Florida Man (2023) User Reviews

Oh, the haters!

[thejdrage · 7/10 · 14 April 2023]

I wasn't going to write a review, but I'm not sure where the hate is coming from. Now, how many times have you read all that?!

This is a fun summer watch about varying groups of very dysfunctional people chasing various dreams in various ways. All mostly illegal. Some more illegal than others.

It's shot well, for Florida, and has some surprises. And has the prerequisite number of Florida "characters" that we try not to think about when we are faced with Florida. And alligators. What's a series in Florida without an alligator cameo?

What I wanted to know was, why did the eldest son have a heavy accent and no one else in the family did. That was never answered, so don't count on that.

Enjoy it for what it is - a summer fling.

Crime, laughs and long-lost gold in the Sunshine State

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 15 April 2023]

Mike Valentine is a former Philadelphia cop; his gambling problems led to him losing his job and his wife and having to work off his debts to local mobster Moss Yankov. One day Moss's girlfriend, Delly West, takes off in her new BMW and heads to Florida. Moss tasks Mike with bringing her back. He doesn't know that Mike is from Florida and for family reasons would rather not go back. Things soon get interesting for Mike and those around him as he gets caught up in a tangled story involving the missing girlfriend, a father he dislikes and a search for a possible fortune in Spanish gold!

I thought this series was a lot of fun. If you like your crime drama gritty and serious it won't be for you but if you enjoy it with plenty of laughs and don't mind if it stretches your suspension of disbelief more than a little bit you should really enjoy this. Every episode provided sufficient laughs and the characters were a lot of fun. The cast was solid, especially Édgar Ramírez as Mike; Anthony LaPaglia as his father Sonny and Abbey Lee as Delly. The series manages to wrap things up nicely in its seven episode run so viewers aren't left waiting to see further seasons. It won't be for everybody of course; there is quite a lot of swearing and some sex and violence so the easily offended might want to give it a miss. Overall I'd certainly recommend this for fans of crime comedy.

Definitely worth a watch!

[john-26353 · 7/10 · 15 April 2023]

I think the reviews here echo Florida vs the rest of the world. It's totally about the Youtube videos and headlines coming from Florida. Yes, it is cliche but seriously funny. The acting is great and the storyline is first rate. Yeah, the accents are off, the Florida state shape jokes are there , the sharks are biting, the guns are everywhere, the alligators of course, and the usual freaky deputy sheriff is thrown in. This content might be what tweaks the 'conservative' crowd to making negative reviews. If you're overly sensitive to Florida's reputation, maybe stay away. But for some just plain fun, it's definitely worth the watch.

It's fluffy and funny

[stan-benda · 7/10 · 18 April 2023]

This is not a heavy or involved criminal / treasure hunt flick. You could say it is a first draft of Body Heat, Fool's Gold with a pinch of an Errol Fylnn and a dollop of Burt Reynolds. It has the usual tropes of romance, detective work, wasted cop, father/son friction and expected twists. It is not an Emmy award candidate and it has no such aspirations. The series is good simple storytelling akin to the old TV series like Colombo, McCloud, MacMillan and Wife.

It's the right series to entertain you when your brain is fried and you are exhausted. So.get out your popcorn, have some white wine, cuddle and enjoy.

Gangsta in FloRida

[RedKidBytes · 7/10 · 16 April 2023]

The 7 part series display an effective batch of romantic crime thriller with a bit of drama conjugated by wistful turns and keeps you attached to the story and keeps you guessing to the end.

The veteran actor Anthony LaPaglia (Sonny Valentine) shows that he still got it, and is a perfect match for the character at the display. The superficially fidgety yet ambiguously deep love relationship between Edgar Ramirez (Mike Valentine) and Abbey Lee (Dell West) carries on the series.

Abbey Lee's acting debut was in George Miller's action film, Mad Max: Fury Road 2015. A role that put her on the map. In 2016, she played the lead role "Sarah" in the critically acclaimed Neon Demon, portraying a complex character with psychological issues, which cemented her acting range. And, it was the proof that she was much more than a beautiful photographic model.

