The Pest

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The Pest

PG-13

1997

1h 22m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

4%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Fast-talking Latino con artist Pestario Pest Vargas (John Leguizamo) is the target of Scottish mobsters to whom he owes a considerable debt. Willing to do anything to raise money and avoid severe injury or death, Vargas agrees to a very unusual job -- he will be transported to a remote island and hunted by Gustav Shank (Jeffrey Jones), a racist German executive. If he can survive a full day and night, Vargas gets $50,000 and will be set free. Is he wily enough to elude Shank?

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Critics Consensus

The Pest aims for zany comedy with social commentary, misses, and lands squarely at offensive misfire thanks to John Leguizamo's over-caffeinated performance and a script laden with stereotypes.

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Simon Abrams

House Next Door

It pains me to admit just how obnoxious The Pest is because it has all the ingredients of the kind of guilty pleasure I love.

Feb 25, 2011

Full Review

Keith Phipps

AV Club

It seems to be targeted at eight-year-old boys with attention-deficit disorder, and could have been more competently made by any one of them.

Aug 4, 2009

Full Review

Joe Leydon

Variety

Pic exists solely to showcase Leguizamo's wild and crazy antics, which are very much an acquired taste.

Mar 27, 2009

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Martin Thomas

Double Toasted

Anything for a laugh, anything to keep it going...

Jan 20, 2021

Full Review

Korey Coleman

Double Toasted

Crazy, I'll give it credit for that. Much crazier than I thought it would be, just the premise alone...it's the goofiest, not all of it, but mixed together it combines for the goofiest...

Jan 20, 2021

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Ken Fox

TV Guide

Even surrounded by unbearable sloppiness, Leguizamo is fascinating to watch.

Rated: 1.5/4

Aug 4, 2009

Full Review

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Siskel E

Masterpiece Theater--- Verily, The Pest doth stand as the zenith of all cinematic endeavour, a triumph so profound that even the Muses themselves wouldst weep in awe. The quill of its writer, guided by divine madness, hath penned a script so chaotic and brilliant it rendeth asunder the very notion of narrative convention. Sir Leguizamo delivereth a performance of such alchemical genius that he transmuteth crude jest into purest gold—each antic a sonnet, each belch a soliloquy. Beneath the seeming folly lies a labyrinth of layered identities, a hero's journey cloaked in motley, echoing the tragicomedies of the Bard himself. I, a critic of unassailable wit and refinement, proclaim henceforth that all of cinema must now be measured by the sacred standard of The Pest.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/21/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme ruim, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são ruins, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom, e eu não recomendo esse filme.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/03/25

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Stephen C

A funny classic in just 1 hour and 22 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/02/25

Full Review

Robert S

A hilariously irreverent comedic take on the classic novel, "A Most Dangerous Game". The Pest plays on racial and national stereotypes with jokes and impressions that span those gaps in a way that eberyone can laugh at. At the same time, it's damned near a cartoon with more plot holes than a children's show. Personally? I love it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/06/24

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Chelsea R

This movie is 10/10! I watch this movie annually and will continue to until I die.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

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Paul W

It's a ridiculous comedy in the same vain as Ace Ventura, but it didn't resonate nearly as well with audiences at the time, and for that matter I'm not sure most audiences even knew about it. But if you like, goofy, slap stick humor, quick whit, impressions and fart jokes, the Latin Jim Carey ( John Leguizamo ) will deliver.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/14/23

Full Review

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Paul Miller

Director

John Leguizamo

Pestario 'Pest' Vargas

Jeffrey Jones

Gustav Shank

Edoardo Ballerini

Himmel Shank

Freddy Rodríguez

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Tammy Townsend

Xantha Kent

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Synopsis

Fast-talking Latino con artist Pestario Pest Vargas (John Leguizamo) is the target of Scottish mobsters to whom he owes a considerable debt. Willing to do anything to raise money and avoid severe injury or death, Vargas agrees to a very unusual job -- he will be transported to a remote island and hunted by Gustav Shank (Jeffrey Jones), a racist German executive. If he can survive a full day and night, Vargas gets $50,000 and will be set free. Is he wily enough to elude Shank?

Director: Paul Miller
Producer: Jonathan Sheinberg, Bill Sheinberg, Sid Sheinberg
Production Co: TriStar Pictures, The Bubble Factory
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.5M
Runtime: 1h 22m
Sound Mix: Surround

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