The New York Times' Scores

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For 20,313 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 46% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 49% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 4.2 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 61
Highest review score: 100 Short Cuts
Lowest review score: 0 Gummo
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9,401 out of 20313
  2. Mixed: 8,446 out of 20313
  3. Negative: 2,466 out of 20313
20313 movie reviews
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  1. Britney Vs. Spears
    Britney vs Spears underscores how tricky it is to make a credible documentary about a celebrity under duress without repeating many of the gestures that treat fame as the sine qua non of American culture.
  2. Medusa
    Though dressed in shock-value clothing, Medusa is also a straightforward character study, tackling issues like the scourge of Western beauty standards and the difficulties of leaving an abusive relationship along the way
  3. I Want You Back
    I Want You Back isn’t particularly clever or emotionally stirring, but it does briskly deliver on the corny promises of the genre, navigating relatable relationship issues by the least relatable means.
  4. Convergence: Courage in a Crisis
    The critical edge of the film feels blunted by platitudes (“Opportunities are born from crises,” says Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization), not to mention the exhaustion viewers will likely feel in reliving early memories of the still-ongoing pandemic for nearly two hours.
  5. Enormous: The Gorge Story
    [A] friendly and entirely uncritical documentary.
  6. Knocking
    The film does strike one long, nerve-jangling note, but the style leaves Molly with nowhere to run.
  7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
    The movie, directed by Swinton O. Scott III, plays like an extended series pilot, built out of largely interchangeable episodes.
  8. 8-Bit Christmas
    When it isn’t fawning over roller rinks, “Goonies” posters, and Casio watches, 8 Bit Christmas (streaming on HBO Max) is a warm and refreshingly earnest holiday comedy.
  9. Ambulance
    Bay’s virtuosic flouting of the laws of physics, probability and narrative coherence is meant to catapult you into a zone of sublimity where melodramatic emotion and adrenalized excitement fuse into a whole new kind of sensation.
  10. Mother/Android
    It’s a bizarre movie, but there’s enough action to help you zip through this overstuffed story even if you’re not sure why you (or Georgia, or Sam) are there in the first place.
  11. Playlist
    There are no particularly moving insights, and it falls short of a proper character study, but “Playlist” does intrigue with its droll individual parts — if not the sum of them.
  12. Lightyear
    Lightyear, directed by Angus MacLane from a script by Jason Headley, aims to please by pandering, to be good-enough entertainment. As such, it succeeds in a manner more in line with second-tier Disney animation than with top-shelf Pixar.
  13. A Journal for Jordan
    Denzel Washington directs this adaptation (the screenplay is by Virgil Williams) with care, respect and a deep-seated knowledge of the Black love stories that don’t make it to the big screen nearly enough.
  14. 3212 Un-redacted
    The lack of labeling only raises questions, slightly marring what otherwise plays like a thorough, outraged exposé.
  15. Dog
    Dog is unabashedly sentimental. A movie about a dog and a soldier could hardly be otherwise. Luckily, Tatum’s self-deprecating charm and Carolin’s script keep the story on the tolerable side of maudlin.
  16. Black Friday
    Andy Greskoviak’s script lampoons corporate apathy and retail-work ennui with the same swiftness as his voracious zombies. Unfortunately, Black Friday also tries to make viewers root for its characters, who are mostly delightful because they are such wildly mediocre people.
  17. The Outfit
    Sometimes, all you need in a movie is a great actor — well, almost all. Certainly Rylance’s presence enriches The Outfit, a moderately amusing gangster flick that doesn’t make a great deal of sense.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Ice Station Zebra
    Ice Station Zebra is a fairly tight, exciting, Saturday night adventure story that suddenly goes all muddy in its crises, so that at two crucial points—when water comes rushing into a submarine under the polar ice cap, and when somebody is substituting something for the object everybody is searching for—it is very difficult to know what is going on, or who knows what about it. It doesn't make much difference, though.