She was rightly chosen to play Dell West, the most complicated character in the series with deeply hidden and somewhat combusting emotions. She's filled with underplayed fury and a will to survive in the world of gangsters. Her courage, love, distrust, and fragility are often on interchangeable.

It's good entertainment, has good acting, and is a fun watch.

Binge-worthy, fun and genuinely funny

[MovieSonic · 9/10 · 24 April 2023]

At some point in episode 1 or 2, I was laughing out loud a lot and wondering why the humour seemed familiar - I noticed Jason Bateman in the credits. Not sure if he had input in that area or if he helped select the right cast and crew, but if you like Ozark / anything with Jason Bateman, you'll like this.

It has the usual tropes but it's all done really well with superb acting and comedic timing where needed. Abbey Lee is a natural and the whole cast is believable and charismatic. Sad it was only 7 episodes but better than dragging out too long.

Ignore rotten veg - I don't trust them if they can give a series like this one star.

A fun ride!

[gallagherkellie · 7/10 · 29 April 2023]

I really liked this! I have no idea what the people who rated it low expected - maybe they thought it was meant to be a serious crime show? It's a dark comedy, not meant to be taking seriously.

I really enjoyed the 'Florida man' news stories throughout, so funny.

The actors did a great job, can't fault any of them. The story was new and fresh and fun. I was entertained the whole time. I liked the silliness of it, I laughed out loud a few times.

I love the Jason Bateman executive produced this show...it makes sense as it's the sort of humour I like.

If you want a fun, easy, bingeable show to watch that you don't need to take seriously then watch this.

Entertaining, Easy Binge

[ZillyPutty · 7/10 · 23 April 2023]

This is a good series with good acting; a bit of dark humor; and a decent, engaging plot.

It is not an award-winning series and there are obvious and annoying flaws, such as the protagonist being the only member of his family to have a Spanish accent (also LaPaglia's occasional Aussie slips), and the conspicuous absence of Southern accents. I cannot comment on the Philly accent, but at least it seemed like something was trying to be accomplished there.

I thought that the portrayal of nationally understood "Florida" behaviors and characters was actually somewhat soft-balled. If anyone was offended, they might want to read more non-Fox/OANN news articles about both the state of FL and the world.

I wanted to like this, but I just can't.

[vdoman · 5/10 · 4 August 2023]

So I live in Orlando. I have since the mid-80's. I love shows that are set in my state like Miami Vice, Burn Notice, Bloodline, and Nip/Tuck. I also love dark and quirky humor. So this show was going to be an instant hit for me... until it wasn't.

The main character has such a thick accent that I had to turn on the Closed Captions. I hate Closed Captions because I stress for having to read as fast as I can and I miss so much of the actor's facial expressions and body language. Seems his father and brother don't have this accent? That was not explained.

The woman just has no redeeming qualities other than a well preserved body and pleasant face. I have no connection or sympathy for her as she seems to be always in the situation for herself and the writing makes nothing funny of this. In fact, every character is in it for themselves including our protagonist. So why do I care? A bunch of greedy people who would leave you on the side of the road for fifty bucks. That gets tiring and I gave up half way through episode 3.

It's great, but not perfect. Still I would recommend it.

[tuoppi74 · 8/10 · 20 April 2023]

Overall for me the show was a pleasant suprise and a fun ride. The plot, acting and dialogue are all well done. That being said there are number of times certain suspenssion of disbelief is required, but this is fortunately easilly doable as the show works so well as a whole.

I think the length is an issue both ways. As a movie this would have felt too rushed. Now the 7 ep's lenght makes it have few too many plot twists and suprises that needlessly go back and forth. And of course the inevitability of a 2nd season means that the conclusion has to be written open and vague enough to allow the possibility to continue the story.

The show's concept is fun and interesting, but the acting isn't great

[josh-hensel · 6/10 · 6 August 2023]

The show is pretty interesting, and it has a lot of suspense and intrigue. It has a crime noir feel to it, which is contrasted by its bright and sunny locales. At times, it feels like Outer Banks in that they're searching for a fabled centuries old treasure that had actually never been found, even though there are gold doubloons washing up on the shore left and right.

