Chicago Tribune's Scores

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For 7,601 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 62% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 36% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.3 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 66
Highest review score: 100 Autumn Tale
Lowest review score: 0 Car 54, Where Are You?
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5,106 out of 7601
  2. Mixed: 1,473 out of 7601
  3. Negative: 1,022 out of 7601
7601 movie reviews
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  1. Chop Suey
    A gentle film, not very controversial despite its gay content, Chop Sue is valuable as a record of beauty and obsession, much less interesting as a human document.
  2. Joy Ride
    There's good pulp and bad pulp, and for most of its duration, Joy Ride is quality stuff.
    • Chicago Tribune
    • 60 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The Debut
    Delightful coming-of-age film that becomes universal by way of its subject matter.
  4. Training Day
    This is a movie that rocks and socks you, and has a performance by Washington that's ruthless and scary. But in the end, it leaves you unmarked.
  5. Serendipity
    There is a thrill in seeing them wooing and pursuing each other through the streets of New York, a city that here again, for a while, becomes a movie isle of joy.
  6. Max Keeble's Big Move
    It's the pre-teen set who will revel in the adolescent angst and anarchic high jinks of Max Keeble.
    • Chicago Tribune
  7. The Learning Curve
    A pair of decent performances does not a movie make, however, as Mazur and Giovinazzo are surrounded by fourth-tier actors (Ventresca and Steven Bauer) and spotty directing of a mediocre script.
    • Chicago Tribune
  8. La Ciénaga
    Argentinean filmmaker Lucrecia Martel takes fundamental risks with form and style, and it pays off brilliantly.
  9. Va Savoir (Who Knows?)
    It may be the most serene and optimistic film Rivette has made in France. Yet even the art-house audience may undervalue it, miss the beauty, style and wit.
  10. Don't Say a Word
    Almost nothing new to offer -- despite its good actors, flashy visuals and well-textured New York gloss and grit. But there are teasing hints of another, better movie buried inside somewhere.
  11. Zoolander
    The main problem is the director-star's choice to play so far beneath his intelligence for so long. Stiller lacks the physical gifts and projected sweetness of, say, Jim Carrey in "Dumb and Dumber," and unlike Peter Sellers in the "Pink Panther" movies, he can't keep a straight face.
    • Chicago Tribune
  12. Hearts in Atlantis
    Sometimes thrilling, sometimes suffocatingly tasteful adaptation of Stephen King's 1999 novel.
    • Chicago Tribune
  13. Dinner Rush
    It's rare to find an American movie that works so well structurally from beginning to end, including a second act that withstands the plethora of fast-moving action, and a climax that is satisfying and well earned.
  14. Diamond Men
    Diamond Men's potential as a diamond in the rough turn out to be more "rough" than "diamond."
  15. The Endurance
    If Shackleton's adventure was to be the swan song for those 19th century explorers whose exploits stirred the imagination of young men around the globe, it was a magnificent way to say farewell.
  16. Liam
    The acting -- especially by Borrows, Ian Hart and Hackett -- is strong and transparent, utterly convincing. The whole movie has a seamless flow and an utterly convincing sense of time and place.
  17. Go Tigers!
    A superbly crafted piece of humanistic cinema.
    • Chicago Tribune
  18. The Glass House
    Something that gets your motor racing briefly, but which you've seen all too often.
  19. Wisconsin Death Trip
    The film is not exactly a documentary, and not quite a period horror movie either. But it has elements of both. At its best, it's hypnotic and provocative.
  20. Haiku Tunnel
    A funny movie, but like "Josh" himself, it's too self-absorbed, and maybe too nice, for its own good.
  21. China: The Panda Adventure
    The landscapes and backgrounds of the Min Valley and the Nanking Road, not to mention the cuddly pandas themselves, are the big-ticket items here.
  22. Hard Ball
    Remains watchable when it's not hitting you like a baseball bat with poignancy. But by the time you've endured all of the shamelessly manipulative plot turns and heart-yanking speeches that close out the movie, all you can do is cry foul.
