Los Angeles Times' Scores

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For 16,524 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 56% higher than the average critic
  • 6% same as the average critic
  • 38% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 2.3 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 63
Highest review score: 100 Sand Storm
Lowest review score: 0 Saw VI
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8,698 out of 16524
  2. Mixed: 5,809 out of 16524
  3. Negative: 2,017 out of 16524
16524 movie reviews
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  1. Body Shots
    Constant shifts between past and present and between individual stories creates varying perspectives that add dimension and insight to material that might play tritely if presented in straightforward narrative form.
  2. Blow Dry
    Despite its dollops of good-natured humor and sentiment, Blow Dry is likely to play better on the tube as a likable-enough diversion.
  3. Sugar Town
    Diverting and sometimes humorous but sticks to the superficial ...not distinctive enough to make much of an impression.
  4. Lakeboat
    Lakeboat requires its audiences to embrace it as lovingly as Mamet and Mantegna embrace its men, but it's a lot to ask.
  5. Vampire Hunter D
    A baroque, bloody fantasy-adventure that stubbornly remains less than the sum of its parts.
  6. Knockout
    This story of an East L.A. Latina determined to follow in her father's footsteps to the boxing ring does pack a punch.
  7. 8 ½ Women
    A nod to Fellini--and that "half" turns out to be a typically dark Greenaway twist. Yet this film, one of Greenaway's most amusing and accessible, actually arrives at moments of tenderness, even love, fleeting though they may be.
  8. The Road to El Dorado
    Reasonably diverting, but don't count on it lingering in your memory.
  9. Me Myself I
    Griffiths' Pam holds your attention without any gratuitous mannerisms or broad asides. It's a sleek, rangy performance that all but redeems the hackneyed familiarity of the premise.
  10. Pursuit of Happiness
    The film shares that most common of mainstream flaws, a malnourished script. Written by John Zaring, the film brings together some very fine actors (Frank Whaley and Annabeth Gish) playing barely there characters with less-than-compelling obstacles keeping them apart.
  11. The Story of Us
    Wants to be an honest look at the problems that can beset a modern marriage, and be funny at the same time, but it doesn't have the skills or the temperament to pull all that off.
  12. Sonny
    The day-to-day realities, especially economic, of Sonny and Jewel's lives could have been more fully detailed to good effect, and Cage might have also have risked setting off the tenderness of his storytelling with an edgier style. Even so, few films take the viewer by surprise with such emotional impact as Sonny.
  13. Interview with the Assassin
    Burger knows how to shoot and this is one feature where the dingy digital imagery arguably makes sense, but it's too bad he didn't work harder at finding something more original with which to test his talent than the JFK assassination and the gimmick of the phony nonfiction film.
  14. The Four Feathers
    All these intriguing good intentions, however, have largely gone for naught because of a variety of missteps, starting with an increasing implausible plot as well as the fact that Ledger's Harry looks about as likely to pass for an Arab as the Mahdi is to pass for Queen Victoria.
  15. The Banger Sisters
    A practiced piece of Hollywood hokum, way too calculated and contrived, especially for a film that nominally celebrates the chaos and creativity of the 1960s.
  16. Breakfast of Champions
    This starry ensemble dazzles, but the film never comes fully alive until its climactic 20 minutes, which are deeply moving.
  17. Rules of Engagement
    Passable, moderately diverting dramatic entertainment.
  18. Simpatico
    While it's entertaining, it's not as persuasive as it needs to be to succeed fully.
  19. Held Up
    A pleasant diversion, and its makers have been smart enough to keep it unpretentious.
  20. Final
    Less than terrific technically; focus and sound levels waver. Luckily, these flaws are not inconsistent with the film's raw, unvarnished tone and they do not diminish the effect of Leary's performance or that of Davis.
  21. The Son's Room
    A measured, decorous, at times pat film that manages to be quietly moving because it touches on something real.
  22. Mystery, Alaska
    It is Australian Crowe, a previous non-skater, who gives the film's standout performance.
