The New York Times' Scores

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For 20,280 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: 9,381 out of 20280
  2. Mixed: 8,435 out of 20280
  3. Negative: 2,464 out of 20280
20280 movie reviews
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  1. The Best Man
    Another demonstration that current movies about upscale black characters have much more traditional values than ones about catty white teen-agers.
  2. The Comfort of Strangers
    Mr. Schrader is a director of great rigor and discipline. The movie is fascinated by the baroque behavior it observes, but without imitating it.
  3. All I Can Say
    The movie will be most profitably consumed by fans — people who believe Hoon earned the tribute. While one does not want to be cruel, one is obliged to be frank.
  4. Rent-A-Pal
    Eventually the movie paints itself into a corner then sinks into grisly sludge. Stevenson’s technical skill can’t save him from a trite worldview.
  5. Rob Peace
    All told, the movie delivers a well-earned emotional gut punch that refreshingly does not come from perpetuating the physical and systemic violence it aims to shed light upon.
  6. Velvet Buzzsaw
    The confident storytelling and the bravura acting — Daveed Diggs, Toni Collette and John Malkovich contribute compelling caricatures — carry “Buzzsaw” all the way home.
  7. Dead Snow
    As is often the case with movies of this type, the real stars are the special-effects team, which does some admirably disgusting work.
  8. Notes on Marie Menken
    Notes on Marie Menken shines a quavering if welcome ray of light on a largely forgotten figure in the American avant-garde film scene of the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s.
  9. FrackNation
    More than anything, FrackNation underscores the sheer complexity of a process that offers a financial lifeline to struggling farmers.
  10. Antarctica: Ice and Sky
    The movie is both heady (there are real thrills in the stories of exploration) and sobering (Mr. Lorius’s findings are convincing). This is a cogent, accessible cinematic delineation of an increasingly crucial problem.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Swiss Family Robinson
    The Robinsons, their island and Mr. Disney have made a real Christmas contribution for any family.
  12. When You Finish Saving the World
    Eisenberg has already proven himself a smart wordsmith and a knowing performer of emotional unease, but this “World” is a disappointingly shallow tale of narcissism and negligence.
  13. Dogville
    While you watch the movie, it can seem ridiculously long-winded. But once it's over, its characters' miserable faces remain etched in your memory, and its cynical message lingers.
  14. Scream VI
    It’s tricky business balancing disturbing terror and jokey film criticism, and while this sequel occasionally pulls it off, the weight of obligations to the dictates of the franchise ultimately drags it down.
  15. At Any Price
    If At Any Price overstates its points, they are still worth making. And the hot-wired performances by Mr. Quaid and Mr. Efron drive them home in a movie that sticks to your ribs and stays in your head.
  16. The War Within
    The War Within succeeds only as a thriller with some wartime overtones, rather than as a character study that thrills.
  17. The Bourne Legacy
    By the time Rachel Weisz, as a scientist called Dr. Marta Shearing, showed up in a lab coat, I stopped trying to parse every plot twist and just went with the action flow.
  18. Elysium
    Mr. Damon’s performance helps keep the movie from sinking under the weight of its artfully constructed horrors.
  19. Boynton Beach Club
    Smoothly balancing comedy and pathos, it infuses the fantasy with enough credibility to make you care about these people and wish them merrily on their way.
  20. American Blackout
    Though occasionally inflammatory -- one interviewee talks about being "slingshotted into slavery" -- American Blackout isn’t a conspiracy rant. It's a methodical compilation of questions and irregularities that deserves a wider audience.
  21. The Universe of Keith Haring
    A loving if routine primer on this bright young man.
  22. The Lair of the White Worm
    Not a worm is left unturned in Ken Russell's buoyant, mischievous and predictably overwrought new film.
  23. Divinity
    A misbegotten blend of the futuristic and the antiquated, “Divinity” is an unintentionally comical sci-fi diatribe obsessed with beautiful bodies, bickering brothers and biblical symbolism.
  24. Cyrano, My Love
    As the camera circles swirling skirts and sweeps through elegant cafes, the director, Alexis Michalik, whisks up a whirlwind of soapy declarations and backstage chaos. For many viewers, that will be enough, with enjoyment in direct proportion to tolerance for theatrical farce and hyper-romantic dialogue — and a lead character who is less engaging than either.
  25. Sixteen Candles
    The movie is cheerful and light, showcasing Mr. Hughes's knack for remembering all those aspects of middle-class American adolescent behavior that anyone else might want to forget.
