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. Autumn Tale
    A film which should gratify any audience starved for intelligent dialogue, realistic portrayals of romance and lovely, non-cliched open-air photography.
  2. Illuminata
    A gloriously giddy movie about theater, love and artifice, an unabashed art film.
  3. The Iron Giant
    An animated tale equipped with heart, humor, blazing action and not a sappy song in earshot.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    The Sixth Sense
    Perhaps the most startling part is the realization that, in the turn-off-your-brain season of summer, you've just experienced an uncommonly serious-minded movie that's brave enough to engage our deepest emotions on issues of death, madness, illusion and forgiveness. That's the biggest thrill of them all.
  5. Runaway Bride
    A shiny bauble full of dead weight, gloppy good feeling and airless cliches. And every time you try to grab onto "Bride's" characters, they run away. [30 July 1999]
    • Chicago Tribune
  6. Twin Falls Idaho
    If you're in the mood for something strange, this film may please you, twice over.
  7. Deep Blue Sea
    Even overlooking the fundamental inanity of the movie, one is left to contend with some offensive racial stereotyping.
  8. Inspector Gadget
    Feels like a demonstration reel for toys, action figures and future DisneyQuest installations.
  9. Drop Dead Gorgeous
    There may be better ways to waste your time than seeing this movie.
  10. The Haunting
    In The Haunting, the moviemakers succeed in something very difficult: creating a haunted house with real personality and terror. [23 July 1999, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  11. The Wood
    Nostalgia has no real point to make here. All that Famuyiwa can hope to accomplish is to tell his story well. In this area he is less than competent.
  12. Eyes Wide Shut
    A spellbinder: provocatively conceived, gorgeously shot and masterfully executed.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Blair Witch Project
    Many of us may have thought that with the world offering so much vivid horribleness every day, movies had lost the power to give us a good cathartic scare. It's a shock -- and a pleasure -- to discover we were wrong.
  14. Lake Placid
    An almost mystifyingly bad movie.
    • Chicago Tribune
  15. Muppets from Space
    Muppets from Space has silly gags and cute cosmic fish swimming around in its space. It just doesn't have the right awe and wonder -- except, perhaps, for the children who should be its prime audience. Adults, beware -- at least this time.
  16. Arlington Road
    A classy but over-contrived topical thriller about bomb plots and anti-government groups.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    American Pie
    Both funny and foul, alternately frank and full of it.
  18. Late August, Early September
    On one level, Late August, Early September is a story of how Adrien's illness and death affects those who respect and love him, but the film also finds the time and energy to suggest how the inevitable twists and delays that oftentimes comprise our early years can begin to feel like indulgences in the face of our own mortality. [17 Sep 1999, p.F]
    • Chicago Tribune
  19. Summer of Sam
    This is a terrific movie: jolting, savage, horrifically funny, nightmarishly exciting but also brainy and compassionate.
  20. Wild Wild West
    A wild, wanton and wasteful western farce that's so overblown and underwritten it almost makes you cringe to watch it.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut
    The kind of movie that can get you simultaneously laughing and shaking your head at its audacity.
  22. The Dinner Game
    The Dinner Game works thanks to some exceptionally strong acting, impeccable timing and rapid-fire delivery of many funny lines.
  23. Big Daddy
    Recycling the regressive humor of his (Sandler’s) previous films, it piles on so much sentimentality that you wonder how anyone could consider him a renegade. [25 June 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  24. Tarzan
    As a ride, this Tarzan succeeds. As a pop myth, it needs more jungle fever. [18 June 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  25. The General's Daughter
    An expensive-looking new detective thriller that should have been much better.
  26. An Ideal Husband
    It's a movie of uncommon eloquence and elegance, acted by a truly gifted cast.
  27. The Red Violin
    Although not all of the movements are fleshed out to their full potential, The Red Violin still attains a certain symphonic grandeur that -- at a time when so many filmmakers are churning out cinematic ditties -- deserves to be applauded. [18 June 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  28. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
    For my taste, too much of the new Powers looks like bad TV and sounds like old burlesque.
  29. Instinct
    In this bizarre tale of man among the apes and a psychiatrist among madmen -- an over-emotional hybrid of "Gorillas in the Mist" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" -- style buries substance.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Buena Vista Social Club
    At the end, we're left with a desire to hear even more of this music and hang out a little longer with these musicians.
