Edward Guthmann

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San Francisco Chronicle
For 526 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 52% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 45% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 1 point higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Edward Guthmann's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 67
Highest review score: 100 Thieves
Lowest review score: 0 Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 317 out of 526
  2. Mixed: 155 out of 526
  3. Negative: 54 out of 526
526 movie reviews
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    • 78 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Gas Food Lodging
    Apart from its cast, however, Gas Food Lodging doesn't have a lot to recommend it. This is true: It's earnest, the milieu it establishes feels authentic, and the three actresses work hard at giving their characters a life...But Anders' inexperience at writing and directing shows. She overloads her film with too many subplots, and consequently loses whatever steam she manages to build up. She introduces too many secondary characters -- two suitors for Nora, one ex-husband, and two boyfriends apiece for each daughter -- but never develops any of them adequately. [9 Sept 1992, p.E3]
    • San Francisco Chronicle
    • 60 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    The Debut
    A melodramatic yarn that transcends some of its technical and storytelling flaws through the cheery energy and sincerity of its cast.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    The Deep End of the Ocean
    It's a classy but downbeat spin on the most familiar of TV-movie formulas.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Signs & Wonders
    Nossiter's premise is good, and he intrigues us with stylish conceits, but he makes a crucial casting error. Alec ought to be someone we care about.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Orgazmo
    Cheerfully raunchy and undeserving of its prohibitive NC-17 rating, Orgazmo is a harmless sex farce.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Made in America
    Made in America, for the most part, is surprisingly inept -- badly shot, badly lit and badly edited. It's the actors alone, Danson especially, who save it from total disaster. [28 May 1993, p.C1]
    • San Francisco Chronicle
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    The Grey Zone
    Nelson's work is relentless, grueling and courageous. He makes a large blunder in having American actors (David Arquette, Steve Buscemi) play Hungarian Jews with American accents, while Harvey Keitel plays a Nazi officer with a German accent.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Gangster No. 1
    We're left with a metallic aftertaste.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    The Big Lebowski
    Although some of its parts are brilliantly executed and played by a terrific cast, the result is scattered, overamplified and unsatisfying.
    • 31 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    The Bachelor
    A pretty lame premise for a movie.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Pleasantville
    When Ross gets serious and grasps for allegorical import, Pleasantville bogs down in mixed ambitions.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Buffalo Soldiers
    Ultimately, it's a cold, caustic film that doesn't take a strong point of view but seems to offer up its numerous set pieces.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    The American Astronaut
    Much of Astronaut comes off as tedious and self-amused, but the musical vignettes are fun.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Bitter Moon
    Polanski attempts a precarious mixture of drama and comedy here -- seesawing between a serious look at sexual obsession on the one hand and an antic, spoofy tone on the other. It's a bold risk, but it rarely works because we usually don't know if Polanski is being intentionally funny, or merely inept. [25 Mar 1994, p.C3]
    • San Francisco Chronicle
    • 41 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Simpatico
    A confounding and unsatisfying film.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Burnt Money
    A sexy, mildly entertaining import.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Jet Lag
    A time-waster that might be diversionary on a dull cross-Atlantic flight -- but only in the absence of alternatives.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Wayne's World 2
    Myers and Carvey bring a lot of goofy, adolescent charm to the party, but not enough to save an idea that's grown stale. [10 Dec 1993, p.C3]
    • San Francisco Chronicle
    • 45 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Jefferson in Paris
    Jefferson in Paris is dull, sluggish and unfocused.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Vanilla Sky
    The film's aim -- to dazzle and inspire -- is sapped by Cruise's vein-popping, running-the-marathon performance.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Cold Comfort Farm
    Cold Comfort Farm may be hysterically funny to regular readers of Hardy, Lawrence, Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, but it won't ring many bells for the rest of us.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Dogtown and Z-Boys
    Exhilarating but blatantly biased.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    So Close
    A silly Hong Kong action flick from actor-turned-director Corey Yuen, fits nicely in the "bimbo fu" genre.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    No Such Thing
    An uneasy mixture of tragedy, satire, monster yarn and David Cronenberg creepiness, No Such Thing can't decide what it wants to be or how it needs to get there.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    The Substance of Fire
    First-time film director Sullivan draws good performances from Goldwyn, Hutton and Parker, as well as Debra Monk, Elizabeth Franz and Eric Bogosian in minor roles.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
    Murphy, who started directing movies in his native Australia, does a good job of locomoting Under Siege 2 at a lively, muscular clip.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Invincible
    A strange but oddly memorable film.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    The Affair of the Necklace
    Plays like the cinematic equivalent of a paperback bodice- ripper with embossed type.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Chutney Popcorn
    Her direction is weak, her dialogue is cliched, and her acting lacks energy and focus.
    • 33 Metascore
    • 50 Edward Guthmann
    Jade
    Despite its posh trimmings, and Fiorentino's feline presence, Jade never rises above its limitations and never cloaks the fact that Eszterhas' dialogue and script are basically pulp -- minus the trashy fun that we've come to expect from the genre.
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