  26. The Machinist
    May be an expertly manipulated exercise in psychological horror, but that's all it is. Don't look for the kind of metaphoric weight you'd find in a movie by David Lynch or David Fincher.
  27. Biloxi Blues
    Biloxi Blues, carefully adapted and reshaped by Mr. Simon, is a very classy movie, directed and toned up by Mike Nichols so there's not an ounce of fat in it.
  28. The Last Gladiators
    [Mr. Gibney] scales down his approach considerably here, generally for the better, rather than extrapolate a theory of violence and everything.
  29. Difret
    Shot in sunny locales, Difret has an earnestness that hovers between plain-spoken and pedestrian, and there are scenes and sequences that just don’t come together as written and edited, no matter how admirable the film’s existence is.
  30. The Monster Squad
    A silly attempt to crossbreed an Our Gang comedy with a classic horror film, which usually means that both genres have reached the end of the line.
  31. Masai: The Rain Warriors
    Not as morose as it sounds, the film also features playful humor and steady promises of hope. And the boys, like the film, come off as very human: flawed, frequently awkward, but full of goodness at the core.
  32. Keeper of the Flame
    A courageous and timely drama which touches frankly upon a phase of American life that is most serious and pertinent today. And in it Mr. Tracy and Miss Hepburn perform with a taut solemnity that is in decided contrast to their previous collaborative roles.
  33. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
    Whether it’s the scene-setting blast of Donovan (“Zodiac”), the low-height Steadicam work (“The Shining”), the red-suffused hallways (David Lynch) or “Night of the Living Dead” playing at a drive-in, the movie takes from the best.
  34. The Wolverine
    A modest superhero picture may sound like a contradiction in terms, but really it is a welcome respite.
  35. Sicario: Day of the Soldado
    Dumber, less inventive and not as pretentious as “Sicario” (released in 2015, directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Mr. Sheridan), it both advances and retreats, expanding on the original and narrowing its scope.
  36. The Karate Kid
    Is this Karate Kid as good as the original? No, although it is better than the sequels. But why bother with nostalgia? It’s probably good enough.
  37. Saltburn
    Saltburn is the sort of embarrassment you’ll put up with for 75 minutes. But not for 127. It’s too desperate, too confused, too pleased with its petty shocks to rile anything you’d recognize as genuine excitement.
  38. An Amazing Couple
    Some of the scenes are like mislaid puzzle pieces, and they snap into place only when all three movies have been seen and absorbed. This makes watching any one of the episodes both more interesting and more frustrating than it might otherwise be, since a portion of dramatic satisfaction is always withheld.
  39. Cube
    Cube, the story in question, proves surprisingly gripping, in the best ''Twilight Zone'' tradition.
  40. The Taking of Tiger Mountain
    The movie has a nationalistic, didactic flavor and a tiresome devotion to spectacle. Even the climax is staged two ways.
  41. Paris Blues
    Paris Blues is a small movie with large ambitions.
  42. Brain Damage
    Written and directed by Frank Henenlotter, this oozer specializes in unspecial effects and unspeakable acting. Strictly for the brain damaged.
  43. Dream Team
    Nothing about Dream Team is very serious, and it would be a waste of time to force meaning onto it. But that’s not a mistake; it’s the whole idea.
  44. Emmanuel's Gift
    Sadly, Emmanuel's Gift is a powerful story of political change almost smothered by contrivance.
  45. Mo' Better Blues
    From characters to camera angles, this story of a self-absorbed jazz trumpeter is one long cliche, the kind that might make his most loyal admirers wince and wonder, Spike, what happened?
  46. Come Undone
    Like Mr. Soldini's last film, "Days and Clouds," a calm, very sad examination of the effects of a husband's sudden job loss on an affluent couple's relationship and social life, Come Undone is solidly grounded in mundane reality. If the movie tells an old story, its unvarnished realism lends it poignancy and depth.
  47. Question One
    Some viewers will be frustrated by the film's determination to be evenhanded, but with this same battle likely to be fought repeatedly in the coming years (the issue is again on the 2012 Maine ballot), Question One stands as a pretty good primer in how referendums are won and lost.
  48. Evil Under the Sun
    Evil Under the Sun, the latest Agatha Christie whodunit to be given the all-star screen treatment, has nothing but style, but its style goes a long way.
