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. Enemy at the Gates
    Has little to occupy us once its battle scenes recede. One of those goofy movies where devil-may-care Russian soldiers unwind by playing the balalaika far into the night, it takes itself far more seriously than anyone else will be able to manage.
  2. Raising Helen
    The agreeable cast led by Hudson and Cusack manage to extract a handful of laughs from the forgettable dialogue, but at nearly two hours, the film goes on far too long.
  3. After Midnight
    It has a droll sensibility but is marred by dirge-like pacing and is seriously under-lighted -- so much so that it's all but impossible to get a good look at its principal setting.
  4. Blue Crush
    Overcomplicates its plot and spends a lot of time floundering around in the shallow end.
  5. Dreamcatcher
    Simultaneously jokey and scary, sentimental and ruthless, tediously everyday and grotesquely out of the ordinary.
  6. Bush's Brain
    Only partially convincing.
  7. Hair Show
    Good-natured comedy.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Jaws
    While I have no doubt that Jaws will make a bloody fortune for Universal and producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown, it is a coarse-grained and exploitive work which depends on excess for its impact. Ashore it is a bore, awkwardly staged and lumpily written.
  9. Van Helsing
    Kind of like a basketball team of all-stars -- no names, please -- that has difficulty jelling into one smooth and efficient unit.
  10. King Arthur
    A nutty, often enjoyable farrago of craft and cinematic sampling, King Arthur moves fast and loose, and is almost aggressive in its absence of an original idea, in and of itself a Bruckheimer trademark.
  11. Adored
    This skillfully made Italian heart-tugger was a success on home ground. Its star, Marco Filiberti, in an audacious writing and directing debut, has lots on his mind and much in his heart, and as a filmmaker displays a Douglas Sirkian flair for finding substance in melodrama.
  12. Breaking the Waves
    Shallow where it would be meaningful, demanding leaps of faith it has not earned, this film's marriage of arresting technique to empty thinking is not unique, only frustrating.
  13. Garage Days
    Like real indie films, garage bands are by definition rough around the edges, but what separates the true believers from the poseurs is their passion, their commitment -- and not just how cool they look on screen or on stage. A mainstream endeavor tricked out as an indie, Garage Days gives us plenty to look at but no reason to care.
  14. Max Keeble's Big Move
    The impulse to shtick it up to burlesque-level inanity is encouraged at every turn.
  15. Shark Tale
    It does not have as much invigorating freshness as audiences have come to expect in computer animation.
  16. Seeing Other People
    Along with the performances, there is a languid truthfulness in some of the dialogue that keeps Seeing Other People from being one of those completely forgettable indie romances that play in perpetuity on cable.
  17. Underworld
    Alas, as is often the case with lower-end genre movies, the story cooked up by Wiseman and his friends, actor Kevin Grevioux and the film's screenwriter, Danny McBride, is decidedly less important than the look of the film and its influences.
  18. The Royal Tenenbaums
    Director Wes Anderson, who also co-wrote the "Royal" script with actor Owen Wilson, unquestionably has one of America's most distinctive filmmaking sensibilities, but that is part of the problem. As my mother used to say, too good is no good.
  19. Rushmore
    You can't have Rushmore without Max, and though Anderson obviously planned it this way, the kid is finally too off-putting to tolerate.
  20. Man on Fire
    Despite its high craft level and Washington's participation in it, this movie's showy violence is finally as deadening as the over-emphatic violence in these kinds of films generally is.
  21. The Beach
    As (DiCaprio's) character heads for The Beach's predictable heart of darkness denouement, only die-hard fans will have the heart to tag along.
  22. Ned Kelly
    Since Ned Kelly -- which is not terrible, just too often dull -- has a no-expense-spared feel to it, this Focus Features release can be regarded only as an opportunity missed.
  23. Blade
    The noir atmosphere doesn't quite smother the dialogue's cheesy smell.
  24. Man on the Moon
    Unfortunately for Man on the Moon, Kaufman is definitely a person more interesting to hear about than to experience, an acquired taste few will be tempted to acquire.
  25. Bringing Out the Dead
    Dances on the edge of flat-lining just like the DOAs that are Frank's stock-in-trade.
  26. Malibu's Most Wanted
    After an hour, or two-thirds of the film, they run out of gas. This is the kind of material that's easier to set up than it is to bring together in a satisfying fashion.
  27. The Passion of the Christ
    In effect, aspects of Gibson's creative makeup -- his career-long interest in martyrdom and the yearning for dramatic conflict that make him an excellent actor, coupled with his belief in the Gospels' literal truth -- have sideswiped this film. What is left is a film so narrowly focused as to be inaccessible for all but the devout.