I can suspend my disbelief, but only so much. Where the show started to lose me was in the acting. It feels like the two leads are struggling to stay in accent the entire time. Edgar Ramirez's latin accent is so thick that it's hard to understand what he's saying half of the time and Abbey Lee's Australian accent always shines through. I couldn't tell if she was trying to pull off a New York accent, which is odd since her character is from Chicago, or if she needs to find a better accent coach.

The acting nitpick aside, I was still invested in the show and found it to be enjoyable and entertaining overall. It's honestly a good rainy day binge, even though it probably won't be winning any awards.

Not as smart as it thinks it is

[michaelallenhill · 4/10 · 3 September 2023]

Pretentions of Oceans 11, but not as smart as it thinks it is. Too slowly paced and without repeated coincidences the plot would grind to a halt. Additionally not a single charismatic or likeable character in the entire show. Everyone makes the stupidest decisions possible at every turn, yet we're supposed to be impressed by there cleverness. And clearly written by people whose only experience with the wider world is through other movies and television shows. Giving this 4 stars only because if this were shortened to movie-length and if some of the characters were written in a way that encouraged us to root for them, there might be something here.

Expectations met

[dl-51550 · 7/10 · 21 April 2023]

"Florida Man" is Netflix rarity: a series that knows what is and stays in its lane, though at times it may motor a bit slowly. That's because this is a series that delves more into character development than action. And characters there are aplenty. At the center of things is Mike Valentine, an ex-cop with a gambling addiction and family issues, who wants to do right. Add in the mysterious girl, the gangster, and an only-in-the-movies kind of caper, and you get a basic tried and true formula. Expectations of what's going to happen are met, by a cast of actors with decent acting skills and surprisingly good comedic timing: yes, "Florida Man" is a comedy, and delivers some spot on, deliciously unexpected humor, often at the expense of the state of Florida (note: it was filmed in North Carolina but you'll never get a whiff of it). And because of its measured pace this series does not compel you to binge watch; you can drop in and out without losing momentum. All in all "Florida Man" is like a good day at the beach: a little heat, a little sandy grit, a pleasant breeze, and a nice view.

Named Florida man but was filmed in Wilmington North Carolina.

[dprince-56464 · 7/10 · 17 April 2023]

I currently live in Florida but was raised in Wilmington North Carolina! I begin watching this show because of the name "Florida Man" and thought it would be a fun watch since I'm currently a resident of Florida.

The Show is good don't get me wrong but as I'm watching it I started recognizing areas and establishments that looked identical to my hometown of Wilmington North Carolina and then when they showed "Stevens Ace Hardware" store I immediately knew this was filmed in North Carolina and not Florida BUT to put icing on the cake I also immediately recognized the surrounding environment of the beach and said to myself "That's Carolina Beach" about 30 minutes from Wilmington North Carolina.

Why create a show called Florida man, make the plot based on a guy going back to Florida and then film the entire thing in North Carolina? That just kind of takes away from the fun of the show for me personally.

Dark Comedy Series Featuring Unfortunate People For Ultimate Entertainment (No Spoilers)

[folk_egm · 8/10 · 15 April 2023]

Florida Man Netflix series with 7 episodes, featuring Mike (played by Edgar Ramírez), a former police officer who resigned due to gambling addiction. He must return to his hometown in Florida to search for his girlfriend, Delly (played by Abbey Lee), the daughter of a mafia boss in Florida. The search turns into a journey filled with suspicion from everyone involved, and involves an ancient gold coin treasure hidden in Florida.

Overall, this is a dark comedy series that may not look interesting from the outside. The protagonist's appearance may not be charming, but believe it or not, this is a dark comedy story filled with thrilling games. The characters are all significant and interconnected with hilarious and unexpected situations. The series also weaves in stories of love and family relationships well. Moreover, it is a well-crafted mini-series that is beautifully wrapped up in just seven episodes.

Too many coincidences...

[asterblasterth · 7/10 · 16 April 2023]

First off I liked the show but I am not going to sit here and tell you that it's a great show. There were too many coincidences and holes in the story for me to really consider it a great show. But other than that it was a good show. A typical show you can enjoy on a Sunday afternoon or something. I mean I liked the acting, the production was good and the story bar the faults was good too.

