Stephen Farber

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The Hollywood Reporter
For 203 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 63% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 34% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 1 point higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Stephen Farber's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 67
Highest review score: 100 The Attack
Lowest review score: 30 Reagan
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 127 out of 203
  2. Mixed: 70 out of 203
  3. Negative: 6 out of 203
203 movie reviews
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    • 61 Metascore
    • 80 Stephen Farber
    Mr. Burton
    The subject of mentorship is not treated frequently onscreen, but Mr. Burton may be remembered as one of the definitive explorations of the theme. All the technical credits help to ground the film — cinematography by Stuart Biddlecombe is especially striking — but it is the performances that truly mesmerize.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    Dragonfly
    This is a slight film, but the jolts do stay with you, and the two stars offer a humanity that many horror movies lack.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Stephen Farber
    Chasing Chasing Amy
    As a piece of filmmaking, Chasing Chasing Amy is effectively put together.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid!
    It provides some great background on Carville and certainly convinces us that he is one of the most colorful figures on the scene today — and still making noise.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    Better Man
    Given the craziness of the concept, it is surprising that several of the scenes work as well as they do.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Stephen Farber
    Conclave
    Berger does a fine job controlling all of these performances, and he also creates a rich atmosphere for the production.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 80 Stephen Farber
    Daddio
    The two superb performances and the tactful hand of a gifted new director ensures that the audience will still be thinking about these people long after the journey ends.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Stephen Farber
    The Monk and the Gun
    Perhaps there are a couple of unnecessary complications on the way to the denouement, but the storytelling is lively and piquant, demonstrating the director’s sense of humor and sharp observational skills.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    Nyad
    It is a tribute to Bening’s performance that she keeps us mesmerized by Nyad even at her most stubbornly pigheaded.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    The Holdovers
    It is an engaging and often touching comic drama that builds power as it moves toward its immensely satisfying conclusion.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    The Corridors of Power
    The horrors of recent decades deserve the thoughtful, impassioned analysis that Moreh provides.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    The Same Storm
    In short, this film leaves us moved and provoked — and impressed with its technical accomplishments — even if it isn’t a perfect distillation of our ongoing national nightmare.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Stephen Farber
    Sr.
    Perhaps inevitably, the film moves toward a deeply poignant conclusion, but there are enough rambunctious and slightly zonked-out moments to provide a vivid, full-blooded portrait.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 90 Stephen Farber
    The Wonder
    Nothing would work quite as well without the performance by Pugh. She commands the screen from her very first appearance, and we never have doubts that anyone who tries to interfere with her will be facing a formidable adversary.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Stephen Farber
    The Automat
    This is no more than a minor piece of social history, but it wins us over with humor and a pointed touch of melancholy.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Stephen Farber
    The Auschwitz Report
    There is no question that it is an extremely well-crafted piece of work.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    Citizen Ashe
    The interviews in the film are perhaps a bit more limited than they might be, with the directors relying on the same people repeatedly. ... [But] the film will help to introduce worldwide audiences to his stirring story.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
    Cumberbatch and Foy play beautifully together; the chemistry is palpable, and both performers know how to charm audiences without overselling the romance.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 90 Stephen Farber
    Cyrano
    The important point is that the charm and poignancy of the original text survive. And Wright’s technical achievements are worth saluting.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Stephen Farber
    Belfast
    Branagh’s most personal film is imperfect, but the emotion that it builds in the final section, as the family plays out a wrenching universal drama of emigration, is searing.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    King Richard
    It is far from a perfect film, but it tantalizes, thanks to the strong subject matter and the sharp characterizations and performances.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    The Independents
    The best thing about the movie is the way in which it subverts all the clichés of the star-is-born story.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    No Man's Land
    The movie probably runs on a little too long considering the lack of complexity in the script, but it achieves moments of pathos that speak eloquently to our present mood of discord, tempered with a tentative hope of reconciliation.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    Sing Me a Song
    This film will not resolve the question of whether technological “progress” represents an advance or a decline in civilization, but it certainly will provoke conversations about that issue. And the focus on a real person over a period of years certainly adds pungency to the debate.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Stephen Farber
    Oliver Sacks: His Own Life
    Sacks’ personal life was as startling as his professional achievements.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    The Way I See It
    The greatest documentaries cut deeper and more unflinchingly. But if The Way I See It sometimes skims along the surface, the potent images of a truly gifted president in action offer a welcome journey back to a more hopeful era.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 70 Stephen Farber
    Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies
    The title may sound incendiary, something left over from the Russ Meyer era, but Danny Wolf’s Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies turns out to be informative and even-handed as well as entertaining.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Stephen Farber
    Nose to Tail
    It’s consistently sharp-edged and even suspenseful.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 80 Stephen Farber
    The Tobacconist
    The film expertly captures the tensions in the Austrian capital on the eve of Hitler’s takeover, and it also manages to be a vibrant coming-of-age story and an intriguing portrayal of Sigmund Freud, expertly portrayed by Bruno Ganz.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Stephen Farber
    For They Know Not What They Do
    This doc is always thoughtful and tightly edited, and it has an emotional impact that not many docs can equal.
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