[2] AllMusic critic Tom Maginnis writes that, in the song, "Jackson plays the role of media-savvy flimflam man, willing to promote any latest fad for a buck, like the shady street vendor of trinkets he portrays on the front cover [of the album]".

[3] AllMusic's Mike DeGagne writes, "Not only does the track show off Jackson's free-range ability, but his sense of humor arises once again, following in the footsteps of Look Sharp!

[5] "I'm the Man" is a fast-paced rocker, described by Maginnis as "a [taut] ball of nervy new wave pop, tumbling straight ahead at breakneck speeds".

DeGagne writes, "the frantic 'I'm the Man' showcases Jackson at his most frenzied, as a freight train's worth of lyrics pile haphazardly into one another alongside a wonderfully hysteric rhythm".

[7] Upon its release, David Hepworth of Smash Hits wrote, "Joe takes a club to the people who make profits from fads with a bouncing up tempo rocker that loses a bit of its force during the instrumental break.

[10] In the US, Cash Box felt the "insistently rocking track is new wave at its most palatable, yet Jackson doesn't sacrifice any of the instrumental or lyrical bite for pop gloss".

"[11] Record World called it an "AOR-pop chartbuster" on which Jackson's a "rock 'n roll firebrand" and "combined with a breakneck rhythm, it works to maximum effect.