I mean the story and different storylines kept me interested enough to watch it in one go. But like I said at some points the holes and coincidences annoyed me to a degree but not that much that it turned me off from watching it. So if you're looking for a show just to relax to and enjoy go watch it I'd say.

Funny, clever and entertaining! 9/10

[mark-547-569815 · 9/10 · 15 April 2023]

Why so many negative reviews? The problem nowadays is everyone wants to be a movie critic.

Enjoy it for what it is. The cast were great, the acting was great, the production was very good for a Netflix series (not the dubbed stuff). In fact it's one of our favs and binged watched it all in one night.

And we're in the UK!

Yeah it's not perfect, and there are a few things you can't believe but please people; have a bit of a sense of humour (hurmor).

The mini series is complete, there's nothing really unfinished but I hope they make a second series as it was a great entertaining watch.

We've givin it a 9/10 just because 10/10's are reserved for very special movies. But we really enjoyed watching this!

Well done to everyoney (and Netflix) who was involved in the making of Florida Man! Excellent!!

Misrepresentation. Should be called "Georgia Man"

[kschierlinger · 17 July 2023]

It's clear the writers aren't from Florida and didn't get any advise to truly write a show that properly depicts Florida. The show seems to have the right intentions but misses on a number of different things especially in properly casting with the main character not shaking his native accent. The show also does a poor job properly portraying the area it claims to be set in. Having grown up in the area that is supposedly where the show is set (New Smyrna Beach), they try way to hard to incorporate Alligators and swampland where you would have to drive a good 40 min to even sniff those types of areas. They also keep referring to Orlando and make it seem like it's right around the corner where that's over an hour away. Outside of the establishing shots none of the show looks like Florida and you can clearly tell it was shot in the Carolinas. The show also really leans too heavy into the crazy Florida persona to a point it's corny. Guns aren't really prominent at all in the area and especially aren't prominent in the area the show is based.

6.4/10

[athanasiosze · 6/10 · 16 September 2023]

1) All those 9/10 + 10/10 reviews harm this tv show. Of course everyone has their personal preferences but Art is not subjective: This is definitely not a very good tv show. Plot armor, many coincidences, things that don't make much sense like Patsy's ark. Furthermore, this tv show has no identity. Not much funny for a comedy show, not intense for a crime show, not much action for an action show. And some characters take really dumb decisions. Overall, this is naive and shallow.

2) However, there are some positives. Edgar Ramírez can pull a leading role really well, he is good here. Basically, every actor here does a good job. Nice to see LaPaglia again. It's interesting and easy to watch, there are not boring moments. Of course, its running time with 7 episodes helps a lot. This show doesnt do everything very good (action/comedy etc) but it's not a failure either. I mean, there is entertainment value here. I don't feel like i wasted my time, even though it's not a MUST WATCH series.

3) So, if you want to watch a comedy/crime tv show with late 90's +early 00's vibes, and your expectations are not that high, you'll probably enjoy it. In any case, i would have rated it slightly higher if the ending was not that dumb. Satisfying but dumb, lazy writing at its finest.

Had Potential, lost it with awful writing, poor acting

[sandhaz · 2/10 · 19 May 2023]

I started out hopeful and was really into the potential of the series. I grew up in the south and know Florida really well, so that appealed to me.

It also seemed like it was going a long a fun hijinx sort of way. But the story got silly. Delly is especially hard to take, the father Sonny was also hard to take. Edgar Ramirez aside from looking uncertain most of the time did the better job.

This is not where the bar should be for a "fun summer fling". The story was there but dialogue and acting was impossible. And I love my fair share of camp and things no one else would like.

Bottom line: not even cheesey, just bad.

Don't believe the low rating clowns

[worksmart-58506 · 10/10 · 16 April 2023]

Incredible how many miserable people there are in the world who are incapable of getting over themselves long enough to enjoy something made to be enjoyed.

This isn't Shakespeare, season 1 of GoT nor Miami Vice level avant-garde material. It's a VERY fun romp meant to entertain and not be taken too seriously, because it doesn't take itself seriously.

