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.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 Stephen Farber
    Saturday Night
    This film, so fresh and enterprising at many moments, ultimately disappoints.
    • 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.
    • 22 Metascore
    • 30 Stephen Farber
    Reagan
    Most of the major events in Reagan’s life are covered, but few of them are recounted in an incisive fashion.
    • 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.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 60 Stephen Farber
    Freud's Last Session
    Even acknowledging and regretting the conceptual misjudgments that mar the film, there are moments to enjoy. The conversations between the doctor and the don remain stimulating, and the two central performances add to the electricity.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Stephen Farber
    Leave the World Behind
    As a nightmarish suspense drama about everyday life disintegrating, Esmail’s movie is sometimes effective, even while it echoes earlier films like The Road and David Koepp’s underrated 1996 thriller, The Trigger Effect.
    • 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.
    • 40 Metascore
    • 50 Stephen Farber
    Father Stu
    Although this true story (even if embellished a bit by the filmmakers) inevitably builds some emotion, it ends up feeling more banal than spiritually exalting.
    • 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.
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