However, Gurmit Singh and team felt that they had to wait for a script that combined Phua's trademark Singlish and physical humour with heartfelt drama and added new characters so that audiences would be willing to pay for it.

Phin Wong of TODAY found that the adaptation from small to big screen "ends up looking less like a film and more like a series of skits built around a barely-there story, with a handful of inexplicable melodrama thrown in", also calling it "an unfortunate waste of a talented cast playing well-loved characters capable of so much more."

Dylan Tan of The Business Times criticised its "scattershot plot", "annoying catchphrases shamelessly recycled", "banal gags", "exaggerated acting", "below-average production values" and "shoddy cinematography".

He added, "To say PCK The Movie is a half-baked and rough effort could well be the understatement of the year as it’s neither original, clever nor grand enough to warrant a big-screen outing", claiming the film was made for the Malaysian market.

He gave the "scriptwriters credit in getting creative with the setting", which allowed the film to focus on Phua and Rosie, but concluded that it is "only suitable for kids as it played out in juvenile fashion appealing only to that targeted demographic".

Lai praised it for providing "good reminiscence of the TV series" and its catch phrases, but criticised the "weak wordplay and slapstick which seemed aimed at younger audiences", the "lengthy storyline" with "unnecessary supporting character subplots" and the unmemorable ending.