  28. Chasing Papi
    A giddy, slight Latina-lib comedy.
    • 30 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Dude, Where's My Car?
    There's a benign, peace-loving air about it all that forces you to accept and embrace the film's two central characters.
  30. What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?
    As entertainment, the movie is a mixed bag. Some of the talking heads become just that after a while.
  31. No Such Thing
    Not everyone, for sure, is going to be able or willing to go the distance in this ambitious but exceedingly offbeat epic, which is great-looking and has a sweeping romantic score by Hartley himself.
  32. American Pimp
    The dehumanizing aspect of pimping is what's scariest about the Hughes brothers' investigation--so powerful the filmmakers realize they need only to record it.
  33. Christmas with the Kranks
    A flat parable about the virtues of homespun conformity and the perils of defying family tradition.
  34. Ella Enchanted
    Likely to cast its spell primarily on adolescent girls, while their elders might well find it more than a little tedious in its familiarity and artificiality.
  35. The Lizzie McGuire Movie
    The movie, with all its brashness and crassness, can still claim noble motives in encouraging insecure young people to seek the pop diva buried deep within.
  36. Vanilla Sky
    Though Vanilla Sky is smoothly and professionally done, even audiences who haven't seen the original will sense there is something off in the translation.
  37. Beyond the Sea
    Hindered by its own theatricality, Beyond the Sea feels at once hermetic, defensive and corny.
  38. Camp
    Has a good deal of the appeal, and the drawbacks, of a high school play. It can be pokey and overly earnest and its dramatics are not always polished, but, on the other hand, would you want them to be?
  39. Grand Theft Parsons
    Knoxville is surprisingly good playing a man who may have been in one too many barroom brawls, moving with a hunched, hips-forward swagger that suggests someone constantly walking through very low doorways.
  40. Home on the Range
    What it really is is an unapologetic cartoon, a harum-scarum endeavor that's so comically frantic it wears you out as much as it entertains.
  41. Joe Dirt
    If you are in touch with your inner 14-year-old child, you could do worse.
  42. Ladder 49
    As a loving tribute to the courage and sacrifice of firefighters, it's first-class. As a movie, it's a TV show.
  43. National Treasure
    National Treasure is as doggedly hokey and ham-handed as a Disneyland ride.
  44. Say It Isn't So
    Ultimately a sweet movie, but one made by people who can't stoop to conquer without an almost audible strain on their own intelligence.
  45. Remember the Titans
    A shrewd, pulpy crowd-pleaser.
  46. Benji: Off the Leash!
    Unfortunately, the new film does not live up to the low-key charm of the original. It's essentially a long-form public service announcement extolling the virtues of animal adoption and decrying the scourge of unfettered dog breeding.
  47. Code 46
    Winterbottom, who's never been a director with a gift for warmth, can't make this romance come alive. Morton and Robbins are gifted actors, but they seem straitjacketed here, and the film finds it difficult to avoid tedium as their lugubrious relationship unfolds.
  48. Resident Evil: Apocalypse
    Witt injects the film with plenty of razzle-dazzle on the visual side, but the pace deadens whenever the zombies are offscreen or the characters open their mouths long enough to do anything more than grunt.
  49. Silver City
    A series of miscalculations caused this project to lose its way, until what we're left with is a film that should involve us more than it does.
  50. 13 Going on 30
    The plot hinges on Jenna's horrified realization that her adult self is a witch, but 13 Going On 30 -- works foremost as a vehicle for its rising star.
  51. Cheaper by the Dozen
    As synthetic as a plastic Christmas tree.
  52. Fat Albert
    Despite the tired premise, Kenan Thompson -- is actually very persuasive as Fat Albert.
  53. Ocean's Twelve
    Isn't good and isn't bad, it just isn't. A lethargic would-be entertainment as well as a dispiriting vanity project, it is such a misfire that it makes it hard to remember what was special about its predecessor.
  54. Troy
    Given everything, it's no surprise that the verdict on the film has to be a split decision. Troy is a movie you believe in physically...Believing in Troy emotionally, however, presents a greater challenge.
  55. The Birdcage
    Not without its funny moments, much of Birdcage seems pro forma and predictable. What felt original in 1978 is no longer half so inspired.
  56. Tin Cup
    Squanders an appealing performance from Costner.
  57. Beautiful Girls
    Beautiful Girls follows the boys as they work their way through these crises, and it's about as much fun as a neighborhood bar on a Tuesday night. Its crisis: not much happening.