  49. Cahill U.S. Marshal
    Cahill, United States Marshal was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and written by Harry Julian Fink and Rita M. Fink. Perhaps recognizing the new limitations of their star, they spend a good deal of time trying to turn a conventional Western into a children-in-peril movie.
  50. Hilma
    Hallstrom wins the audience back with his sincere connection to af Klint, played in her bullheaded youth by his daughter, Tora Hallstrom, and in her muttering years by his wife, Lena Olin.
  51. Shooting the Mafia
    Idiosyncratic to the point of alienation.
  52. Bad Trip
    However effortful, the movie’s tricks are more likely to activate your gorge than your funny bone.
  53. The Thursday Murder Club
    Aiding their investigations is an underappreciated policewoman appealingly played by Naomi Ackie. The proceedings are marshaled with affection by the director Chris Columbus.
  54. Murph: The Protector
    Murph: The Protector reminds us of the valor expended on distant front lines and the holes left at home.
  55. Butter on the Latch
    Butter on the Latch thrives on its casually true snapshots of confusion and connection.
  56. Past Life
    Past Life is a page-turner that transforms into a clarion call: always compelling, but slightly stifled by noble intentions.
  57. Footnotes
    The songs are unmemorable and the choreography less than twinkle-toed, but the lyrics are a delight.
  58. Kingsman: The Secret Service
    The problem is that Mr. Vaughn has no interest in, or perhaps understanding of, violence as a cinematic tool. He doesn’t use violence; he squanders it.
  59. The Pod Generation
    While its heady themes yield commentary that is ultimately just a tad thin, Barthes’s satire is best enjoyed the way it’s made — without taking itself too seriously.
  60. Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
    Like other big-studio exercises in pseudo-subversion (very much including “Deadpool”), Birds of Prey is happy to play at provocation with swear words and violence while carefully declining to provoke anything like a thought.
  61. Otelo Burning
    Ms. Blecher draws fine performances out of the young actors and, to her credit, sugarcoats nothing.
  62. Without a Trace
    Taken on its own terms, Without a Trace is a reasonably well made film, and it's certainly slick enough to hold an audience's attention. But its own terms are very, very limited.
  63. The Legend of Molly Johnson
    It’s an earnest film, one that glows with pride at Aboriginal resilience. But the impression it leaves is didactic, a saints and demons fable that meanders to foregone conclusions.
  64. Kevin Hart: What Now?
    The movie is a good representation of Mr. Hart’s comedy, but not a perfect one.
  65. Swing Shift
    Mr Demme has a special talent for locating the humor and pathos within the commonplace experiences of American life.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Watermelon Man
    Watermelon Man demands complete surrender and gives absolutely nothing in return except embarrassment.
  67. The Killer
    The direction is energetic, incorporating frantic flashbacks and resourceful split-screen perspectives, and the plot adds several new twists not found in the first movie. Rest assured, this may be a remake, but it’s not a retread.
  68. This Boy's Life
    The film recreates Toby and Caroline's aimlessness, but without appearing to understand it enough to make it as moving and important as it ought to be.
  69. Saturday Night
    Saturday Night is a movie made by fans, but because Reitman assumes that his viewers are fans, too, and because he’s racing against the clock, he gestures at instead of digging into the show, its humor and history.
  70. Funny People
    There’s something irritatingly self-satisfied about Funny People, which explains why, though it glances on the perils of fame, it mostly affirms its pleasures.
  71. Absolute Beginners
    Looking through these layers of time, this flashy, extravagant rock musical, which opens today at the Ziegfeld, elevates style to a symptom and cause of social change. And though it aims for more coherence than it delivers, it has endless flair with no self-importance...For all its unevenness, Absolute Beginners is high pop culture.
  72. Midnight Lace
    It's always nice to have a mystery melodrama, no matter how implausible it may be, that takes place amid elegant surroundings and involves people who are beautiful and rich. It makes one feel so luxurious to be there with the diamonds and champagne, enjoying the heat on the rich folks and knowing that you are not going to be burned.
  73. The Horn Blows at Midnight
    The script is neither satire nor good, fresh, fanciful corn. It is a batch of old-fashioned nonsense put together without distinct charm.
  74. The Light Between Oceans
    As a drama about adult responsibility, selfishness and moral obligations, however, it never wavers in its commitment to examine what it means to raise a child.
