Ma
Reception

Ma (2019)

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External reception

5.6
5 platform(s) · 7 ratings 79,759 votes
5.2/10 5,729 votes Synced 2026-08-03
5.6/10 71,404 votes Synced 2026-08-20
Audience 5.6/10 141 votes Synced 2026-07-19
Critics 5.3/10 Synced 2026-07-19
Audience 6.4/10 Synced 2026-07-18
Critics 5.5/10 Synced 2026-07-18
5.8/10 2,485 votes Synced 2026-08-24

External reviews

Matthew Passantino · Film Threat 70.00/100.00

The greatest pleasure the movie has to offer is a chance to watch Spencer perform completely unhinged and relish every moment doing so.

synced 2026-07-19
James Berardinelli · ReelViews 75.00/100.00

Many years ago, an acquaintance of mine said “Who needs good art when you’ve got great trash” and that applies here. Although I would stop short of calling this a “gem,” it is at times creepily effective, at least during its first three-fourths. As the film approaches its climax, it loses some of its uniqueness but there’s plenty to like about it before it starts to feel overly familiar.

synced 2026-07-19
Tom Russo · Boston Globe 75.00/100.00

This time, the over-the-top craziness that Spencer slyly serves up fills more than just a pie plate.

synced 2026-07-19
Theo Estes · Consequence 75.00/100.00

Ma may not cover entirely new ground, but the execution still manages to be refreshing.

synced 2026-07-19
Mick LaSalle · San Francisco Chronicle 75.00/100.00

Audiences will walk out with that good chiropractor feeling, the one that says, “Yes, I have been manipulated. I have been nothing but manipulated and pounded on for the past 90 minutes. And it was a very satisfying thing.”

synced 2026-07-19
Leah Greenblatt · Entertainment Weekly 75.00/100.00

Even as the story descends into full bloody camp at its crescendo, Spencer holds the more ludicrous plot threads together.

synced 2026-07-19
Sam Adams · Slate 70.00/100.00

Between the exhilaration of great movies and the disappointment of bad ones lie the particular pleasures of trash. Ma isn’t a bad movie, and it’s sure as hell not trying to be a good one, but it scratches a particular itch that neither noble failures nor cranked-out hackwork can touch.

synced 2026-07-19
Brent McKnight · The Seattle Times 75.00/100.00

Campy and goofy, vicious and bloody, if that sounds like a good time, you might have a lot of fun partying with Ma, even if you won’t remember much tomorrow.

synced 2026-07-19
Kerry Lengel · Arizona Republic 80.00/100.00

Ma is one loony little horror film, and Octavia Spencer has a grand old time being the craziest thing in it.

synced 2026-07-19
Matthew Monagle · Austin Chronicle 78.00/100.00

There are times when Spencer’s character feels less subversive and more like a gonzo Annie Wilkes from Misery; it’s clear that the filmmakers understand how to write Sue Ann in opposition to tropes, less clear that they know how to turn that into something meaningful.

synced 2026-07-19

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