Johnny Depp’s comeback leaves critics cold in first ‘Ebenezer’ reviews

Johnny Depp’s comeback film Ebenezer has opened to largely negative reviews, leaving critics cold in its first wave of notices. Entertainment Weekly reported that Depp received a plethora of negative reviews for his turn as Scrooge in the Charles Dickens adaptation, directed by Ti West. The film currently holds a 50 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes with 70 reviews and counting, and a 47 out of 100 score on Metacritic. Most positive-leaning reviews gave it a score around 6 out of 10.

IndieWire’s David Ehrlich called Depp’s performance “an advent calendar of empty affectations without a soul to anchor them, every shot full of face and bereft of feeling,” adding that Depp “seems to have become very bad at acting.” Consequence’s Liz Shannon Miller said Depp’s version of Scrooge paled in comparison to A Muppet Christmas Carol, writing that “Too bad Depp’s performance is a sad joke compared to, say, the great Michael Caine’s definitive take on the role.”

TheWrap’s Amelia Emberwing disliked Nathaniel Halpern’s screenplay, calling its humor “all whiffs.” Vulture’s Alison Wilmore said the film overall is “pretty good” but criticized Depp’s “tiresome variation on the mugging.” RogerEbert.com’s Matt Zoller-Seitz called the film “skillfully done” with “retro-classical style,” but said Depp’s “standard Marlon-Brando-in-latex bag of tricks is all wrong.”

On the positive side, Variety’s Guy Lodge wrote that Depp “makes for a perfectly solid, by-the-book Scrooge,” while THR’s Frank Scheck said the film “fulfills its ostensible goal of restoring the actor to A-list status.” The film also stars Ian McKellen, Andrea Riseborough, Tramell Tillman, Rupert Grint, Sam Claflin, and Daisy Ridley, and is now playing in theaters.

Deadline reported that Ebenezer counted $1.5 million in previews on Thursday and hopes for a $40 million worldwide opening. Yahoo reported the comeback is tracking to open at number one despite modest box office predictions.