Although Ronan and Tucci were praised for their performances, "The Lovely Bones" received mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 32%, based on 246 reviews, with an average rating of 4.99/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It's stuffed full of Peter Jackson's typically dazzling imagery, but "The Lovely Bones" suffers from abrupt shifts between horrific violence and cloying sentimentality." Metacritic gave the film a score of 42 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".