When Katie meets Paco they fall in love. From this an extraordinary child is born; Ricky, who quickly develops into something wonderful and not so normal.
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 story of a mutant baby. The film's two halves feel almost mutually exclusive.
– Boyd van Hoeij,
Variety,
8 Jun 2009
rotten:
What Ricky lacks is a more thorough, consistent examination of maternal bonds.
– Melissa Anderson,
Village Voice,
15 Dec 2009
fresh:
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.
– Keith Uhlich,
Time Out New York,
16 Dec 2009
fresh:
Ricky, the first of two Ozon films to debut this year, marks a return to his busy-bee ways, not least because it feels like two disparate movies joined at the hip.
– Sam Adams,
AV Club,
17 Dec 2009
rotten:
The story begins in gritty realism, ends in pure fantasy and leaves out most of the alphabet as it makes its way from A to Z.