  58. Lolita
    Except for a memorably haunted performance by Jeremy Irons as the conflicted Humbert Humbert, what the new version lacks most of all is inspiration.
  59. The Rock
    Slick and forceful, largely unconcerned with character, eager for any opportunity to pump up the volume both literally and metaphorically, The Rock is the kind of efficient entertainment that is hard to take pleasure in.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
    Bill and Ted differ from Spiccoli, their “stoner” predecessor, only in that there are no drug references here to account for their allegedly jocular lack of ambition or interest in education or self-improvement.
  61. Brassed Off
    The difficulty is that Brassed Off operates at an emotional pitch that starts at a crescendo and never relents--rendering almost everything equally inconsequential.
  62. Dante's Peak
    Dante's Peak is customary for the genre, with convincing special effects sharing screen time with standard-issue characters and situations.
  63. The Devil's Own
    With two of the world's biggest stars in tow, the creators of The Devil's Own can be forgiven for figuring that nothing else really mattered. If you've got Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt, do you really need a coherent script? Unfortunately for everyone concerned, the answer is yes.
  64. Flubber
    Director Les Mayfield ("Miracle on 34th Street") has his moments, of course, but what ultimately was needed in the case of Flubber was a movie with more bounce and less talk.
  65. Paradise Road
    A warmhearted horror show that puts cliched movie people into a realistic situation, the signals it sends out are nothing but mixed.
  66. Prefontaine
    Though it is always pleasant and agreeable, this film has the bland and undemanding texture that characterizes movies made for network TV.
  67. Ransom
    A persuasive thriller for most of its length, it stumbles in its attempt to become an upscale version of "Death Wish" and other vigilante dramas and ends up derailing with a soft thud.
  68. Die Hard: With a Vengeance
    The "Die Hard" series was never exactly big on nuance, but this new installment relentlessly zeros in on sensation. It's almost sadistically single-minded. [19May1995 Pg.F.01]
    • Los Angeles Times
  69. Home for the Holidays
    What results is a film with some bright spots but whose effect is finally as muddled and wearying as the event itself sometimes is.
  70. Dangerous Minds
    While films are admired for making fantasy real, some manage a reverse, unwanted kind of alchemy, turning involving reality into meaningless piffle.
  71. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles
    Although he works his hardest at the part and doesn't embarrass himself, even with the help of Stan Winston's vampire makeup Tom Cruise is plainly miscast as Lestat. [11Nov1994 Pg. F1]
    • Los Angeles Times
  72. Mrs. Doubtfire
    Anyone looking for the kind of comic brio that Dustin Hoffman and company brought to "Tootsie" will not find it here. [24 Nov 1993 Pg. F1]
    • Los Angeles Times
  73. The Pelican Brief
    So it is a surprise to say that the biggest mystery this legal thriller presents is how a film based on a novel by John Grisham, starring the bankable duo of [Julia Roberts Darby Shaw] and [Denzel Washington Gray Grantham] and written and directed by veteran Alan J. Pakula can end up more of a fizzle than an explosion. [17 Dec 1993 Pg. F1]
    • Los Angeles Times
  74. The Flintstones
    Like "The Addams Family" before it, this is one of those clever, lively and ultimately wearying pieces of showy Hollywood machinery where a glut of creativity has gone into the visuals with only scraps left over for the plot and the dialogue. [27 May 1994 Pg.F1]
    • Los Angeles Times
  75. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
    Yet, there is also little doubt that when it comes to extreme physical humor, Carrey is remarkably gifted, a throwback to the vintage antics of Jerry Lewis or even the slapstick gang of silent comedy.
  76. Ever After
    While it's difficult to dislike what this film tries to do, the way it does it is more problematic.
  77. Schizopolis
    Soderbergh has lots to say but this time seems to lack the confidence to express himself seriously.
  78. The Bridges of Madison County
    LaGravenese... has understood that the worst of Bridges is not in its dialogue but in the silent musings that occupy its characters' minds. By keeping those thoughts unspoken, by allowing the camera to show instead of having words tell, much has been accomplished.
  79. Copycat
    By having Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter play the maniacs' feisty antagonists, the filmmakers seem to believe that they've made a significant feminist statement, the movie's two hours-plus of almost continual sadistic abuse of women notwithstanding. Even in an industry known for self-delusion, that is quite a feat.
  80. Don Juan DeMarco
    Depp is rather sweet in portraying Don Juan's self-delusions, but his performance is hampered by the role.