  23. The Musketeer
    A grotesque slumgullion of kung fu, studio schlock and pseudo-Dumas swashbuckling that leaves you longing for Doug Fairbanks --or even Don Ameche and The Ritz Brothers.
    • Chicago Tribune
  24. Our Lady of the Assassins
    The director's return home here parallels that of Fernando, metaphorically and artistically. Our Lady of the Assassins is a film of clarity, feeling and electric intensity.
    • Chicago Tribune
  25. Soul Survivors
    One of those frustrating movies that takes forever to get where it's going, and once arriving, the frustration is increased because one realizes how much better it should have been.
    • Chicago Tribune
  26. Rock Star
    The movie can't quite embrace its characters or their scene; Wahlberg even cracks a joke over the end credits that heralds the late-'80s ascendance of hip-hop, which, of course, spawned Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
  27. Vengo
    Filled with dazzling moments, Vengo never quite reaches the heights those moments promise.
  28. Two Can Play That Game
    Throws its obvious predecessor, "Waiting to Exhale," into relief, making that 1995 syrupy revenge fantasy look positively Shakespearean next to the moronic Two Can Play That Game.
  29. Djomeh
    May strike some audiences as even more real than Kiarostami's work, because the story is so luminously open. Watching it, we enter, without barriers, a world.
  30. O
    A sign of O's effectiveness is that it works regardless of whether you know Shakespeare's play.
    • Chicago Tribune
  31. Jeepers Creepers
    Plays like an amateur debut effort written over a weekend during which its writer wasn't entirely sober.
  32. Fighter
    A movie that celebrates and mourns heroism and friendship, while reminding us how seldom we truly see either on our big screens.
  33. Tortilla Soup
    Appeals to a universal appetite for stories that are as rich and warm as they are flavorful.
  34. Ghosts of Mars
    Carpenter writes his own scripts -- here with past collaborator Larry Sulkis -- and their "Ghosts" screenplay lacks the density, character and humor of a Hollywood genre classic.
  35. Happy Accidents
    Doesn't have the negative qualities of many big-studio romantic comedies, but it doesn't quite take flight.
    • Chicago Tribune
  36. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
    Now that Smith has gotten these characters and jokes out of his system, here's hoping he can turn to material that doesn't require winking at the audience.
  37. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
    Seemingly a simple comedy, it actually -- like all Allen's "simple" comedies -- has a lot to say. Will the audience listen or just dismiss it as minor, out-of-date Woody? If they do, it's their loss.
  38. Together
    Exquisitely captures the irony and hopefulness of the era.
  39. Summer Catch
    Neither drama nor comedy, Summer Catch is a long, slow lob of a movie that never crosses the plate.
  40. Lisa Picard Is Famous
    It's a nice little film, likable but not exceptional, and it will probably appeal most strongly to actors, would be-actors, wannabes and ex-actors.
    • Chicago Tribune
  41. Innocence
    A beautiful, almost defiant film on an unusual subject: love among the elderly.
    • Chicago Tribune
  42. Aberdeen
    In the end, grips us precisely because its actors are so utterly absorbed in their roles, so unfettered and nakedly expressive. This is the kind of acting we always look for, but rarely see.
  43. Captain Corelli's Mandolin
    It's beautifully shot on Cephallonian locations by superb landscape photographer John Toll.
    • Chicago Tribune
  44. Rat Race
    Zucker gives the movie an ebullient spirit, but he also keeps everything at the same loud pitch throughout.
  45. American Outlaws
    Not only does American Outlaws distort history, but the filmmakers have created a dull, one-dimensional pop icon out of James' complex character and legend.
  46. American Pie 2
    American Pie 2, which brings back the same cast for more of the same, is just another by-the-numbers, money-hungry sequel with a lot of recycled shaggy-sex jokes and gross-out gags.
  47. The Others
    A classic haunted-house story enshrouded in fog and steeped in portentous atmosphere. It gives you a case of the creeps oh-so slowly, then hits you with a clever, mind-warping way of saying, "Boo!"
  48. All Over the Guy
    Snappy but sappy romantic comedy.