The music, pace, humor, scenery, and yes...acting....is excellent for what it is. I love old movies and TV. Did anyone give a crap when Sean Connery played a British secret agent with a Scottish accent? When did people start agonizing over irrelevant bs? Someone wrote the main guy doesn't have a 'true' Floridian accent so he can't watch the show. Really?

If you're firmly able to get over yourself long enough, this show is great for some laughs and surface level, old fashioned, easy entertainment. Enjoy!

Just weird

[SimonSaysSmallScreen · 6/10 · 18 April 2023]

To begin with, all the technical aspects of this, like cinematography, sound, lighting, costumes, hair, locations, sets, music, etc., are all professionally done. So, it takes a couple beats before we start to see that things are just off. Like, the largest elephant in the room, our protagonist, who has no Latin-American background at all, is played by a Venezuelan who hasn't been able to train away his heavy accent. Were we just supposed to ignore that? Then we notice a queasy feeling because we can't get if the script is supposed to be funny/satirical or dark/heavy or clever/intricate.... what are they going for? Oh, and then things start to clarify and we see that it isn't any of that. It's just banal and derivative. This is a student film dressed up in big-boy pants. Nothing to see here, folks. Just move along....

Seems like a hit piece on Florida, but facts are way off.

[mark-12747-04976 · 2/10 · 19 April 2023]

The plot of this show is full of holes, which if it were meant to just be a comedy that could be forgiven. Instead, this feels like its laced overtop of a Michael Moore documentary on gun violence in Florida - complete with all the falsehoods and gaslighting that are typical of a Michael Moore film.

They couldn't even film the show in Florida - instead it was filmed in North Carolina. Then they want to show irresponsible gun use in every other scene, often with no contribution at all to the shows plot. They apparently want to convince the audience that is what life in Florida is like - I wonder if the writers have ever been there? They keep mentioning the high murder rate etc., yet ironically the shows creators live in a city with a murder rate nearly 3 times the worst city in Florida.

The irresponsible gun use is so distracting that it makes it extremely difficult to watch the show. They assume their audience is too ignorant to see the flaws - when in reality, they just show their own ignorance to us. The show is not just poorly written, it shows tv producers misusing guns in a manner that is very likely to get someone killed - just like Alec Baldwin did.

Entertaining, though not very well crafted

[Jon-Osterholm · 7/10 · 26 September 2023]

I enjoyed plenty about Florida Man thanks to the characters, even ones that barely belonged, like Deputy Barker, a vacationing cop who has plenty of misfortunes, played by Clark Gregg (who also directed some episodes). Broadly, the series appealed to me because of the lead characters' complex relationships, and the some supporting roles that were hard to predict in amusing ways. Several of the characters, lead and supporting roles, were laudably portrayed. I'm a fan of dramatic work by the star, Edgar Ramirez, and that drew me to the series.

Some acting/characters were weak, though, and that's not the only thing weak in the series. The writers seem to be clueless about guns, gun laws, gun shows, and in some areas, cops, too: There were some low spots in the approach to these things.

Seeing the series' title, there were predictably juvenile digs at the state of Florida - when they're sunny it's one thing, but a few were just vacuous, unfunny gestures. Viewers could have done without some of the unfunny ignorance.

It is a crime and comedy show, so some of the weaknesses seemed almost necessary, as such work is often stumbling in several ways in order to bring the laughs. This is no Breaking Bad, but is fairly light, mature entertainment.

I gave it a generous 7/10 stars. I found it worth my time, like a relative who invites questionable people over for dinner.

It's only on Netflix.

Worth the watch

[TomTaylor01 · 8/10 · 22 April 2023]

As a current resident of Central Florida, who was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, where this show was filmed, I can honestly say this is a very accurate depiction of both places. Dive bars, quirky people, boats beer and good fun. All of the marina scenes are filmed on the Sound and the intercoastal in Wilmington. Brings me back to my youth. You can almost smell the salt air like you were crabbing with hot dogs off the dock.

The story is smart and clever, with a lot of twists and turns. The anti-hero main character has a dynamic arc abs leaves the audience wanting more. Best thing Netflix has put out in a while.