  75. Videocracy
    Given the stakes, it’s hard not to wish that Mr. Gandini had been more ambitious: at 85 minutes, Videocracy can only scratch the surface. Even so, after watching it, you realize that even a cursory look at Mr. Berlusconi is crucial to understanding an age in which celebrity is now the coin of the realm.
  76. The Good Son: The Life of Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini
    Jesse James Miller’s moving documentary “The Good Son” is like a brisk novel with a bigger-than-life protagonist.
  77. Bad Hair
    Despite the potentially heavy (or heavy-handed) material, Bad Hair is self-consciously and pleasingly campy, and it delivers a new cinematic monster: the sew-in weave.
  78. The Portrait of a Lady
    Brilliantly eccentric even when it yields mixed results.
  79. The Man Who Invented Christmas
    Brightly lit and anchored by Mr. Stevens’s infectious, live-wire performance, the film, directed by Bharat Nalluri (“Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day”), nevertheless proceeds like a television holiday special, designed to distract children while winking at their parents.
  80. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
    Any movie that Jacqueline Susann thinks would damage her reputation as a writer cannot be all bad. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls isn't—which is not to say it is any good.
  81. Good Neighbors
    Swerving from bland to brutal, endearingly coy to shockingly explicit, the Canadian import Good Neighbors finds pitch-black comedy among white-bread lives.
  82. Like Me
    With little more than the superficial psychology of shallow characters to guide the movie’s squeamish images, Like Me irritates, but it proves unable to provoke more than mild gut reactions.
  83. Ultimate X: The Movie
    This compilation of blisteringly tight stunts plays like the world's longest Mountain Dew commercial.
  84. The Emperor's New Clothes
    Although there's plenty of opportunity for low comedy in the notion of an emperor and an oaf exchanging roles, The Emperor's New Clothes, much to its detriment, doesn't pursue them.
  85. Pandaemonium
    Literate and handsome.
  86. Katakuri-ke no kôfuku
    It's all very zany. Occasionally it is even madcap. You would almost be tempted to smile at times, albeit weakly, if it weren't for Mr. Miike's habit of pounding home every joke with exaggerated reaction shots.
  87. Tab Hunter Confidential
    Jeffrey Schwarz’s documentary portrait Tab Hunter Confidential is as mild-mannered and blandly likable as its subject.
  88. Dragged Across Concrete
    The movie is generally watchable, even at its slowest and ugliest, simply because the actors are solid even when their characters are repellent.
  89. Walking Tall
    Valiant Southern sheriff. Effective, unsurprising.
  90. Stay Hungry
    Stay Hungry, the new film directed by Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens), isn't all bad. It just seems that way when it pretends to be more eccentric than it is and to have more on its mind than it actually does.
  91. Anchors Aweigh
    For a popular entertainment, Anchors Aweigh is hard to beat. The proof is that it pleases both the pro and con Sinatra-ites.
  92. The Lost City
    While “Raiders” transcends its inspirations with wit and Steven Spielberg’s filmmaking and “Romancing” tries hard to do the same, The Lost City remains a copy of a copy.
  93. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
    Mr. Alfredson directed the second movie as well, and his work is again essentially functional, limited to clumsy action sequences and television-ready conversations. He doesn't prettify the violence in either movie, which might be unintentional but makes them feel more honest than the first did.
  94. The X Files
    Though both stars are sometimes eclipsed when the film strains for big action episodes, Mr. Duchovny sustains enough cool, deadpan intellect and suppressed passion to give the story a center. Ms. Armstrong has the harsher, more restrictive role, but she plays it with familiar hardboiled glamour.
  95. What We Become
    What We Become is a very pretty movie with a very dark heart. The payoff is brutal, but earned.
  96. Boys on the Side
    What matters more is that Ms. Goldberg, along with her co-stars Mary-Louise Parker and Drew Barrymore, is so sharp, funny and wholehearted that this film creates an unexpected groundswell of real emotion.
  97. Following
    The usual elements of scheming and deception are well represented here, but they are made all the knottier by shifting time frames.
  98. Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles
    Though their quarry eventually appears to be a model of paranoia and prejudice, it's the thrill of the hunt that keeps Resurrect Dead compelling.
  99. The Commune
    Tobias Lindholm’s screenplay sacrifices credibility for quirkiness.
  100. Yang Ban Xi: The 8 Modelworks
    The director Yan-Ting Yuen revisits the country's recent past to explore the history and legacy of one of the strangest byproducts of totalitarian madness: the revolutionary spectacular.
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