  19. Last Words
    The movie’s depiction of age — specifically, age as it affects movie stars — has real potency. This extends beyond its ostensible message, delivered by Kal: “We live and die by the stories we tell each other.” The stronger statement Last Words ends up making is that we die no matter what.
  20. Dead Man's Switch: A Crypto Mystery
    There’s some comedic value here.
  21. Poupelle of Chimney Town
    Trying to get a read on the film — while admiring its palette and off-kilter character details (Lubicchi has an odd vampire overbite) — keeps “Poupelle” fun for a while. But the film ultimately shies away from its most disturbing ideas, falling back on a comforting sentimentality.
  22. Hero
    Stephen Frears's film is always lively and often shrewd, but in the end Hero is at war with itself. The movie's Capraesque heart is locked in battle with its cynical, contemporary brain.
  23. The Pink Cloud
    Even as the lockdown accelerates intimacy and conflict between the protagonists, their actions feel inconsequential compared with the greater world outside.
  24. The Unmaking of A College
    The closing titles say Nelson “would not agree to be interviewed.” While others try to explain her perspective, her nonparticipation leaves an unavoidable hole. And the testaments to Hampshire’s distinctive academic culture aren’t especially germane.
  25. Call Jane
    Nagy tries to push the story beyond its cautious framing, but it’s tough going.
  26. Luck
    Luck offers fresh ideas; its only misfortune is to present its gifts in recycled wrapping.
  27. The Conductor
    As filmmaking, The Conductor takes a fairly standard approach. The most engaging portions involve music-making itself.
  28. I’ll Be Your Mirror
    There’s an implication that repressed emotions are simmering beneath the mundane, but that doesn’t always come across.
  29. Leonor Will Never Die
    The effect is by turns comical, maddening and endearing as Escobar reaches for more ambitious ideas about the political appeal of the authoritarian hero; but “Leonor” is finally too mired in its film-within-the-film frolics for more serious themes to gain traction.
  30. Utama
    While climate change shadows every anxious discussion here, it also remains at a safe remove, a vague threat embedded in an aesthetically soothing package and gently salted with tears.
  31. The Adam Project
    Blissfully under two hours, The Adam Project is no modern classic. But it does benefit from an affecting finale that pays special attention to Adam’s strained relationship with his father.
  32. Men
    The movie, an uneasy amalgam of horror and allegory, full of creepy, gory effects and literary and mythological allusions, amounts to a sustained and specific indictment of the titular gender.
  33. Fiddler's Journey to the Big Screen
    Raim is interested in how Jewison sought to preserve the story’s essence while making creative updates, and in doing so “Fiddler’s Journey” touches on issues of Jewish representation but does not interrogate them.
  34. Vengeance
    Vengeance, while earnest, thoughtful and quite funny in spots, demonstrates just how difficult it can be to turn political polarization and culture-war hostility into a credible narrative. Its efforts shouldn’t be dismissed, even though it’s ultimately too clever for its own good, and maybe not quite as smart as it thinks it is.
  35. Icahn: The Restless Billionaire
    The perspective — while producing something eminently watchable — may strike some viewers as old-fashioned and incomplete.
  36. The Contractor
    Pine and Foster sync up flawlessly, even when the dialogue fails them. This isn’t the reunion they deserve, but it’s nevertheless welcome. In silence and in action, they show you the unfathomable loss that the rest of movie never coherently expresses.
  37. Taste
    There’s something here. It’s just undercooked. The cinematic philosophy around these minimalist hallucinations comes down to whether the images ought to amount to anything, as they always do with Weerasethakul and almost always with Reygadas.
  38. All the Old Knives
    While All the Old Knives keeps cleverly resetting the table it’s laid out, it can’t fundamentally alter the meal.
  39. The Automat
    If anything, The Automat seeks to burnish the mystique — it won’t be hijacked by social politics even if the company’s stance in such matters appeared to be the right one. The movie opts for a starry, top-down vantage.
