Focus
Paramount Classics | Release Date: October 19, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
15
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
A movie worth viewing. Besides, it's the only movie to boast NYC millionaire mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg as its executive producer. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
A cautionary tale that's harrowing, heartbreaking and -- especially given the times, when Americans seem all-too-ready to once again judge people as a threat solely by their appearance -- disturbingly resonant.
50
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Seems embalmed in its own time, an earnest and handsomely crafted museum piece, not an urgent transposition of Miller's moral outrage to the new century.
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Even if they're on the side of the angels, 106 minutes is a long time to keep this sermon going. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
This insidiously complex satire is filled with apparent digressions, and our complete identification with the man occurs so gradually that it's impossible to pinpoint just when our previous disdain becomes a position of relative comfort. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Doesn't reach for reality; it's a deliberate attempt to look and feel like a 1940s social problems picture, right down to the texture of the color photography. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
It's a good film but an over-obvious one. I wish I'd liked it more.
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The result would be an important drama if the screenplay (based on an early Arthur Miller novel) didn't lapse into preachiness and imprecision at times. Read full review
25
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Has a topsy-turvy sense of injustice. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
A hyperreal, visually layered period style that finds film noir shadows creeping in at the edges of a blue-sky, get-along-to-go-along America. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
While Macy is persuasive, much of Focus is not. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
This film and Miller's vision remind us of the danger of giving in to fear. Read full review
40
Mr. ShowbizKevin Maynard
Relevant message aside, there's no good reason to sit through photographer Neal Slavin's directorial debut.
70
New Times (L.A.)Jean Oppenheimer
Yes, the movie is obvious at time, banging you over the head with its message, and the use of shadows on a wall can seem overly broad. But these are small complaints when compared to the film's many strengths. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Only David Paymer -- and the actor formerly known as the singer Meat Loaf, playing Newman's suspicious neighbor, ring true. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
Obviously a labor of love for all involved, including GOP mayoral candidate Michael Bloomberg, who bankrolled the production and receives full producer credit. He deserves it. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Feels somehow incomplete. It may be that its visual metaphor is more effective in literature than in film. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
No denying the relevance of the tale. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
About American anti-Semitism, but it's not a typical genteel "cause" movie. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
The script is full of holes and the premise is not especially credible. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
The movie's surreal style, with its film-noir camerawork and ominous lighting, turns the story into a fable about fear and nonconformism, and Mr. Macy's and Ms. Dern's carefully shaded caricatures match the mood. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
The film is rich in period detail and a keen visual sense of irony, but it's curiously static; scenes that blister the pages of Miller's novel barely move. Read full review
63
USA TodayMike Clark
Two constants: good acting and an old-fashioned preachiness that backfires. Read full review
30
VarietyDennis Harvey
A stilted, heavy-handed parable about fascistic intolerance. Read full review
60
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Dern and Macy give doughty performances in schematic roles, but glasses or no, these have to be two of the least Semitic-looking actors in American movies. Read full review
50
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Works better as a subject for high school study rather than lasting art. Read full review
50
Washington PostRita Kempley
The topic certainly suits the times, but the director's approach is as alienating as it is old-fashioned. Read full review
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