Christian Science Monitor's Scores

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For 4,492 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 55% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 43% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 2.1 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 67
Highest review score: 100 'Round Midnight
Lowest review score: 0 Couples Retreat
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,780 out of 4492
  2. Mixed: 1,361 out of 4492
  3. Negative: 351 out of 4492
4492 movie reviews
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  1. Kiss the Girls
    Sensitive acting by Morgan Freeman and stylish directing by Gary Fleder can't overcome the bottom-line pointlessness of the movie's melodramatic material, which never achieves the dark resonance that helped "The Silence of the Lambs" get under the skin of many moviegoers.
  2. El cantante
    Anthony doesn't have a large emotional range as an actor, and neither does Lopez. Still, the musical numbers, which constitute a hefty portion of screen time, are thrilling.
  3. Smilla's Sense of Snow
    The movie is gorgeously filmed and contains some fascinating lore about life in northern climes. But the plot is tritely predictable and far-fetched. Julia Ormond, Gabriel Byrne, and Vanessa Redgrave are among the performers who deliver less than their best.
  4. A Chorus Line
    The stagebound setting gets boring; the action doesn't build a steady momentum; and the characters do far too much hanging around until the camera's ready to point at them again.
  5. Cheaper by the Dozen
    Soft, sentimental, and as unlike real family life as you can get.
  6. The Heartbreak Kid
    Even by Farrelly standards, the film is a washout.
  7. Chasing Liberty
    May find some fans among female teens. But even they may decide the project cares more about quick profits than real entertainment value, since the signs are hard to miss.
  8. Mad City
    Influenced by Billy Wilder's classic "Ace in the Hole," this dark comedy-drama rambles on too long and strains credibility at times.
  9. Pain & Gain
    Nobody in it seems to possess a nervous system.
  10. The Singing Detective
    Potter's trademark devices are all present, including the way characters burst into songs lip-synced to vintage recordings on the sound track.
  11. The Bone Collector
    This variation on the "Rear Window" format works best when director Noyce gives free rein to Washington's thoughtful charm.
  12. Bully
    The movie's somber message is worth heeding, and the acting is mostly excellent.
  13. Mona Lisa Smile
    Roberts brings a sense of personal conviction to her part -- she's quite a feminist herself -- and as much sense of humor as the corny screenplay allows.
  14. Evita
    The movie takes no particular stance on the controversies surrounding its heroine, seen by some as a self-serving egomaniac and others as a tireless champion of the poor. Nor can much insight be gleaned from Madonna's energetic but oddly impersonal performance.
  15. Evening
    The performances, especially by Hugh Dancy as a sexually confused rich kid, are overwrought, and the script, which Michael Cunningham ("The Hours") wrote in collaboration with Minot, is slack.
  16. Close Your Eyes
    Strong acting and smartly tuned-in directing turn a run-of-the-mill detective story into a striking, sometimes harrowing blend of horror and suspense.
  17. Happythankyoumoreplease
    The happy endings in "HTYMP," as sweet as they are to experience, seem more engineered than inevitable.
  18. Hoodwinked!
    It's a moderately enjoyable escapade that isn't quite clever enough for adults and not quite imaginative enough for children.
  19. Extraordinary Measures
    There’s something off-putting about this film’s optimism: After all, how many people can afford to do what Crowley did?
  20. The Girl from Monday
    There's heavy influence from the "Brave New World" brand of dystopian fantasy, but engaging performances and a stylized visual approach lend it originality.
  21. The Chamber
    Hackman gives a powerful performance as the killer, and the storytelling is often gripping. But the film contains much extremely offensive language and gratuitous depictions of violence, some of it aimed at children, not needed to get the plot across.
  22. The Three Marias
    This strikingly unusual movie is at once an old-fashioned melodrama, a boldly stylized spectacle, and a very grim fairy tale, acted and directed with originality and flair.
  23. How to Deal
    Director Claire Kilner and screenwriter Neena Beber don't walk the tightrope between comedy and drama skillfully enough to make either aspect work as well as it should.
  24. Love Object
    Violence Hitch would have found way beyond what's necessary. Horror fans will find effective shivers, though.
  25. Boomerang
    The pace is a little too languid, and the vulgarity a little too frequent, for the movie to work as intended.
  26. The Invasion
    At times, The Invasion comes across as a mishmash of "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Stepford Wives."
  27. Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?
    Everywhere he goes he asks if anybody knows bin Laden's whereabouts – as if anybody is going to tell him! Why should we accompany him on his self-aggrandizing trip?
  28. Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding
    There's a great movie to be made about the survivors of Woodstock Nation and their children. But in order to make that movie, you first have to respect the ideals of that generation enough to at least give them their due.
  29. Mini's First Time
    What begins as a twisted sex romp turns film noir-ish. Guthe is so anxious to show us what a larcenous tramp Mini is that he never shows us any other sides to her.
  30. The Greatest
    Not a sterling example of how to make a high-toned weepie, let alone a serious examination of trauma.
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