On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 48% based on 25 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 5.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Year of the Horse might be worth a watch for hardcore fans of Neil Young or Jim Jarmusch, but it will likely test the patience of most other viewers."[3]Roger Ebert named Year of the Horse as the worst movie of 1997. The film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[2]