamp] Well Patrick, I guess what they said about us was true.
  2. Mindy the Mermaid: What? That we're attractive?
  – Submitted by Alex A (5 months ago)
• 1. King Neptune: Oh sorry, I accidentally put it on 'Real Boy' setting.
  – Submitted by Matthew R (5 months ago)
• 1. SpongeBob SquarePants: You don't need a license to drive a patty.
  – Submitted by Matthew R (5 months ago)
• 1. Patrick Star: I changed my underwear!
  – Submitted by Izak D (5 months ago)

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