The Associated Press' Scores

  • Movies
For 1,489 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 54% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 44% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.2 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 66
Highest review score: 100 Tootsie
Lowest review score: 0 The King's Daughter
Score distribution:
1489 movie reviews
    • 65 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    A rather anemic effort that runs low on suspense but high on some wonderfully campy moments that will probably leave you howling. [01 Feb 1994]
    • The Associated Press
    • 56 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Say what you like about Iron Will - that it's corny and predictable - it's still an irresistibly sweet and upbeat adventure and if it doesn't make your heart pound a little faster, call a cardiologist. [10 Jan 1994]
    • The Associated Press
  1. Although it is a historical document, The War Room plays out as a "buddy" film with two men - James Carville and George Stephanopoulos - emerging as figures charismatic enough to carry this feature-length movie...What we see is fascinating, funny and revelatory. [18 Nov 1993]
    • The Associated Press
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    It's fitting that director Brian De Palma's latest effort, Carlito's Way, begins and ends inside a train station, because this is a movie that's seriously derailed. [09 Nov 1993]
    • The Associated Press
    • 43 Metascore
    • 38 Critic Score
    It's a rather insipid rendition of the Alexandre Dumas classic destined to stand in the shadow of earlier movie versions. Oddly enough, this Disney version of the rousing novel leaves a final impression somewhere between lifeless and bland.
    • The Associated Press
    • 47 Metascore
    • 25 Critic Score
    It's a film that's two hours of maudlin, heavy-handed overwrought silliness. Think of "Prince of Tides" meets "Benny & Joon," with less entertainment value. [5 Oct 1993]
    • The Associated Press
    • 84 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Every once in a while a movie comes along that is so stirring and so moving that it stays with you long after it's over. Like a wonderful memory, it washes over your psyche for days and bathes it in some indescribable richness. The Joy Luck Club is just such a movie. This is filmmaking at its best: a wonderful story that transcends cultures. It is beautifully set and filmed, superbly acted and masterfully directed. [7 Sept 1993]
    • The Associated Press
    • 87 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    If you can suspend your disbelief, The Fugitive is a raucous, rampaging adventure that's certain to thrill. If your eye gets caught on details, however, you'll be annoyed by plot twists that range from unlikely to unbelievable. For the most part, director Andrew Davis ("Under Siege") knits a fabulous story. [5 Aug 1993]
    • The Associated Press
    • 43 Metascore
    • 25 Critic Score
    [A] dreary little waste of celluloid. [12 July 1993]
    • The Associated Press
    • 49 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    This is a movie with a plot that’s as predictable as a well-tuned washing machine...What saves this movie from insipidness is an endearing performance by Walter Matthau as the cantankerous Mr. Wilson.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Life With Mikey is spun with delightful wisecracks, a childlike charm and the exhilaration of surmounting the odds - even though the sum of these parts cloys just a bit. [1 June 1993]
    • The Associated Press
    • 49 Metascore
    • 38 Critic Score
    Made in America has a deficit problem - it's a comedy with woefully few good jokes, a leading man and woman with a serious lack of chemistry, and a plot that has as much credibility as a campaign promise. [27 May 1993]
    • The Associated Press
  2. The actors perform their deadpan duties satisfactorily. The news about Charlie Sheen is his pumped-up body. Look out, Arnold and Sly! Bridges is amusingly wild-eyed as the bionic president, and Golino manages to be sexy and funny at the same time.
    • The Associated Press
    • 76 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    Dave is a movie packed with many, many magical moments. They seem childlike in their simplicity, just as spontaneous ... and just as charming. [06 May 1993]
    • The Associated Press
    • 51 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Indian Summer is as sunny as a June day is long and as charming as a late-night marshmallow roast and just about as fluffy. There's not much to the movie, although it seems desperately to want to be taken seriously. [20 Apr 1993]
    • The Associated Press
  3. Tracy Torme's script is laden with plot holes and humdrum dialogue, and Robert Lieberman's direction does little to cure the deficiencies. [16 Mar 1993]
    • The Associated Press
    • 59 Metascore
    • 12 Critic Score
    Stunningly stupid! Amazingly bad! Incredibly awful! Just downright terrible! [17 Feb 1993]
    • The Associated Press
    • 45 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    For all its obviousness and insipid dialogue, Sniper does have many moments of armchair-clutching suspense as the two Americans dance and dodge their way around those speeding rebel bullets. And now and then there are flashes about the dark memories that sniper must endure. It's just that those moments and insights are unfortunately too few. [27 Jan 1993]
    • The Associated Press
  4. In spite of its wild sex scenes, it's one of the year's more cerebral films - a contradiction which makes it all the more interesting. [22 Dec 1992]
    • The Associated Press
  5. The ever-astounding Robin Williams is the battery that makes Toys work. He is at the peak of his inventiveness, yet he never loses the handle on his character. [15 Dec 1992]
    • The Associated Press
    • 64 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    I thought that The Muppet Christmas Carol was a wonderful movie. The Muppets' re-enactment of the story was funny and touching and full of Christmas spirit. Michael Caine was a perfect Scrooge, in looks, manner and expression. [9 Sept 1992]
    • The Associated Press
    • 47 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    A bit of a charmer, an Ugly Duckling story with a sly wit that keeps it from sliding off into vulgarity. [19 Apr 1993]
    • The Associated Press
  6. Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, Jennifer Eight (code name for the case) is a gripping though improbable thriller with an ample number of plot twists. [9 Nov 1992]
    • The Associated Press
  7. Is it pornographic? Not by today's standards. It is certainly erotic, but no more so than "Basic Instinct" and other big-studio movies. The couplings of The Young Girl and The Chinese Man (their names are never disclosed) are natural and even lyrical, except for one punishing incident. [2 Nov 1992]
    • The Associated Press
  8. The interweaving of the characters is a masterpiece of invention. Husbands and Wives ranks with Allen's best, as mature but darker than "Hannah and Her Sisters." The laughs come not as readily, and snickers of recognition will be epidemic. But whatever happens in the courts, Allen remains the screen's best social commentator. [14 Sept 1992]
    • The Associated Press
    • 70 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    Written by Robbins, the film is uneven. It drags in a few places and the ending is a little heavy-handed. But Bob Roberts is still an intelligent and accomplished satire, not bad at all for an actor turned director. [31 Aug 1992]
    • The Associated Press
  9. Cage perfectly expresses the rage and frustration of the postponed bridegroom, and Miss Parker is a real find. Caan completes the triangle with insidious charm. [28 Aug 1992]
    • The Associated Press
    • 63 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    A first-class thriller that will strike a terrifying note with anyone who's ever met the roommate from hell. [12 Aug 1992]
    • The Associated Press
    • 42 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    It seems the filmmaker just can't decide where he wants to go with this movie. It's far too predictable and just not scary enough to be a chilling thriller. It's not clever or sophisticated enough to be campy. It's far too insipid to be taken as a thoughtful psychological drama. And it lacks the smooth, compelling or joyful ride expected of pure entertainment. [06 Aug 1992]
    • The Associated Press
  10. Miss Plowright's performance is an absolute marvel. Her transition from the acid-tongued widow to a wisely compassionate woman warms the heart. [20 July 1992]
    • The Associated Press

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