  40. Inspector Ike
    It’ll work best with viewers whose funny bones are of the dry variety.
  41. Careless Crime
    Mokri constructs his film like a control experiment, tweaking each of its variables — time, space, narrative — as if to see what he might catalyze.
  42. Better Nate Than Ever
    [Tim Federle's] leads deliver hearty performances that elevate the movie, particularly once we’ve had time to adjust to the gusto of Wood, whose wired performance has the flavor of Hugh Jackman’s exuberance squeezed into an espresso cup.
  43. The Jump
    In its first half-hour, the documentary The Jump brings a bracing immediacy to a 50-year-old Cold War incident.
  44. Fear
    The director, Ivaylo Hristov, is adept at slow-burning suspense and comic misdirection.
  45. I Am Here
    As inspiring as his chosen subject is, the director missed an opportunity to use the story to deepen our understanding of our own memories, trauma and forgiveness.
  46. Last Exit: Space
    The movie gives a stimulating but standard-by-Herzog-standards treatment to a stellar subject.
  47. Fire Island
    The pace is slacker than it should be, but still, “Fire Island” fits neatly alongside Kristen Stewart’s lesbian Christmas movie “Happiest Season” on Hulu’s rom-com shelf.
  48. How to Survive a Pandemic
    The message — that science cannot succeed without a politics of solidarity — is important, but the film ends on a note of uncertainty that feels defeatist rather than urgent.
  49. Sheryl
    Crow herself is a more than interesting subject. She’s a musician whose Rock-with-a-capital-R cred — her guitar playing is ace, her voice is soulful and her ear for a hook is unimpeachable — is sometimes overlooked in favor of her pop appeal. And her story has a lot of twists.
  50. The Last Mountain
    There are no real answers for anyone in The Last Mountain. If Terrill never finds a clear narrative or emotional through line for this account, it’s not entirely a surprise. The material resists attempts at uplift.
  51. More Than Robots
    Like many of the young inventors she documents, Jacobs has created a project that doesn’t fall apart at first touch. But her film doesn’t meet the mark for excellence, either.
  52. Bisping: The Michael Bisping Story
    This is all pretty conventional. But then the fighter’s story takes a twist.
  53. Polar Bear
    To its credit, Polar Bear isn’t just playing in the snow; there’s a very conscious through-line of conservation, highlighting how climate change has negatively affected the Arctic’s ecosystem
  54. Amsterdam
    Throughout, Russell keeps going and moving, moving and going, but the momentum never builds the way it should, and the big reveal lands flat partly because he never seems taken with the history he’s latched onto or comfortable with its heaviness. Or perhaps it’s the contemporary parallels that make him uneasy and why, again and again, he returns to the faces and filigree that he gets just right.
  55. I Love America
    Marceau beams with unshakable good vibes, like a lion in the sun, though that makes her woes feel not so woeful. But Azuelos’s film does glimpse moments that feel true to the sometimes strange complexity of emotions.
  56. See You Then
    The chemistry of its stars gives the movie a curious magnetism that is almost enough to forgive its flaws.
  57. Royalty Free: The Music of Kevin MacLeod
    The documentary is shot and edited like an infomercial, although it wanders from issue to issue to the extent that a viewer can’t be sure just what it’s pitching.
  58. ¡Viva Maestro!
    Dudamel is a joyfully appealing figure, and the film benefits from following such an amiable subject. But the documentary lacks the rigor it would take to turn this warm portrait into a proper cinematic symphony.
  59. Shakespeare's Sh*tstorm
    The durable director Lloyd Kaufman lobs multiple notions at the screen to see what sticks. In a movie held together with this many slimy fluids, pretty much everything does.
  60. The Princess
    The high-aggro guitar score is a misstep, but a panting, battered King is credible and compelling as she kicks, stabs and screams for the right to choose her own destiny.
