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. Forces of Nature
    Romantic comedy about a bridegroom-to-be who gets sidetracked on the way to his wedding, especially by an unexpected traveling companion who's both free-spirited and beautiful.
  2. True Crime
    It would be even better if Eastwood followed his character's lead and emphasized "real issues" over "human interest" in a story that touches on important social problems without doing much to illuminate them.
  3. The King and I
    Animated version of the Rogers & Hammerstein musical.
  4. The Deep End of the Ocean
    Fans of Jacquelyn Mitchard's novel may find enough echoes of the book to justify the price of admission. But others can see this sort of thinly crafted melodrama in TV movies every week. For free.
  5. The Corruptor
    The trite story has plenty of distasteful moments, but Wahlberg and Yun-Fat justify their growing reputations as capable Hollywood actors.
  6. Analyze This
    Ramis doesn't reach the comic heights of his "Groundhog Day," but the acting is excellent and the screenplay offers some hearty laughs if you can stand bursts of violence and language as foul as a Mafioso's business agenda.
  7. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
    The humor is as crude as the characters, but the picture has energy.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 25 Critic Score
    200 Cigarettes
    David Chappelle's performance as a cabbie is amusing, but the film should have been packaged with a Surgeon General's Warning - "Cigarettes is bad for you."
  9. 20 Dates
    The picture is intriguing and obnoxious in equal measure; even Berkowitz gets tired of the game before it's over, but there are some laughs and surprises along the way.
  10. The School of Flesh
    Never quite catches fire.
    • Christian Science Monitor
  11. 8MM
    A private eye enters a horrific world of degrading sex and bottom-feeding pornographers.
  12. The Other Sister
    Skillfully acted, idealized, uneven.
  13. Office Space
    In a surprise move, the creator of "Beavis and Butt-Head" has made a laid-back, even subtle comedy that generally favors mischievous ironies over outlandish jokes.
  14. October Sky
    Here's hoping other filmmakers will follow its spirit, if not all of its methods.
  15. Jawbreaker
    Unoriginal.
  16. Message in a Bottle
    The story is so sentimental that even soap-opera buffs may feel it outwears its welcome.
  17. Payback
    An interesting cast is wasted in this misanthropic thriller.
  18. She's All That
    This teenage "Pygmalion" is predictable and a bit gawky, and some won't like its flashes of gross-out humor. The cast is appealing, though, and there are a few hilarious jokes tucked in around the edges of the plot. [05 Feb 1999: 14]
    • Christian Science Monitor
  19. Children of Heaven
    This modestly produced family drama has all the poignancy and humor associated with today's vibrant Iranian film industry.
  20. At First Sight
    The movie takes fascinating material and transforms it into a routine soap opera.
  21. Varsity Blues
    The story is mildly entertaining in its hackneyed way, but there's no excusing the picture's exploitative treatment of almost all the female characters.
  22. The Thin Red Line
    Although the story seems disjointed at times, no other war movie has tried so valiantly to convey not only the suffering of combat but the awful fissures it leaves between humanity's ideal oneness with itself and the world we live in.
  23. Affliction
    Nolte gives one of his most fully realized performances, Coburn makes an amazingly powerful comeback, and Schrader's filmmaking has never been more expressive or assured.
  24. The Faculty
    Creepy.
  25. Stepmom
    The movie is reasonably smart and touching when it deals with the plight of a family on the rocks, but it pushes too many emotional buttons when the ex-wife is diagnosed with a fatal illness that proceeds to take over the story.
  26. Patch Adams
    The movie starts with insights about the need for more humane values in health care, then buries them under an avalanche of frivolities, vulgarities, and clichés.
  27. You've Got Mail
    Hanks and Ryan are as appealing as ever, and Ephron's fashion-conscious camera gives the action a slickly attractive sheen.
  28. The Prince of Egypt
    The filmmakers are more interested in spinning an entertaining yarn than probing the spiritual dimensions of their important subject.
  29. A Simple Plan
    Sensitive performances and intelligent storytelling keep the sometimes-violent tale involving from start to finish, marking a giant step for director Raimi, previously known for action stories and over-the-top fantasies.
  30. Shakespeare in Love
    This romantic farce has a talented cast and energy to spare, but somehow the ingredients don't burn as brightly as one would expect from such promising ingredients.
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