    • 27 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
    It feels more like a cartoon, and when you're dealing with modern Stone Age families, that can only be a plus.
  24. The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
    It looks as if no one bothered to deliver more than the minimum requirement of magic or artistry.
  25. CQ
    The result is stylish but awfully slim.
  26. My Boss's Daughter
    My Boss's Daughter is not awful. It is a genial youth comedy that serves Kutcher well as a vehicle. That's it. That's all it tries to be
  27. Boys Life 3
    Lively, amusing collection of five films that take a wry look at being gay.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Boiler Room
    Tries to make larger points, but it trips over itself just trying to make the small ones.
  29. All the Little Animals
    There's something plodding and uncomfortably strident about Little Animals that keeps the audience from sharing, much less understanding, Bobby's enchantment.
  30. Miss Julie
    Figgis remains a compelling storyteller, holding you with the intensity of his vision and his mastery of nuance.
  31. This Thing of Ours
    A decently crafted, standard Mafia blood bath with a few new wrinkles and an aura of authenticity.
  32. The Mothman Prophecies
    There is very little about the hoary conventions of The Mothman Prophecies that couldn't be improved by a little levity, a little more sunlight and some judicious cutting.
  33. Random Hearts
    The film's underlying concept is so irredeemably screwy and far-fetched that no amount of fine work can hope to make it convincing.
  34. The Backyard
    What is going on here? Most would say a lot of incredibly dangerous and stupid activity, and most of the people in this documentary not surprisingly seem none too bright.
  35. Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)
    Not only does it feel like an exclusive party at which there is definitely no room for the uninitiated, its waves of idolization barely leave room for the band itself. Good as they are, They Might Be Giants deserve a better film.
  36. Stuart Little
    The other, unintentional lesson taught here is that it's easier to make a mouse talk than to come up with something interesting for him to say.
  37. Summer Catch
    Under Michael Tollin's direction, Prinze does well in what is surely the most complex character he has played on the screen.
  38. Snow Falling on Cedars
    Has to fight to hold our attention and it doesn't always succeed.
  39. American Adobo
    An intimate, good-humored ethnic comedy like numerous others but cuts deeper than expected.
  40. B. Monkey
    As skilled, resourceful actors, (Argento and Harris) make...a more believable couple than you would have thought possible.
  41. The Country Bears
    After a while, the only way for a reasonably intelligent person to get through The Country Bears is to ponder how a whole segment of pop-music history has been allowed to get wet, fuzzy and sticky.
  42. Maid in Manhattan
    As saccharine as it is disposable.
  43. Gasoline
    Finally too derivative and sensational for its own sake to work.
  44. Red Planet
    When it comes to special effects, the filmmakers have spared no expense. But when it comes to the story, audiences have been shortchanged.
  45. Pleasantville
    Ross' missive is earnest and well-intentioned, but it's difficult not to feel that his film both runs on too long and overreaches its dramatic resources in its attempt to deliver it.
  46. Blast from the Past
    Intermittently appealing movie romance.
  47. City by the Sea
    Has trouble seeming real. Its back story, involving the sins of Detective LaMarca's own father, feels contrived and the eventual resolution is simultaneously shaky and too pat.
  48. Legally Blonde
    Guilty of squandering resources. Amusing as it goes about setting up its premise, in Witherspoon, the gifted veteran of "Election" and "Pleasantville," it has an actress willing to throw herself completely into the part to excellent effect.
  49. The Hot Spot
    The pulpiness is less homage than rip-off. There are no tricks up this film's frayed sleeve… Fatalism plus a lot of heavy breathing, and a flash of skin--it's a winning formula, all right. These movies are like Harlequin Romances for slumming highbrows [12 Oct 1990]
    • Los Angeles Times
  50. Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
    It's a compelling and ambitious idea, but one that misfires because of its underwhelming characters and slack storytelling.
  51. Quo Vadis?
    Kawalerowicz directs with briskness and vigor but cannot keep the first half of his film from slipping into tedium.
