According to the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 57 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "A terrifically original, eccentric screwball comedy, "Raising Arizona" may not be the Coens' most disciplined movie, but it's one of their most purely entertaining." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.