The movie is entertaining in its own right, and representative of the era in which it was produced, but, aside from the legendary interaction between Bogart and Lauren Bacall, there are only moderate reasons to recommend the film.
– James Berardinelli,
ReelViews,
29 Jan 2004
fresh:
Bogie and Bacall fell in love while making the film, and their scenes reflect this, giving To Have and Have Not a degree of emotional presence that is unusual in the 'bite on the bullet' world of Hawks.
– Phil Hardy,
Time Out,
9 Feb 2006
fresh:
Bogart is in his usual metier, a tough guy who, no less, has the facility of making a dame go for him, instead of he for her. That's where Bacall comes in.
– Variety Staff,
Variety,
16 Mar 2009
fresh:
Lauren Bacall has cinema personality to burn, and she burns both ends against an unusually little middle.
– James Agee,
TIME Magazine,
15 Aug 2014
fresh:
In many ways the ultimate Hawks film: clear, direct, and thoroughly brilliant.