Maj Canton Radio Times Mar 23, 2026 3/5

Dante piles on the social satire without resorting to preachiness.

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John Leonard New York Magazine/Vulture Mar 23, 2026

While The Second Civil War seeks to mimic the cognitive dissonance of a fragmenting political culture, it's too much like brain surgery by lobbing grenades at a tumor.

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Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Mar 23, 2026

The Second Civil War suffers from excess, an unclear purpose and a wildly fluctuating tone.

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Tom Jicha South Florida Sun-Sentinel Mar 23, 2026

One of the most provocative, entertaining TV movies ever.

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Citizen Staff Ottawa Citizen Mar 23, 2026

The movie fragments jammed together here make for interesting but ultimately disappointing fare.

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Ann Hodges Houston Chronicle Mar 23, 2026

What might have been a devilishly clever satire of politically incorrect proportions soon takes a course that does all that cleverness in. It turns silly and ugly. It turns to sex and violence.

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John Haslett Cuff Globe and Mail Mar 23, 2026

Satirically hilarious and depressingly real.

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Lanny Larson Fresno Bee Mar 23, 2026

Wickedly scripted and deliciously acted, it's also a scathing, sobering satire that can make you uncomfortable.

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Ken Parish Perkins Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com Mar 23, 2026

Give The Second Civil War an A for effort, C-plus for execution.

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Steve Johnson Chicago Tribune Mar 21, 2026

As close as it treads to real-life anxieties, it is too often too over the top, too obvious in its lampooning.

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John Carman San Francisco Chronicle Mar 21, 2026

There are laugh-out-loud moments amid the tastelessness and raw language.

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Howard Rosenberg Los Angeles Times Mar 21, 2026

"The Second Civil War" mingles broad humor with political and social commentary in ways rare for television, delivering a very funny satire.

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Greg Quill Toronto Star Mar 20, 2026

It's richly layered, peppered with astonishing caricatures and dialogue, a marvel to behold.

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John Doyle Globe and Mail Mar 20, 2026

The broad elements of the satire don't click but there are great, off-handed jokes here.

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Neal Justin Minneapolis Star Tribune Mar 20, 2026 3/5

Director Joe Dante and writer Martyn Burke have lots of fun poking fun at the media, politicians and the military, but all too often the jokes come too easily.

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Frederic M. Biddle Boston Globe Mar 20, 2026

When it doesn't numb, the relentlessly sophomoric tone of "The Second Civil War" offensively approaches the xenophobic mindset of the society it lampoons.

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David Bianculli New York Daily News Mar 20, 2026 3.5/4

From start to finish, "The Second Civil War" is not to be missed.

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Mike Hughes Gannett News Service Mar 20, 2026

As directed by Joe Dante, this is alternately funny and nasty.

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Joanne Weintraub Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Mar 20, 2026

Some of the satire is so biting you can practically feel the tooth marks on your arm.

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Caryn James New York Times Mar 20, 2026

This mildly entertaining and disappointing film plays as if its creators didn't trust the audience to get a more subtle satire.

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