  61. Devotion
    As an intellectual dismantling of white savior narratives, Devotion is smartly done; as an enjoyable heartwarmer to watch with your uncle, it’s stiff when it should soar.
  62. Stay Awake
    Oleff, Argus and Metz succeed in depicting both the frustrations and the compassion associated with caring for relatives who continuously harm themselves.
  63. The Gray Man
    The caffeinated cuts and pacing never allow the audience to find its footing in the film’s large, expensive set pieces, which prevents the action from becoming truly thrilling.
  64. Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between
    For those viewers aged out of the movie’s intended demographic, that quandary isn’t as compelling as the evidence of its lead actors’ talents, as well as that of the nimble actors who play their besties, Stella (Ayo Edebiri) and Scotty (Nico Hiraga).
  65. Africa
    The result is a bittersweet family portrait that, though relatable, lacks the specificity that makes for truly universal cinema.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Red Beard
    Red Beard is well meant and well made, no question about it. But it unfolds familiarly and, at 185 minutes, practically forever.
  67. The Sanctity of Space
    “It is belief as much as anything that allows one to cling to a wall,” James Salter wrote in his mountaineering novel “Solo Faces.” The Sanctity of Space is at its best when conveying the power of that belief.
  68. Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon
    Rhoads comes off as a pleasant guy (never a big partyer; he tried to counsel Osbourne on his excessive drinking) and a genuine ax savant who died with a lot more music in him.
  69. Summer of '42
    Robert Mulligan's Summer of '42 is a memory movie, written, directed and acted with such uncommon good humor that I don't think you'll be put off by its sweet soft-focus, at least until you start analyzing it afterwards.
  70. The Silent Twins
    Whatever is or isn’t broken about the twins remains a secret, but June and Jennifer’s story is played by Wright and Lawrance with the thoughtful consideration these real-life women deserve.
  71. White Noise
    There is something detached about the film, a succession of moods and notions that are often quite interesting but that never entirely cohere. White Noise is an expression of sincere and admirable faith. I just wish I could believe in it.
  72. Chevalier
    That this movie — directed by the Canadian filmmaker Stephen Williams and written by Stefani Robinson — leans too mightily on romance to the detriment of exploring more fully his genius feels like a missed opportunity.
  73. Digger
    Its terse David and Goliath conflict doesn’t yield satisfyingly punchy results.
  74. Cocoon
    The softness lacks detail, the butterfly metaphors lack originality, but the movie is pleasant, a balmy introduction to adult feelings of desire and belonging.
  75. Dark Passage
    Indeed, it is in the bizarre contacts of Mr. Bogart with shady characters such as those played by these well-directed actors that Dark Passage achieves tension and drive. Perhaps he should be given more time with them.
  76. A Magnificent Life
    There’s more to love in the details than in this overloaded sprint through history, which the film frames from the perspective of an aging Pagnol as he talks to a phantom version of his younger self and attempts to begin writing his memoirs.
  77. The Score
    The film is besotted by its own cleverness. The overwrought dialogue clashes with the rest of the movie’s naturalism. But Smyth’s very point is that ordinary folk have the right to strive for poetry — and his shaggy sincerity wins out in the end. With this promising ditty as his debut feature, the filmmaker introduces himself as a voice to be heard.
  78. Julie
    There is one mark of distinction: Mr. Stone has shot much of this film along the beautiful California seacoast in the vicinity of Monterey. That makes it easy to look at. Indeed, it makes it thrilling, at times.
  79. Anything's Possible
    Unlike its lead characters, Anything’s Possible never quite figures out if it wants to be distinctive or just another kid at school.
  80. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
    Our world so hauntingly echoes Collins’s fictions that the film, shot last summer, moves us to spend its gargantuan running time reflecting on contemporary headlines, mourning the generational tragedy of anger and fear begetting anger and fear.
  81. I'm Charlie Walker
    It’s Charlie’s wife, Ann (Safiya Fredericks), who provides the movie’s voice-over. Her account has a mythmaking undercurrent but is also the film’s deft way of celebrating Black love and family.
