San Francisco Chronicle's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Select another publication »
For 9,317 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 52% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 46% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 2 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 63
Highest review score: 100 Mansfield Park
Lowest review score: 0 Speed 2: Cruise Control
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5,172 out of 9317
  2. Mixed: 2,659 out of 9317
  3. Negative: 1,486 out of 9317
9317 movie reviews
view
per page
  1. Linsanity
    Leong is a San Francisco native, and the documentary has a strong local feel. Lin's high school basketball coach Peter Diepenbrock and his shooting coach Doc Scheppler are interviewed extensively, as are both parents and Lin's brothers.
  2. Driven
    Even if his (Stallone) own star may be fading, the popularity of car racing is enormous. These fans are not likely to be disappointed by Driven.
  3. John Q
    More hokey than heartfelt.
  4. Before I Fall
    If one can forgive its derivativeness and predictability, Before I Fall is well-acted and directed, and its message of acceptance and responsibility reads as heartfelt.
  5. Nostalgia
    The performances are heavy-handed, except for that of Jon Hamm, who benefits not only from playing something of a wise guy (a sports memorabilia salesman), but also from his own unsentimental instincts.
  6. Without Limits
    It's not a bad film, but Towne and his star, the charismatic Billy Crudup, never fire the imagination in the way their inspirational, respectful biopic is obviously intended to.
  7. Microbe and Gasoline
    It’s a nice movie, and perfectly watchable — yet it’s hard to escape the sense that it should have been more.
  8. A Hero
    The best aspect of “A Hero,” and probably the aspect which Farhadi would most like us to contemplate, is the internal journey of Rahim, who, over the course of his difficulties, slowly and belatedly seems to come into his manhood.
  9. Junior
    As a comedy, Junior has its share of laughs -- but no more than its share.
  10. Friday After Next
    The jokes are sophomoric, stereotypes are sprinkled everywhere and the acting ranges from bad to bodacious.
  11. Kedi
    The documentary is gentle and observational, unfolding slowly and smoothly. No overarching drama here, just a slice of daily life.
  12. Urban Legend
    A premise so rock-solid, so guaranteed to please, that it almost doesn't matter that the movie is otherwise a routine slasher, and not a particularly scary one.
  13. Arthur
    The movie lacks joy. It has poignancy and intelligence, and it holds interest, but it never opens up into happiness and fantasy. Maybe it's the recession.
  14. Shrek Forever After
    Wanders far away from the infectious and propulsive zing that we've come to expect the past nine years.
  15. Last Man Standing
    Hill and his cast, including Christopher Walken as a sadistic hood, struggle to score a victory of style over substance. But substance, or a lack thereof, wins.
  16. Girl, Interrupted
    A sappy, muddled production that misses the jarring tone of the autobiographical book by Susanna Kaysen on which it is based.
  17. The War Within
    Tries too hard to be even-handed.
  18. End of Days
    Not a campy film, but it revels in extremes, and has the same sort of appeal.
  19. Dark Horse
    The combative, off-putting Dark Horse features many of writer-director Todd Solondz's usual preoccupations: misery, complexity, stunted emotions, misplaced dreams.
  20. 16 Blocks
    Another urban action thriller that's better than some, worse than most and so forgettable that it's possible to forget it while watching it?
  21. Never Been Kissed
    Some so-so movies are just easy to be around, and this is one of them.
  22. American Dharma
    Bannon is an intriguing figure, a former liberal who went to Harvard Business School and did a hitch in the Navy. His turn in philosophy is worth exploring. He can undeniably hold attention — American Dharma is not a hard watch.
  23. Dirty Girl
    Watching this movie is like eating a hot fudge sundae and lasagna in alternating bites.
  24. Rise of the Guardians
    Innocence and joy are threatened by the Boogeyman, and from there the plot comes pretty close to mirroring this summer's "The Avengers" movie. Mostly in a good way.
  25. The Merry Gentleman
    A movie that doesn't quite have enough romance, thriller or revenge-fantasy elements to qualify for any of those genres. More than anything, it's a celebration of uncomfortable silences. The awkward moments in this movie far outweigh the joyful or tragic ones.
  26. Chalk
    Has unusual visual vitality in a John Cassavetes vein. For the adventurous, it's worth checking out.
  27. The Break-Up
    Imagine watching Bergman's "Scenes From a Marriage," except without good scenes, without a marriage (legal or spiritual) and without people worthy of anybody's attention, even each other's. Now imagine something even worse.
  28. The Perfect Find
    It’s as if no aspect of Perfect Find were thought through because everyone expected that, whatever happened, Gabrielle Union could be counted on to carry the movie. She almost does, but doesn’t.
  29. Jeepers Creepers
    The first half-hour of this movie is sensational, creating an atmosphere of dread that any horror master would envy.
  30. Thunderheart
    Yet with all its virtues, Thunderheart unravels after the first hour and continues unraveling until it chokes itself. The movie's complicated story, involving the FBI, the government, and the feuding tribal factions, is impossible to sort through. [3 Apr 1992, p.D1]
    • San Francisco Chronicle
Page:

Top Trailers

See all »
See all trailers »