  81. Unconstitutional
    Focuses on what the filmmaker contends is widespread abuse of civil liberties carried out in the wake of the USA Patriot Act and other administration policies.
  82. Freeway
    Danny Elfman's intense score contributes crucial energy, John Thomas' camera work is first-rate, but the ambitious Freeway ends up merely trashy.
  83. Grumpier Old Men
    t's great to see cherished, longtime stars in big roles to which they can bring so much spontaneity and finesse; you wish only that this movie were sturdier and had aimed higher. Judging from the bloopers that unreel during Grumpier Old Men's end credits, the cast had lots of fun making this movie--more fun, it would seem, than it is to watch. [22 Dec 1995, p.18]
    • Los Angeles Times
  84. Mary Reilly
    There is nothing to be embarrassed about here, neither is there much to relish, for Mary Reilly has more of the sheen of art than its essence.
  85. White Squall
    The 20 or so minutes we spend with the Albatross in the squall is high adventure, to be sure. Everything else is ballast.
  86. The Shining
    There are moments so visually stunning only a Kubrick could pull them off, yet the film is too grandiose to be the jolter that horror pictures are expected to be. Both those expecting significance from Kubrick and those merely looking for a good scare may be equally disappointed.
  87. Naked Lunch
    It's a movie for people who really dig Cronenberg's mulchy fixations-and probably for no one else. [27 Dec 1991]
    • Los Angeles Times
  88. Last Action Hero
    Last Action Hero does have occasional moments of humor, but overall it is lacking in fun or magic. [18 Jun 1993, p.1]
    • Los Angeles Times
  89. Far and Away
    It's strong as can be in terms of production values and panoramic photography (as befits its $70-million budget) and weak as watery tea when it comes to little things like dialogue and character development. [22 May 1992]
    • Los Angeles Times
  90. Air America
    Air America is far from a disgrace, but it's so rare to see a film with this much panoramic verve that you want it to deliver the real goods and not this cargo-load of tinkertoy war-is-heck ironies. [10 Aug 1990]
    • Los Angeles Times
  91. Traveller
    The cast is really fine, but the script requires a lot of hard swallowing. The story moves along briskly and colorfully but gets further and further from the intimate atmosphere that initially makes it so appealing. [25 Apr 1997]
    • Los Angeles Times
  92. Empire of the Sun
    For all its good intentions, for the thrillingly staged moments in the film's first quarter-for all the sweeping movement of thousands of people streaming through the streets of Shanghai-and for all its not-inconsiderable craft, the film's grave problem is a lack of central heating: We don't have a single character to warm up to.
  93. Newsies
    Newsies becomes a string of set-pieces, some of which work, some of which don't, all barreling full-speed ahead toward its Teddy Roosevelt deus ex machina. [10 Apr 1992]
    • Los Angeles Times
  94. The Governess
    Driver, who steadfastly carries Rosina/Mary through every stormy stage of her self-discovery, is consistently better than the picture, as is Wilkinson.
  95. Lethal Weapon
    At bottom, Lethal Weapon isn't much. It's a big, shallow, flashy, buddy-buddy cop thriller; it attacks you like a stereophonic steamroller, flattening everything behind it. Snatches of "Hustle" "Magnum Force" and "48 HRS." float above this plot like scum on a polluted lake, and the holes in logic and mindless climax are (or should be) embarrassing. [6 Mar 1987, p.4]
    • Los Angeles Times
  96. Shallow Grave
    Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter John Hodge (who is a physician!) keep the action spurting forward, but their approach is oblique. We seem to be catching the odds and ends of scenes; it's as if the filmmakers wanted to make a movie in which all the expected high points were skimped.
  97. The Pillow Book
    Despite its arresting visual style, its wave after wave of creative and hypnotic images, The Pillow Book, as its name hints, slowly but inexorably leads to sleep.
  98. Cool World
    But the erotic potential of animation has never been realized and Cool World doesn't even try. [11 Jul 1992]
    • Los Angeles Times
  99. Labyrinth
    There's more length than depth to Labyrinth. The Baryshnikov staging of "The Nutcracker" has more to tell about a girl on the edge of young womanhood, with more poignancy and a more palpable sense of transition, than all the technical wizardry Henson and crew have offered so lavishly-and without a single pop song, either. [26 Jun 1986, p.1]
    • Los Angeles Times
  100. I Love You Phillip Morris
    It's clear from first frame to last that the filmmakers decided to go broad, very broad, with a story that swings between hysterical, hyper-sexual, bizarre, surprisingly tender and just plain awful. This is one mixed bag of a movie.
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