Chicago Tribune's Scores

Select another publication »
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
view
per page
  1. Trolösa
    82-year-old Ingmar Bergman takes one of the most painful, shameful episodes of his own life and, writing for director Liv Ullmann, transmutes it into magical, brilliant artistry.
    • Chicago Tribune
  2. The Wedding Planner
    Stumbles from cliche to cliche:
  3. The Pledge
    A rare thriller - and a rare American film - that centers on both dramatic and moral issues, crises of conscience. And thanks to a superb central performance by Nicholson as detective Black, it's a film that compels, thrills and ends up coming very close to tragedy.
    • Chicago Tribune
  4. The Amati Girls
    All the obligatory plot elements are there. Love and loss, anger and forgiveness, illness and death. But they never flow together to make a coherent story. Instead, they just pop up whenever the script is in trouble. Which is all the time.
    • Chicago Tribune
  5. Snatch.
    The abundance of visual and verbal wit here ensures that the pleasure of watching Snatch need not be guilty.
    • Chicago Tribune
  6. Panic
    Graced by bleak, stylized direction and an insightful ending that suggests that nothing ever really ends, this first feature film by "Northern Exposure" and "Homicide" writer and producer Bromell is a promising debut.
    • Chicago Tribune
  7. Double Take
    We've since seen plenty of self-satisfied smart alecks, and Freddy, as written and played, brings nothing new to the party.
    • Chicago Tribune
  8. Save the Last Dance
    Sure, you've seen some of these moves before, but Save the Last Dance triumphantly passes the audition.
  9. Antitrust
    A big techno-dud.
    • Chicago Tribune
  10. The Claim
    I liked The Claim -- as much for its stark visual beauty and impassioned performances as its intelligent script and willingness to probe the tragic side of life.
    • Chicago Tribune
  11. Chunhyangdyun
    A spectacular, engrossing, big-hearted film based on one of Korea's great national epics and made by that country's top filmmaker.
    • Chicago Tribune
  12. Shadow of the Vampire
    His (Dafoe's) re-creation of Schreck is an Oscar-level performance, but more than that, it's an unforgettable one: great, scary, horrifically funny.
  13. Traffic
    It's a thriller that really thrills, a drama that really engages, a portrait of a world and system out of joint that is painfully convincing and totally engrossing from the first simmering minute to the last explosive second.
  14. Malèna
    No period of Italian history has produced more great movies than the WWII years . But, Malena romanticizes and even sentimentalizes those years.
    • Chicago Tribune
  15. Thirteen Days
    Even though the actors are good, their characters stay stock.
    • Chicago Tribune
  16. All the Pretty Horses
    Thornton and his excellent company summon up for us the long rides, dangerous companions, rites of passage, the mad love and, most of all, the special relationship between the man/boys that rode over the border and the horses that carried them there.
    • Chicago Tribune
  17. An Everlasting Piece
    The movie isn't quite spry, warm or hip enough to carry out its very ambitious serio-comic agenda. Even for an ace like Levinson, Belfast is a long way from Baltimore.
    • Chicago Tribune
  18. Before Night Falls
    This is an art film in the true sense of the term, engaging the mind, senses and emotions in a way that only movies at their best can do.
    • Chicago Tribune
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The House of Mirth
    What the movie occasionally lacks is dramatic juice. A reader of the novel will have a greater sense of the obstacles keeping Lily and Lawrence apart than fresh viewers of the movie will.
    • Chicago Tribune
  20. Cast Away
    An adventure movie of extraordinary simplicity and power.
    • Chicago Tribune
  21. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
    A wildly original movie with astonishingly varied moods and influences.
  22. Dracula 2000
    By making concessions for a possible sequel, Dracula 2000 wilts when compared in the light with other Dracula films.
    • Chicago Tribune
  23. The Family Man
    I didn't believe it, and I don't think the people who made The Family Man did either.
    • Chicago Tribune
  24. Injeong sajeong bol geot eobtda
    A flashy, splashy and violent chase thriller.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    State and Main
    Mamet's movie has its moments of wit and warmth, but here he's mostly behind, not ahead of, the curve.
    • Chicago Tribune
  26. Finding Forrester
    It's rare to see a movie that takes such joy in the power of words, not to create lofty works of art but to effect the simple, necessary translation of what's in one's heart and mind.
    • Chicago Tribune
  27. The Gift
    For all its craft and achievement, The Gift -- which has a script that may have needed more rewriting and deepening -- is a good, minor effort; it has some real conviction, even anguish. And it has Blanchett, whose gift as an actress is sometimes transcendent.
    • Chicago Tribune
    • 47 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    What Women Want
    Delivers on the promise of its playful premise, thanks to some sly gender role reversals and Gibson's willingness to play along.
  29. The Visit
    The very strong performances in this low-budget film deserve a better narrative structure to strut their stuff.
