Jimmy P. received mixed to positive reviews from critics. On
Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 52% based on 33 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "
Jimmy P. has interesting ideas and talented stars, but director Arnaud Desplechin can't seem to figure out how to bring them together." On
Metacritic, the film holds a score of 58 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The film was praised for its sensitive portrayal of Blackfoot Jimmy Picard.
Matt Zoller Seitz awarded the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, commenting, "the movie offers the most psychologically complex screen portrait of a Native American character in at least twenty years, probably more" and "those who have undergone such treatment will appreciate how accurately the film portrays the process, never simplifying anything, never going for the easy dramatic epiphany, always respecting how analyst and patient circle around and around the edges of meaning."
Ty Burr of
The Boston Globe wrote, "Avoiding the usual therapy-drama story beats, Desplechin has made a densely satisfying drama about
Freud, racism, and sympathy in its largest sense."
A. O. Scott of
The New York Times wrote: "a reservoir of intensity in the two central performances, in particular Mr. Del Toro’s. He presents the spectacle of a man figuring himself out, using whatever tools are available: his ancestral culture, European science and his own intelligence. It is moving to witness, partly because, even when the film and the treatment have ended, so much remains to be done." The film was nominated for the
Palme d'Or at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival. In January 2014, it received three nominations at the
39th César Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. ==References==