Because Ozon doesn't develop his characters once Ricky shows his true nature, the movie's slightly overcooked working-class realism quickly morphs into a grotesque -- and admittedly funny -- story of a mutant baby.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
New York Daily News by Joe Neumaier
Imagine a quietly creepy "X-Men" prequel -- in French -- and you have this odd little parable.
It would be risible if Ozon’s hand didn’t remain so steady and confident throughout, all the way up to a complicatedly upbeat conclusion that recreates the Christian Annunciation with the straightest of faces.
Village Voice by Melissa Anderson
Ozon's fractured-working-class-family magical realism, liberally adapted from Rose Tremain's short story, "Moth," works best in specific moments.
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
Parables are stories about other people that help us live our own lives. The problem with the French film Ricky is that the lesson of the parable is far from clear, and nobody is likely to encounter this situation in his own life.
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
The deeper Ricky plunges into allegory, the shakier its grasp of the material.
In this season of self-important filmmaking, it's nice to watch a movie that entertains while refusing to take itself too seriously.