section_path: Reception/Critical response
section_name: Critical response
paragraph_text: Critical response
  
  Housefull 5 received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. The film faced criticism over its maltreatment and sexual objectification of the lead actresses' characters.
  
  Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3.5/5, writing, "The movie is a paisa-vasool killer comedy that works due to the performances of the lead cast, subject, humour quotient, unpredictable climax, franchise value and unabashed madness." Risabh Suri of the Hindustan Times rated the film 3/5 stars and highlighted "The film struggles to maintain energy, relying too heavily on Akshay's charm rather than strong material. Overall, Housefull 5 feels like being stuck on a cruise with a few comic veterans, and a funny script that forgot to board the ship." Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost rated the film 2.5/5 stars and opined "Housefull 5 is a bit of an overstretch and sometimes you can find it mindless too, but with Abhishek Bachchan’s stunning performance and Chitrangada Singh’s swag, I promise you will have a ‘jolly’ good time. And how can we forget Nana Patekar who adds a dash of thrill to this film."
  
  Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "What surprises you is the utter lack of humour, even dirty humour if we may say so in the script and sheer wastage of a zillion actors who are known for their comic timing." Devesh Sharma of the Filmfare rated the film 2.5/5 stars and opined "Housefull 5 is an over-the-top comedy set on a cruise. It relies on a set of physical gags to get in the laughs."
  
  Jaya Dwivedie of India TV rated the film 2.5/5 and wrote "Housefull 5 starts with a good idea and makes the audience laugh a lot in the first half but loses its shine as it moves towards the interval. The excitement created in the first half about the murder mystery does not last till the end; the focus is lost, but the effective climax will not let your money go to waste." Vineeta Kumar of India Today rated the film 2/5 stars and wrote "In the Akshay Kumar-starrer, the real comedian, Johnny Lever, takes a backseat while the cruise sails full speed ahead in a tide of obscene jokes and crass humour. If this is what Bollywood thinks comedy is, we might need a national sense of humour check."
  
  Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars, saying, "The film is madcap all right but its pull-no-punches and respect-no-limits humour works against its own well-being. If only Housefull 5 wasn't so full of unalloyed bilge, it would not have come across as the kind of unbridled celebration of the ludicrous that it does." Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the film 1/5 stars and opined "Compared to the previous Housefulls, this one has a slightly fuller house, but because no one expects anything else, it’s pretty much like the older ones."
  
  Anuj Kumar of The Hindu reviewed the film and summarized "Sporadically funny and unapologetically corny, Sajid Nadiadwala’s fifth instalment of the franchise flirts with disaster. As always, the film is high on the glamour quotient, creating some thinly veiled sexual humour. The strand of suspense thriller is more potent, but the comic element does not serve it effectively." Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India criticized the film for turning itself into a male gaze. He summarises "Not even Akshay Kumar’s comic timing and a twin-ending gimmick can rescue 'Housefull 5' from itself."
  
  Housefull 5 received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. The film faced criticism over its maltreatment and sexual objectification of the lead actresses' characters.
  
  Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3.5/5, writing, "The movie is a paisa-vasool killer comedy that works due to the performances of the lead cast, subject, humour quotient, unpredictable climax, franchise value and unabashed madness." Risabh Suri of the Hindustan Times rated the film 3/5 stars and highlighted "The film struggles to maintain energy, relying too heavily on Akshay's charm rather than strong material. Overall, Housefull 5 feels like being stuck on a cruise with a few comic veterans, and a funny script that forgot to board the ship." Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost rated the film 2.5/5 stars and opined "Housefull 5 is a bit of an overstretch and sometimes you can find it mindless too, but with Abhishek Bachchan’s stunning performance and Chitrangada Singh’s swag, I promise you will have a ‘jolly’ good time. And how can we forget Nana Patekar who adds a dash of thrill to this film."
  
  Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "What surprises you is the utter lack of humour, even dirty humour if we may say so in the script and sheer wastage of a zillion actors who are known for their comic timing." Devesh Sharma of the Filmfare rated the film 2.5/5 stars and opined "Housefull 5 is an over-the-top comedy set on a cruise. It relies on a set of physical gags to get in the laughs."
  
  Jaya Dwivedie of India TV rated the film 2.5/5 and wrote "Housefull 5 starts with a good idea and makes the audience laugh a lot in the first half but loses its shine as it moves towards the interval. The excitement created in the first half about the murder mystery does not last till the end; the focus is lost, but the effective climax will not let your money go to waste." Vineeta Kumar of India Today rated the film 2/5 stars and wrote "In the Akshay Kumar-starrer, the real comedian, Johnny Lever, takes a backseat while the cruise sails full speed ahead in a tide of obscene jokes and crass humour. If this is what Bollywood thinks comedy is, we might need a national sense of humour check."
  
  Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars, saying, "The film is madcap all right but its pull-no-punches and respect-no-limits humour works against its own well-being. If only Housefull 5 wasn't so full of unalloyed bilge, it would not have come across as the kind of unbridled celebration of the ludicrous that it does." Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the film 1/5 stars and opined "Compared to the previous Housefulls, this one has a slightly fuller house, but because no one expects anything else, it’s pretty much like the older ones."
  
  Anuj Kumar of The Hindu reviewed the film and summarized "Sporadically funny and unapologetically corny, Sajid Nadiadwala’s fifth instalment of the franchise flirts with disaster. As always, the film is high on the glamour quotient, creating some thinly veiled sexual humour. The strand of suspense thriller is more potent, but the comic element does not serve it effectively." Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India criticized the film for turning itself into a male gaze. He summarises "Not even Akshay Kumar’s comic timing and a twin-ending gimmick can rescue 'Housefull 5' from itself."