Esther Zuckerman

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IndieWire, The A.V. Club, The Daily Beast, The New York Times, Vox
For 52 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 59% higher than the average critic
  • 1% same as the average critic
  • 40% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 5.3 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Esther Zuckerman's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 71
Highest review score: 100 Sentimental Value
Lowest review score: 25 Glenrothan
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 52
  3. Negative: 2 out of 52
52 movie reviews
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    • 64 Metascore
    • 58 Esther Zuckerman
    Rental Family
    Rental Family, directed by Hikari, displays an almost admirable amount of restraint in its tear jerking, opting for quieter moments of grace rather than overdone emotion. In fact, it’s so restrained that Fraser’s Phillip Vandarpleog is not much of a character at all, and you leave itching for more of his inner life.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 42 Esther Zuckerman
    Honey Don't!
    It’s a slight work that is too enamored with its own quirkiness to amount to much of anything at all.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 50 Esther Zuckerman
    Dangerous Animals
    Just like there’s something cruel about the way Dangerous Animals treats women, there’s also something thoughtless about the way it deploys its undersea threats. Sure, they’re not ultimately the bad guys, but haven’t they suffered enough bad press over the years?
    • 62 Metascore
    • 50 Esther Zuckerman
    Love, Brooklyn
    Ultimately Holder argues that — despite gentrification — this place is still magical, except we never see any of the magic of which she speaks. We see a fantasy land, but that’s not the same thing as the true magic the city can offer.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 58 Esther Zuckerman
    Fly
    Fly is divided between thinking all of this is extremely cool and realizing how morbid it all seems, but it ultimately lands on the side of: Yeah, it’s pretty cool. That’s a disorienting feeling for a viewer.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 40 Esther Zuckerman
    Megalopolis
    Megalopolis is the kind of thing that has to be seen to be believed. Many will find it uproarious, others may locate some profundity, most will have to shake their heads. Whatever it is, it’s a lot.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Esther Zuckerman
    Little Death
    There’s a perplexing choice at the heart of Little Death, directed by Jack Begert, best known for his work in music videos. That choice is essentially to make two very different movies and smash them together.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 58 Esther Zuckerman
    Skywalkers: A Love Story
    "Skywalkers” also seems to gloss over too much. It never fully probes the mental state that drives someone to do this kind of thing in the first place, instead dealing with the squabbles that nearly wreck their union.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 58 Esther Zuckerman
    Suncoast
    It’s a movie that seems all too aware that life is hard, but desperately wants to simplify it. In doing that, it does a disservice to its own ideas.
    • 44 Metascore
    • 50 Esther Zuckerman
    Next Goal Wins
    Next Goal Wins is largely a misfire, one that’s too unwilling to stop kidding around for even the most important of moments.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 42 Esther Zuckerman
    Knox Goes Away
    Ultimately, one just gets the sense that “Knox Goes Away” is unsure of what it’s supposed to be. On one hand, it leans into the chillingly gruesome; on the other, it wants to laugh at the grimness of its own scenarios.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 50 Esther Zuckerman
    Homecoming
    The result is a movie that registers as slight by its end, despite the talent found within its confines. What is nonetheless evident, however, is that Bemba and Gohourou are worth watching as they go forward in their careers.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Esther Zuckerman
    Wild Life
    Where Wild Life could have been a nuanced look into how wealth and ecology collide, instead it’s merely just a celebration of these rich people doing the “right thing” with their money. But who really pays?
    • 62 Metascore
    • 58 Esther Zuckerman
    Wakefield
    It’s a tale of what happens when male inadequacy runs rampant, starring a committed Bryan Cranston, but it’s ultimately hamstrung by its overwrought sensibilities.

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