Joseph Patrick Michael "Joe" Leydon (born August 22, 1952) is an American film critic and historian. A critic and correspondent for Variety and a contributing writer for MovieMaker Magazine and CultureMap.com, he is the author of Joe Leydon's Guide to Essential Movies You Must See (Michael Wiese Productions) and a contributing critic for Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide. He is also a contributing editor for Cowboys & Indians Magazine.
Joe Leydon wrote his first movie review -- a rave for "In the Heat of the Night" -- for his high school newspaper. One year later, he wrote his first movie review (a favorable appreciation of "Wild in the Streets") for a professional publication -- The Clarion Herald, a weekly Catholic newspaper in Leydon's hometown of New Orleans -- and continued to free-lance for that paper for nearly a decade.