  52. Mystic Pizza
    Beyond some well-observed sibling interaction, the mutual effort of four writers is mutually uninspired. Whoever wrote the episodes between hot-to-trot Jojo (Taylor) and her balky boyfriend Bill (D'Onofrio) should be ashamed. [21 Oct 1988]
    • Los Angeles Times
  53. Bollywood/Hollywood
    Lacks the sharpness and sophistication necessary for it to appeal beyond Indian audiences.
    • 26 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human
    The film's greatest strength is the deadpan narration of Hyde Pierce.
  55. The Singing Detective
    Too flat and academic to come alive. The film's lack of dimension tends to render much of it banal, and Downey's lengthy harangues, as beautifully wrought as they are, are overly literary, which serves to make this intricate film seem all the more contrived.
  56. Nurse Betty
    Its warped, disconnected sensibility makes for an oddly distant piece of work.
    • Los Angeles Times
  57. Lucky Numbers
    Clever and diverting dark comedy.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The War Zone
    Much of its strength resides in the way it eschews narrative contrivance. The movie observes behavior without explaining or judging it.
  59. Center Stage
    Only really kicks in when it is dancing, which is about half the time.
  60. Manna from Heaven
    Suffers from an overcomplicated plot, an overpopulated cast, a lot of corny humor and artificial contrivance, topped by a sluggish pace.
  61. The Emperor's Club
    It's well crafted by director Michael Hoffman, not painful to sit through, and even contains some 21st century plot twists -- But unless you have a predisposition toward this kind of thing, none of that is going to matter much.
  62. Good Boy!
    As long as you keep thinking of "Babe," you can't help thinking that there's no excuse for movies like Good Boy! to merely push the usual buttons, deploy the usual poop jokes and carry out the usual sight gags.
  63. Bossa Nova
    Tilts toward the slight and merely pleasant when it could have had much more emotional impact.
  64. The Hidden Wars of Desert Storm
    Hidden Wars is less dependent on talking heads than "Plan Colombia" and has the advantage of distance from some of the key events.
  65. The Core
    If The Core finally has to be classified as a mess, it is an enjoyable one if you're in a throwback mood. After all, a film that comes up with a rare metal called Unobtainium can't be dismissed out of hand.
  66. Head of State
    Rock can't set up a decent-looking shot, and he doesn't care about niceties such as character development and all that narrative downtime in between jokes. But he nonetheless wrings biting humor from serious issues with the sort of ferocity that made Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce men of respect as well as comedy.
  67. Head Over Heels
    Although Head Over Heels moves swiftly, has an appealing cast and a serviceably diverting plot, it is nevertheless hard to fall head over heels over it.
  68. Le divorce
    Whatever the reason, his riff on Le Divorce follows the original only in broad strokes, hewing to a similar plot with many of the same characters but without the wit, the barbs and the politics.
  69. Along Came a Spider
    A reasonably diverting albeit frequently improbable thriller.
  70. The Santa Clause 2
    Tony Burrough's vast Toy Workshop and Elf Village at the North Pole is the film's strongest asset. The workshop is a dazzling and accurate display of the Art Nouveau style in sinuous full flower.
  71. Bad Boys
    Though audiences will leave theaters with an increased appreciation of this pair's talents, they will also leave pondering the perennial Hollywood question: How come so little of interest could be found for performers who are capable of so much more?
  72. Lost in Space
    This effects-loaded extravaganza has more trouble finding its dramatic bearings than the Space Family Robinson has in figuring out where the heck in the universe they are.
  73. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
    A pleasure to look at. It's filled with fine, imaginative moves and an overarching sense of visual freedom, a feeling of play that entices us into enjoyment. But, when it comes to dialogue and story, this Sinbad apparently used up all its initiative changing its hero's ethnicity to generic Greco-Roman.
  74. Hey Arnold! The Movie
    The cause is just. But there's something off-kilter about the mix. Maybe it's because the animation retains its TV flatness while the story's texture is gratuitously bulked up.