  31. Limbo
    At its worst, Limbo is ersatz Conrad. But at its best, the film makes us feel that uncertainty and darkness, casting us into the cul-de-sac of modern life and love. [04 Jun 1999, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
    • 68 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    Notting Hill
    It's funny, sympathetic, mostly smart, and it boasts a likable cast of characters led by two performers who have star power and know how to use it.
  33. The Thirteenth Floor
    Let's just say that not revealing this film's idiotic intricacies would be like not divulging that the fish is rotten lest the news spoil the surprise of food poisoning. [28 May 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  34. The Loss of Sexual Innocence
    With The Loss of Sexual Innocence, director Mike Figgis reaches an almost comical low in the pursuit of what appears to be a desperate need to express deeper, uh, depth. Figgis' deliberate obfuscation may delight him, but it leaves the viewer mystified and bitter. [18 Jun 1999]
    • Chicago Tribune
  35. Eternity and a Day
    Somber, meditative and visually magnificent, this film, about a famous Greek author ruminating on his past, is a piece of cinematic poetry: calm, beautiful and chilling as the eternal sea against which much of it is set. [22 Oct 1998, p.2]
    • Chicago Tribune
  36. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
    A highly entertaining and visually breathtaking movie, capable at times of rocking and delighting you.
  37. A Midsummer Night's Dream
    Most of the original play's magical speeches are preserved here, and however far this film may seem to stray from the original text, the delights remain. [14 May 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  38. After Life
    One of the most beautiful and profound films to emerge from Japan during the past decade.
  39. The Mummy
    Packs so much hell-for-leather action, gorgeous Moroccan scenery and eye-popping Industrial Light and Magic visual effects into its two hours that, after a while, I began to get tired of it.
    • 31 Metascore
    • 25 Critic Score
    Idle Hands
    It's got the sex. It's got the violence. And, most important, it has an array of pot-centered jokes that might be funny to someone under the influence of an illegal substance. [30 Apr 1999]
    • Chicago Tribune
  41. Entrapment
    A wildly expensive movie full of computers, nonsense and violence, a film where wit, romance, elegance -- everything -- is sacrificed on the altar of giganticism, cliche and over-the-top action.
  42. The Winslow Boy
    A pleasure to watch and also serves as a reminder of a time when "right over might" was at the core of a powerful country's credo. [28 May 1999, Tempo, p.5]
    • Chicago Tribune
  43. eXistenZ
    With his usual consummate visual skills and his flair for the nauseatingly audacious, David Cronenberg’s written (spottily) and directed (stunningly) a movie that often makes you feel as if you'd lost contact with reality: a twisted, nightmarish tale of futuristic reality games and a couple on the run. [23 April 1999, Friday, p.D]
    • Chicago Tribune
    • 83 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    Election
    Entertaining but frustratingly uneven.
    • Chicago Tribune
  45. Lost & Found
    Such a low-class, low-laughs rip-off that it makes "There's Something About Mary" resemble a Noel Coward comedy of manners. [23 April 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  46. Pushing Tin
    One of the most discouraging things about many big studio movies is the way they waste resources, mainly talent and money. Pushing Tin manages to waste an excellent cast, a glossy production and what initially seems to be a bright, funny script. [23 April 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  47. Life
    Life can be funny, sad, conventional, unpredictable -- or a pain in the tail. And so can Life, the new Eddie Murphy movie. [16 April 1999, Tempo, p.4]
    • Chicago Tribune
  48. Shuang long hui
    It's all pretty dumb, but if you're in the mood for this sort of thing, you won't have a bad time. [9 April 1999, Friday, p.F]
    • Chicago Tribune
    • 74 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Go
    Ultimately is a fast-moving trip to nowhere. The buzz is enjoyable while it lasts, but don't be surprised by the sour aftertaste.
  50. Never Been Kissed
    Never Been Kissed features a fierce tug of war between the charm of Drew Barrymore and the stupidity of the script.
