The Battle of Shaker Heights
Miramax Films | Release Date: August 22, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
33
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
13
Negative:
8
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Surprisingly sweet and smart... LaBeouf does an excellent job, and the talented Beeney is one to watch. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineAngel Cohn
LaBeouf somehow manages to turn Kelly's self-centered behavior and irritating character quirks into a sympathetic lead, and the well-written script by newcomer Erica Beeney brings a lot of humor to some very touching moments. Read full review
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
If there is a delicate story of forgiveness, friendship and family buried somewhere in Erica Beeney's script, Potelle and Rankin haven't managed to find it under the throes of empty rebellion and painless triumph. Read full review
50
SalonHeather Havrilesky
The nice thing about seeing so much time, money and effort go into a bland film is that it makes you appreciate truly inspired filmmaking even more. Read full review
50
PremiereAaron Hillis
The dubious whimsy, devoid of any directorial voice, plays more like a very special episode of Dawson’s Creek. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Best to experience Shaker Heights for what it is: not a movie, exactly, but the true season capper of ''Project Greenlight,'' a series that finds its very drama on the road to mediocrity. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Isn't bad so much as jumbled...You get the sense of too much input, too many bright ideas, too many scenes that don't belong in the same movie. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyRon Stringer
While decidedly green, at least isn't mealy or tasteless. And if the juice in tyro screenwriter Erica Beeney's witty dialogue can't quite flow through the hard tissue of underripe gimmicks and derivative set pieces, there's enough sweetness in the performances, and tautness in the direction (by Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin), to forestall any serious bellyaching. Read full review
50
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
The characters talk like smart, unpredictable people, and Kelly Ernswiler is one of a kind. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
If that sounds a lot like Rushmore, it is, except that the heart has been sucked out of the thing -- replaced by glib chatter, gratuitous Baudelaire references, and distracting product placement. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
Directors Potelle and Rankin lack the skill to integrate the sometimes drastic shifts between comedy and drama - and the serious portions ultimately get short shrift, apparently at the behest of Miramax's marketing executives. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy Burr
In a better movie -- a much better movie -- LaBeouf might make the same sort of impact Dustin Hoffman did in ''The Graduate.'' But the kid's young. There are movies to come. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneAllison Benedikt
Painfully blasé coming-of-age story. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
Another heartfelt coming-of-age story that plays much more like a television movie than a theatrical feature. Read full review
30
VarietyRobert Koehler
Although Erica Beeney's script beat out more than 7,000 entries, the screen version dulls her potentially distinctive voice with deadly doses of sentimentality. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Goes down fighting, but it goes down just the same.
30
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
LaBeouf's got the beef, and his inevitably bright future may be the only reason anyone will ever look back on The Battle of Shaker Heights. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
The best thing that can be said about this lethargic coming-of-age tale, noticeably undernourished at 78 minutes, is that it's better than the even more pathetic "Stolen Summer." Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
Dispiriting mess. The movie is bad in a boring way: tepidly paced, disjointed and lacking any emotional hook. Read full review
20
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
May lead to a new axiom: success has many fathers, but failure has "Project Greenlight." Read full review
10
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Brain-numbingly innocuous, cliche-soused melodrama. Read full review
10
Washington PostStephen Hunter
An insufferable piffle. Read full review
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