  75. Frida
    (Hayek's) performance is far from a disgrace, but it lacks gravitas and soul, a sense of passionate purpose, a hint of obsession. The best Hayek can do with her lovely face is cloud it with worry, but the face of Frida Kahlo demands anguish.
  76. Train of Life
    Too much of the film is not inspired enough in its humor to overcome the queasy feeling that comes from watching a comedy-adventure involving Jews during the Holocaust.
  77. The Abyss
    But the climax of "Close Encounters" was breathtaking and the climax of The Abyss is downright embarrassing; in the light of day, its payoff effect looks like a glazed ceramic what's-it your 11-year-old made in crafts class. It's criminal. [9 Aug 1989, Calendar, p.6-1]
    • Los Angeles Times
  78. A Midsummer Night's Dream
    This is a chance to see Shakespeare with mud wrestling, something the Bard surely would have put in if only he'd thought of it himself… Though the actors have no major problems handling the language, the whole venture is listless when it should be sparkling. Shakespeare, even with mud wrestling, needn't be quite so much of a slog. [14 May 1999, Calendar, p.F-6]
    • Los Angeles Times
  79. Tomcats
    Raucously energetic and replete with a barrage of graphic sexual humor.
  80. Committed
    With its capacity to surprise, the film comes to life when you don't expect it to, in tiny but wonderfully off-center moments.
  81. K-PAX
    A pleasant enough entertainment raised above its station by the quality of its acting.
  82. Very Annie Mary
    Familiar but winningly funny and good-hearted.
  83. Windtalkers
    Not all it might have been, an oddly old-fashioned film from a director who's usually anything but.
  84. Duplex
    Its drawback is that it's a one-joke affair, leading to a repetitiousness that makes the film seem overlong even at 87 minutes.
  85. S.W.A.T.
    Though the film's second half has some good action moments, it never fulfills the promise of its earliest scenes.
  86. Swing
    All surface shine with little substance.
  87. The King Is Alive
    Stylish and gritty, The King Is Alive lacks the impact of revelation that might have made the journey worth taking.
  88. Mission to Mars
    It's a wonderful piece of filmmaking, but once any mouth is opened the magic is immediately tarnished.
  89. U.S. Marshals
    Go see it. But you'll feel cheap in the morning.
  90. The Anarchist Cookbook
    An admirably ambitious political satire but is stronger on soundtrack narration than on-camera dramatization.
  91. The Statement
    Films can't just sound good on paper; they have to be effective on the screen, and in that form, The Statement is disappointing.
    • 26 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Dracula 2000
    Dracula 2000 is at heart a solidly old-fashioned cloak-and-fangs vampire flick. It honors the central traditions of the form a lot more often than it skewers them.
  93. Carlos Castaneda: Enigma of a Sorcerer
    Does little to unravel the riddle of the title. Unless you are already a fan of Castaneda, the film is likely to leave you feeling as though you've just watched a very long, lost episode of that old TV series "In Search of ..."
    • 62 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Rugrats in Paris: The Movie - Rugrats II
    All of this film's faults are nearly forgiven for the short but memorable scene of sumo wrestlers singing a karaoke version of "Bad Girls."
  95. Dogtown and Z-Boys
    A more impartial filmmaker might have understood the need for other voices to balance against all that attitude, might have understood how hungry the film makes us for even a single non-adulatory moment.
  96. The Real Blonde
    By interweaving a very contemporary love story into these themes, DiCillo has at least given it all a fresh spin.
  97. What Dreams May Come
    Watching it is like being in a room with a couple locked in a torrid embrace. It might be fun for them, but what's in it for everyone else?
  98. The Mummy
    Drags its uninspiring action out too long for anyone's good.
  99. Girlhood
    The impulse to end on an "up" note, to turn complex and contradictory lives into palatable narratives, is one of the least-examined pitfalls in nonfiction filmmaking. But in her attempt to give their lives a shape that the girls themselves seem to resist, this talented filmmaker has done both herself and them a disservice.
  100. xXx
    Built of action-sport stunts, has adrenaline to spare. But, c'mon. Where is its sense of fun?
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