  51. The Out-of-Towners
    Ragged as some of it might have been, that old "Out-of-Towners" had a unified and surprisingly dark comic vision to go with its nifty one-liners. This big, glossy picture is set in movie-movie land, that shiny, peachy place where a celebrity -- like Mayor Rudy -- waits around every corner. [2 April 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  52. Cookie's Fortune
    An absolute delight, one of the most sheerly pleasurable movies Altman has ever made. It's wry, jokey and sexy, a tart and delectable entertainment. And, like most of Altman's best work, it's graced with a top-notch ensemble of first-class [9 April 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  53. 10 Things I Hate About You
    A mostly charming comedy that could probably win over even the crustiest English literature professor. [31 Mar 1999]
    • Chicago Tribune
  54. The Matrix
    The writing remains more intelligent than most thrillers, and the action is executed with such panache that even if you don't buy the reality of The Matrix, it's a helluva place to visit.
  55. A Walk on the Moon
    A nostalgia movie that doesn't get sticky with false sentiment.
  56. Edtv
    Howard has a wonderful touch with actors, and almost all of them here have their moments. [26 March 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  57. The Mod Squad
    You watch the movie in a dumbfounded stupor. Why on earth was it made? [26 March 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  58. Ravenous
    For about half its length, Ravenous is a fairly effective scare picture, with a laugh or two. Then it just goes sour and pretentious. [19 March 1999, Friday, p.D]
    • Chicago Tribune
  59. Forces of Nature
    If you are misguided or otherwise unfortunate enough to see Forces of Nature, you will find yourself the next day with but one image, one memory, in your head: Sandra Bullock's teeth. [19 March 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  60. True Crime
    This is an old-fashioned movie done with wit, grace, smarts and style. [19 March 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  61. The King and I
    The animation itself is just OK. And the reworked script, despite some funny one-liners, is pretty much there just to pull the story along to its inevitable conclusion. [19 March 1999, Friday, p. A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  62. The Deep End of the Ocean
    Should have worked on our emotions like a scalpel, made us cry and bleed. But, though it's an affecting, polished film, it's not satisfying. [12 March 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  63. Trekkies
    The movie plays like a very expanded version of what would make -- and likely has made -- a cute TV newsmagazine segment.
  64. Wing Commander: Space Will Never Be the Same
    Tries mightily to give these warmed-over cliches the proper seasoning, but in the end, these leftovers fail to satisfy. [12 March 1999, Friday, p.L]
    • Chicago Tribune
  65. The Rage: Carrie 2
    The sequel is about nothing more profound than an awkward teenager's desire for a really cute boyfriend. [12 March 1999, Friday, p.N]
    • Chicago Tribune
  66. The Corruptor
    At this point, "The Corruptor" looks as if it's going to be just a rehash of an early Dirty Harry movie, but it surprises by taking us inside Chinatown, where we discover just how sinister and elaborate the relationships between the police and the businessmen can be. [12 Mar 1999]
    • Chicago Tribune
  67. Analyze This
    Maybe the problem with Analyze This is that it isn't enough of a Ramis movie. [5 Mar 1999]
    • Chicago Tribune
  68. Cruel Intentions
    As Cruel Intentions progresses, you may come to realize that if a bomb suddenly blew up everyone on screen, you wouldn't particularly miss anyone.
  69. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
    Plenty of fun, less for its many plot twists than for its large and varied assortment of vibrant characters. [12 Mar 1999]
    • Chicago Tribune
  70. 200 Cigarettes
    Very much a looking-back movie; its most obvious model is "American Graffiti." But if you know that particular slice of early '80s Manhattan, you may be as amused as I was. [26 Feb 1999]
    • Chicago Tribune
  71. The School of Flesh
    Once again, as love dies and illusions crumble, this natural actress (Isabelle Huppert) shines with human fire. [26 March 1999, Friday, p.B]
  72. The Other Sister
    Falls into a familiar trap, resembling a neatly wrapped made-for-TV homily. [26 February 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  73. Office Space
    Drably shot, unimaginatively written and shallowly acted, it's a poor example of the "daffy, goofy, sex-crazed guys" occupational comedies that flourished throughout the job-obsessed '80s. [19 Feb 1999]
    • Chicago Tribune
  74. October Sky
    A family tale, in the best sense. [19 February 1999, Tempo, p.4]
    • Chicago Tribune
  75. Jawbreaker
    It's not particularly funny or trenchant, and its portrayal of noxious high school cliques never amounts to more than was shown in "Heathers." [19 Feb 1999]
    • Chicago Tribune
  76. Blast from the Past
    Blast is just shooting blanks. [12 February 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  77. Message in a Bottle
    Strikes me as a pure, unadulterated crock. [12 February 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  78. My Favorite Martian
    There are good movies, bad movies and confoundingly bad movies. My Favorite Martian belongs to that rare third category. [12 Feb 1999, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  79. Simply Irresistible
    Falls prey to the all-too-contemporary problem of complicating the tale until the ending is not only obvious, but prayed for between yawns. [9 February 1999, Tempo, p.2]
    • Chicago Tribune
  80. Payback
    The idea may sound like fun, but the movie isn't. It's a travesty of a picture that's a disgrace to the memory of the great film from which it's remade. [5 February 1999, Friday, po.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  81. She's All That
    Rachael Leigh Cook, as Laney, the plain Jane object of the makeover, is forced to demonstrate the biggest emotional range as a character, and she is equal to the assignment. I look forward to seeing her in her next picture. [29 Jan 1999, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  82. Gloria
    The shadow of Gena Rowlands looms over this picture like a cinematic eclipse. [25 January 1999, Tempo, p.5]
    • Chicago Tribune
  83. Children of Heaven
    Though Majidi draws from familiar Iranian sources, he's made something unique and moving: a sweet tale with a stirring finish.