    • Chicago Tribune
  30. Pollock
    Harris and Harden have real on-screen sympatico, in their nasty battles and good times alike.
  31. The Emperor's New Groove
    A bright and zippy, but alarmingly over-campy and lighter-than-fluff cartoon feature.
    • Chicago Tribune
  32. Chocolat
    It's tantalizing, delectable and randy, a movie of melting eroticism and toothsome humor.
    • Chicago Tribune
  33. Dude, Where's My Car?
    At the end of 83 unmerciful minutes, audiences will be exclaiming, "Dude, I can't believe I sat through that movie!?" Stick to the trailer.
    • Chicago Tribune
  34. Vertical Limit
    If you were forced to judge it simply on its action-movie visual and technical elements, you'd have to count it a roaring success... . But if you lay aside that action and watch the people instead, it's a morass of dimwitted family crises and hack action-movie cliches.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Proof of Life
    The movie delivers on its own terms. It may emerge a bit bruised and tattered around the edges, but its ever-beating heart provides the ultimate Proof of Life.
    • Chicago Tribune
  36. Dungeons & Dragons
    The sad truth is, I can say nothing to recommend this film.
    • Chicago Tribune
  37. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
    Splendid, soaringly ambitious Chinese period fantasy.
    • Chicago Tribune
  38. Spring Forward
    Not too many actors last year bettered or equaled Beatty and Schreiber here, separately or (better yet) together. It's a pleasure and a privilege to watch them work.
    • Chicago Tribune
  39. 102 Dalmatians
    How is it possible that actors as expert as Close and Depardieu can wind up together in a mostly brainless big-budget stinker?
    • Chicago Tribune
  40. Quills
    Kaufman's startling Quills gives us an anatomy of fear, images both silken swift and molten hot, scenes that disrupt and inflame the imagination.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Unbreakable
    The irony is that although Unbreakable is as compellingly watchable, stylish and intriguing as its predecessor, its ending has almost the opposite effect on the overall picture.
    • Chicago Tribune
  42. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
    Opulence almost interferes with the movie, weighing it down when it should seem lighter than air, surrounding the inarguably brilliant Carrey with too much frosting and frou-frou.
    • Chicago Tribune
  43. Bounce
    Doesn't really work when examined in the daylight outside the theater doors.
    • Chicago Tribune
  44. La bûche
    A fine French comedy-drama.
    • Chicago Tribune
    • 49 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    The 6th Day
    Once Schwarzenegger got attached, the short-sighted, commercially minded forces took over; the man is desperate for a hit, so the movie dare not overestimate the audience's intelligence or tolerance for uneasily resolved dilemmas.
    • Chicago Tribune
  46. Rugrats in Paris: The Movie - Rugrats II
    Isn't novel entertainment, but adults who accompany kids to it are not likely to feel that it is a form of abuse for either of them.
  47. One Day in September
    Sweeps us back into a terrifying and desperate string of events and makes us feel them - and, more crucially, understand them as well.
  48. Little Nicky
    A feast of bad taste, a demonic hog-wallow.
  49. You Can Count on Me
    Honest, poignant and very funny, full of memorable, moving moments.
    • Chicago Tribune
    • 34 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Red Planet
    The slogan for Red Planet could be "In space no one can hear you yawn."
  51. Men of Honor
    Inspirational biographical movie that really works.
  52. The Legend of Bagger Vance
    Though it's sweet and likable to a fault, it's also a movie that never seems heartfelt or deep.
  53. Charlie's Angels
    It's hard to believe how bad this movie is.
    • Chicago Tribune
  54. George Washington
    A picture about America with the blinders off, a film about heroism that makes you chuckle and feel sad - and a film about childhood that lets us reenter that lost world and see the grass, sky and sunlight the way they once looked, in the golden hours.
    • Chicago Tribune
  55. A Room for Romeo Brass
    Offers an honest, understated and unsentimental look at a small incident in the course of a friendship - but it is the kind of incident that defines most childhoods.
  56. Once in the Life
    Strong, hard, dirty, funny, moving atmospheric and laced with scabrously musical street dialogue.
  57. Lucky Numbers
    A comedy of bad manners with many punchy moments and many irritatingly glib ones.
  58. A Time for Drunken Horses
    Showing us a world through a child's eyes, A Time for Drunken Horses speaks so truthfully and well that it breaks the heart and scars the conscience.
  59. Stardom
    This film has so many good ideas, it tends to seem better after you've left the theater. But the mock TV stuff is just too faux to be funny.
    • Chicago Tribune
  60. The Little Vampire
    An odd little ghoul too cleaned up to survive, a bloodless vampire movie that's mostly lifeless as well.
  61. Loving Jezebel
    Run-of-the-mill sitcom-y in its pedestrian writing and uninspired direction.
  62. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
    Resembles an old Nine Inch Nails video. Missing from the mix are any characters with whom you'd want to spend one minute around a campfire.