  82. Small Town Wisconsin
    Mueller’s direction is patient and sensitive, the cast is accomplished and committed, and the picture’s comedic aspects sometimes earn a chuckle. But Small Town Wisconsin is not sufficiently distinctive to rise above the standard-issue cinematic contemplation of the arguably poignant state of the white male American screw-up.
  83. Civil: Ben Crump
    “Civil” yields fewer insights than hoped. At times, the neat documentary feels nearly as tailored as Crump’s suits.
  84. Loving Highsmith
    Most of her exes’ memories stop short of being psychologically insightful. Strung together, however, these tender confidences shape an outline of a woman who never trusted anyone with her heart.
  85. Moon Garden
    Only after Emma’s circumstances get worse — the poor dear is knocked comatose — do things onscreen improve.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Battle Beyond the Stars
    There is a lot of stirring music on the soundtrack, and a fair amount of amusement in the audience. The special effects aren't bad, either.
  87. My Name Is Sara
    The film is sharp at illustrating how Sara is never totally safe, and how survival requires improvising again and again.
  88. Orphan: First Kill
    The sheer derangement of its plot and a bizarre casting gambit make it more interesting than standard straight-to-streaming schlock.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
    Good color, handsome photographic effects and a submarine to end them all make Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea a mildly diverting but far from memorable screen plunge.
  90. Testament
    Miss Littman, who directed and was co-producer of Testament, gives its individual scenes a very realistic air, even if the film's overall conception is sometimes strained.
  91. The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie
    The movie really comes alive when it is recreating the recording session for the song, showing how the ace studio keyboardist Paul Griffin transformed the tune with his energetic gospel-style piano.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Pollyanna
    Like its sub-teen, "Glad Girl" heroine, this visit with Pollyanna is pleasant and unlikely to hurt or excite even the small fry.
  93. Mack & Rita
    Directed with some unexpected beats by Katie Aselton, the comedy captures a bit of the esprit de girlfriends of HBO’s “Insecure,” but borrows too giddily from the Nancy Meyers rom-com catalog of upscale homes.
  94. Thunderbolts*
    The only sure thing is that Pugh deepens the material, investing Yelena with real feeling and a lightly detached ironic sensibility that’s reminiscent of Downey’s Stark. Pugh is the best thing to happen to Marvel in a while.
  95. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
    To help us buy in, the film mostly relies on the polish of this retro universe and its premium cast (who turn in uneven performances, save for Moss-Bachrach), along with one’s faint familiarity with the iconography of the heroes, to do the legwork. But those pieces sometimes are sufficient to keep this a smooth-enough ride that can even be periodically thrilling.
  96. Free Chol Soo Lee
    Free Chol Soo Lee is somewhat dry and, as criminal-justice documentaries go, sadly familiar when it strays from Lee’s unique and grim perspective, which includes details of his struggles with prison life and depression.
  97. Blue Island
    The past-present parallelism is provocative, but it also seems faintly superficial — a way of eliding distinctions and streamlining history.
  98. Out of the Past
    The style is still sharp and realistic, the dialogue still crackles with verbal sparks and the action is still crisp and muscular, not to mention slightly wanton in spots. But the pattern and purpose of it is beyond our pedestrian ken.
  99. Chain Reaction
    Unlike ''The Fugitive,'' which had tremendous dramatic urgency, this film isn't clear enough to build suspense that escalates from scene to scene...A lively look and some frantically inventive action scenes generate energy, even if the gimmicks do have an edge of desperation. Mr. Davis churns out vigorous excitement inside the working of a drawbridge, in a science museum, in a secret bunker and on a frozen lake.
  100. All Man: The International Male Story
    Admittedly, the film is more dutiful than artful, ticking one box after another, a tendency that is especially obvious when it ventures to the dark side of paradise (the ravages of AIDS on employees and customers, the lack of diversity among the catalog models).
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