  84. At First Sight
    More of a physical achievement in moviemaking than a piece of storytelling, but I do recommend it on that basis. [15 January 1999, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  85. Virus
    Some movies are a joy. Some are a chore. And some are sheer torture. A good example of the latter is Virus. [17 January 1999, Metro Chicago, p.8]
    • Chicago Tribune
  86. Varsity Blues
    If you are willing to overlook the occasional missed block, clumsy tackle or dropped pass, there is more than enough in Varsity Blues to keep you engrossed.
  87. The Thin Red Line
    One of the most curious and perversely brilliant films ever made in the American studio system. It's a shining example of qualities we don't normally see in our big theatrical pictures: vast ambition, huge resources and technical genius mated to a unique and compelling vision of life.
  88. Affliction
    Violence may provide entertainment value in more crass or commercially minded projects, but in the unflinching world of Affliction, it leads only to the ruination of your soul. [5 February 1999, Friday, p.D]
    • Chicago Tribune
  89. Hilary and Jackie
    Gripping in purely cinematic terms as an imaginatively told tale of sibling rivalry and the pressures of great expectations.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Faculty
    All the young actors, especially Joshua Hartnett as the misunderstood drug dealer, deliver fine performances in their diverse group, which forms a kind of horror film equivalent of "The Breakfast Club." [25 Dec 1998]
    • Chicago Tribune
  91. A Civil Action
    This is Hollywood expertise and Hollywood civic idealism at high levels.
  92. Stepmom
    Too loud, bright and shallow for its subject: a movie that pushes too many obvious buttons to build naturally to the big, heartbreaking climax it obviously wants.
  93. Mighty Joe Young
    Mighty Joe Young is a mighty big movie about a mighty big gorilla. And a lot of it is mighty bad -- unless you're a devotee of high tech and low camp, elephantine effects and mouse-sized stories, politically correct nostalgia and/or Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton in jungle outfits.
  94. Down in the Delta
    Down in the Delta's large heart is certainly in the right place, but it is beating just a bit too slowly. [25 Dec 1998, p.S]
    • Chicago Tribune
  95. The Theory of Flight
    The Theory of Flight is built from the kind of material that either soars or crashes with audiences. And here, it doesn't quite hold together. But if the film, as a whole, never takes flight, the actors do. Watching them bicker and sail up is so delightful, you only wish their vehicle could keep them aloft longer.
  96. The General
    A near-masterpiece, it is one of the most effective and convincing studies of a criminal ever put on screen. [22 Jan 1999, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  97. A Simple Plan
    Generates genuine tension because it's propelled by actual human feeling, which, these days, turns out to be a surprisingly thrilling prospect. [11 Dec 1998]
    • Chicago Tribune
  98. Shakespeare in Love
    Some scholars may scowl, some lowbrows may scoff. But, like wordwise Will, these filmmakers know how to win a crowd -- from the queen down to the groundlings, from the sky above to the stage below. Bravo! [5 December 1998, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
  99. Rushmore
    A true original: a film that stands apart from the crowd, goes its own way and all but dares you not to like it.
  100. Little Voice
    A slightly more light-hearted version of the "Shine" story. [4 December 1998, Friday, p.A]
    • Chicago Tribune
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