    • Chicago Tribune
  63. Sound and Fury
    By the time the film is over, you may not feel differently about the key issues than you first did, but you will have many more facts (sound) and opinions (fury) to consider.
    • Chicago Tribune
  64. Bedazzled
    As for Ramis, he's no Stanley Donen. He can make us laugh, but he can't make a movie dance.
    • Chicago Tribune
  65. Calle 54
    Scene after scene in Calle 54 just knocks you out.
    • Chicago Tribune
    • 74 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The Legend of Drunken Master
    Enjoy this rare chance to catch Chan on the big screen at his near-peak mastery.
  67. The Yards
    Shines whenever we see the performances of Phoenix and Caan.
  68. MVP: Most Valuable Primate
    A dull, amateurish mixture of the sentimental and the obvious.
    • 40 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Pay It Forward
    Too high-minded to stoop as low as it does, particularly in its unforgivably manipulative ending.
    • Chicago Tribune
  70. Dr T and the Women
    It's a joy. Altman does Dallas the way he did "Nashville" in Nashville or Hollywood in "The Player."
    • Chicago Tribune
  71. The Ladies Man
    Not without its humorous moments, but they are too few and far between.
  72. Billy Elliot
    A triumph that deserves a broad audience.
    • Chicago Tribune
  73. Just Looking
    A teen comedy wise beyond its years.
  74. Lost Souls
    So filled with illogical twists and ridiculous turns, that eventually it evokes unintentional laughs.
  75. Ratcatcher
    One of the most remarkable English-language feature debuts of recent years.
    • Chicago Tribune
  76. The Contender
    It's an intelligent and informed look at the preposterous ways our leaders are often picked and sabotaged.
    • Chicago Tribune
  77. Two Family House
    Brimming over with affection and humanity, this memory drama about the destruction of one family and the birth of another is nostalgic in a good sense: funny, bittersweet, poignant.
  78. CyberWorld
    Effectively a demo. It doesn't give you the whole picture, but it lets you know what's possible. It's hard not to wish the ride could have lasted longer.
    • Chicago Tribune
  79. Yi Yi
    Great, bittersweet family drama.
  80. Bamboozled
    Starts out hilarious and then turns very, very grim.
    • Chicago Tribune
  81. Meet the Parents
    These two actors have a kind of genius for dark comedy: Stiller for suffering through crises and De Niro for creating them.
  82. Requiem for a Dream
    Often, Requiem for a Dream is as technically inventive and daring as the Scottish heroin film "Trainspotting," but it has more resonance and feeling. And when Burstyn is on screen, it often becomes heartbreaking.
  83. Bootmen
    What it gains in fun, the film loses in credibility, as the production number itself more closely resembles a high-priced Las Vegas extravaganza than a quickly organized charity event.
    • Chicago Tribune
  84. Girlfight
    Girlfight, for its skill and theme, will please many. It's a shame it's no knockout.
    • Chicago Tribune
  85. The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
    Shallow though it may be, is a breakthrough.
  86. Barenaked in America
    A welcome respite from the high-volume ugliness of rock extravaganza.
  87. Remember the Titans
    Works better and cuts deeper than the mostly fictionalized "Hoosiers."
    • 23 Metascore
    • 25 Critic Score
    Beautiful
    Spends its first three-quarters confronting us with one of the most dislikable characters in recent memory.
    • Chicago Tribune
  89. Best in Show
    For sheer laughs, Willard and Piddock take the trophy.
    • Chicago Tribune
  90. Urban Legends: Final Cut
    It's hard not to feel angry that you've spent almost two hours watching this moronic exercise.
    • 41 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    Woman on Top
    A dish that's pretty easy to swallow, but if it could have borrowed some of Isabella's more potent spices, it might have boasted a more lasting flavor.
  92. Dancer in the Dark
    (The film is) one of the most anguished, intense and weirdly brilliant of the year.
    • Chicago Tribune
  93. Left Luggage
    The only glaring fault of this otherwise fine film is that director Jeroen Krabbe's sense of drama is far too heavy-handed in spots.
  94. Human Resources
    Works so well for the first 40 minutes or so, that when the bottom falls out of it, I felt more than disappointed. I felt betrayed.
  95. Goya in Bordeaux
    Bravo!
    • 79 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport
    Has moments of profound poignance, though it lacks the overall dramatic impact of "The Long Way Home."
    • Chicago Tribune
  97. Circus
    When the final twist has been turned and the last corpse has hit the ground, it is a film that could have been twice as good if it had been half as complicated.
    • Chicago Tribune
  98. Crime and Punishment in Suburbia
    Just say no.
    • Chicago Tribune
  99. Bait
    It's another slick-and-quick muscle car of a movie, racing along for a couple of hours, taking you nowhere as fast as it can.
    • Chicago Tribune
  100. Urbania
    One of those small films that will, one hopes, find a larger audience through word of mouth.
Page:

Top Trailers

See all »
See all trailers »