    • Chicago Tribune
  49. An American Rhapsody
    The heartfelt truthfulness of Gardos' tale, and the performances of all leads, particularly Johansson, make the film a powerful account of the universal search for identity and the meaning of "home."
  50. Osmosis Jones
    Gets under your skin with laughs that are fast, slick and slippery and with visuals as vivid as anything this side of Demerol.
  51. Audition
    Creates an atmosphere of frenzy that is both powerful and unforgettable, providing neither solace nor comfort.
  52. Original Sin
    Jolie and Banderas are two hot actors, in many senses of the word, and their scenes together have a lewd excitement.
    • Chicago Tribune
  53. Under solen
    Swedish cinema has been famous for a number of things: beautiful actresses, fine sexy psychological dramas, natural settings, cinematic bawdiness and a touch of melancholy. Under the Sun fits that profile well.
  54. The Princess Diaries
    Manages to wring some originality out of its fairy-tale plot. This freshness compensates for the expected hackneyed qualities in this Cinderella tale.
  55. Rush Hour 2
    This sequel succeeds as a slightly convoluted, paint-by-the-numbers buddy/action comedy with fast, funny banter and well-choreographed fight scenes.
  56. Apocalypse Now Redux
    Magnificent to look at, thrilling, ingenious, spellbinding and superbly done on every level, this is not just one of the best films of the year or the decade, but of all time.
  57. Planet of the Apes
    This century's Planet of the Apes is a rouser, a screaming-banshee fun house.
  58. Fever Heat [re-release]
    A noir with a smile, and after all these years, its deft mixture of darkness and light still makes us smile.
  59. Cure
    What is most impressive about Kurosawa's direction is how he uses the entire frame, complete with expository background action, to fill in the story blanks. His eagerness to suggest, rather than declare, marks him as a director with confidence to spare.
  60. Jackpot
    The acting is primo and the cinematography, on high-definition video by the gifted M. David Mullen, is striking.
    • Chicago Tribune
  61. The Monkey's Mask
    It is awkward and dull, a capital crime for an aspiring noir.
    • Chicago Tribune
  62. Greenfingers
    Unambitious and transparent, but that doesn't mean it won't warm the hearts of audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
  63. Wet Hot American Summer
    This low-budget comedy will most likely try the patience of a paying audience with its uneven pacing, wavering tone and poor production quality.
  64. Reykjavík
    Fun to watch it may be, but it's shallow fun. Like the drugs and booze the characters keep using -- and even the sex -- it's a passing pleasure.
    • Chicago Tribune
  65. America's Sweethearts
    All these good actors and all Crystal's sass and witty candor can't bring back the heyday of Billy Wilder and Preston Sturges. Or even, most of the time, their off-days.
  66. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
    (Mitchell's) Hansel may be small-boned and soft-featured in an androgynous way, but his Hedwig is a force of nature, burned out and jaded yet brimming with compassion and bursting with energy.
  67. Ghost World
    What I did like unreservedly was the acting. Enid, as enacted by the sometimes astonishing Birch, is one of the more convincing, no-nonsense teens in recent movies.
  68. Brother
    Disappointingly hollow.
    • Chicago Tribune
  69. Jurassic Park III
    Another of many recent Hollywood plotless wonders.
  70. The Score
    It's a summit meeting between three brilliant leading men from three generations with three striking on-screen personas.
  71. Made
    The good news is that Vaughn is back in needling, loosey-goosey mode in Made, which he produced with Favreau. The bad news is that by the end, not only do you find him quite resistible, but you also may wish one of the tough guys of this mob comedy would heave him out a window.
    • Chicago Tribune
  72. Legally Blonde
    Witherspoon goes further, pouring so much humor and pizzazz into Elle that she lifts up the whole movie.
  73. Bully
    Just withers compared with many older, better movies about teen alienation and nihilism, from "Rebel Without a Cause" to "River's Edge."
    • Chicago Tribune
  74. Adanggaman
    The film doesn't always take advantage of its dramatic potential (except for its strong soundtrack), as it relies too heavily on scenes of crazed warriors in makeup and costume, running and screaming and jumping up and down.
  75. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
    Isn't likely to satisfy the gamers' appetite for action. It also probably isn't heady enough for the science-fiction crowd, and it's too remote for those who simply wish to be immersed in a head-spinning fantasy world.
  76. The Vertical Ray of the Sun
    It's a simple story with complex reverberations and undercurrents, as secrets keep being revealed.
  77. Everybody's Famous!
    Likable comedy about ordinary people stumbling badly and then triumphing.
    • Chicago Tribune
  78. Lost and Delirious
    Boldly goes where Hollywood rarely treads: into the passionate, intense and complex world of girls at the point in their lives when self-discovery is tempered by enormous vulnerability.
    • Chicago Tribune
  79. Kiss of the Dragon
    It's one thing for a script to set the framework for an action film -- it's quite another when the script gets in the way.
    • Chicago Tribune
  80. Jump Tomorrow
    Dry and irreverent, Jump Tomorrow plays like a Hal Hartley ("Henry Fool") comedy with a lighter tone and more laughs.
  81. Cats & Dogs
    Some stunts and jokes are genuinely clever.
  82. Scary Movie 2
    Scary Movie 2 had seven writers. Seven. That's one writer for every big laugh in its stealthy 82 minutes. More frightening: these jokes are worth waiting for.
  83. The Closet
    By the end we are left with a mildly amusing comedy and the lingering memory of a sterling cast that deserved better material.
    • Chicago Tribune
  84. Quadrophenia (re-release)
    Plays more like a gritty, episodic British independent film powered by a soundtrack of Who songs that illuminate the main character's turbulent emotions.
  85. Crazy/Beautiful
    Stockwell deserves kudos for working mental illness into a teen story without making it the explicit focus, as in simplistic exercises like "Girl, Interrupted."
    • Chicago Tribune
  86. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
    Pure magic, a three-act movie fantasy that transports us -- as the best films do -- to a world of its own, a place of ambiguous joy and delirious terror.
    • Chicago Tribune
  87. Come Undone
    Turns increasingly interior and emotionally complex. It refuses to connect, putting the pressure entirely on its viewers to reach their own conclusions.
  88. The Crimson Rivers
    A confusing and not entirely believable ending clouds the issue, though, burying some fine performances and cinematography under an avalanche of gore and plot twists.
    • Chicago Tribune
  89. Pootie Tang
    Slow and dragging, Pootie Tang is worse than a below-average sketch-to-screen Saturday Night Live film.
    • Chicago Tribune
  90. Lumumba
    The film does succeed in making the story universal, giving us the drama as well as the history, the fire as well as cool examination. It's a movie that haunts you afterward.
    • Chicago Tribune
  91. Baby Boy
    A movie that will act like a smack in the face to some audiences, while others may simply laugh in recognition.
  92. Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade
    I liked the idea of the movie more than the movie itself -- though sections of it are mind-blowing.
    • Chicago Tribune
  93. Chain Camera
    Absorbing in places, but considering the large and diverse pool the filmmakers had to draw from, it's a surprisingly repetitive and predictable collection of big-city sagas.
  94. The Fast and the Furious
    There's some undeniable appeal to watching a well-oiled, built-for-speed machine operating with its pedal to the metal -- even if it's destined to wind up in flames before the finish line.
  95. Dr. Dolittle 2
    There's barely a scene in this movie that taps his (Murphy) special brilliance.
  96. The Princess and the Warrior
    An unpredictable, mythic tale about haunted outcasts that is both dazzling and disquieting.
    • Chicago Tribune
  97. Saudate for the Future
    Completely successful or not, films like Saudade do Futuro are needed. And we need people like the Nordestinos.
  98. A Huey P. Newton Story
    By bringing Newton alive, Smith opens the door for further exploration of this colorful, insightful figure.
  99. Life and Debt
    A searing documentary with an agenda.
    • Chicago Tribune
  100. Down from the Mountain
    A delightful concert documentary that proves once more what a neglected masterpiece the Coen Brothers gave us last year in their Depression chain-gang odyssey, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
    • Chicago Tribune
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