Variety's Scores

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For 17,847 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 52% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 44% 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 IMAX: Hubble 3D
Lowest review score: 0 Divorce: The Musical
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9,172 out of 17847
  2. Mixed: 7,036 out of 17847
  3. Negative: 1,639 out of 17847
17847 movie reviews
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  1. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
    Certainly not a piffle, nor an impressive departure into a new filmmaking realm, Allen's second film in a row about crooks ranks in the middle range of his work.
  2. Happy Accidents
    A lighthearted yarn designed to stand out by virtue of its intricate structure and trippy time-travel element. But the fanciful material wears thin pretty quickly, the air leaking out of the balloon long before party's over.
  3. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
    This represents at least as much of an artistic setback for Smith as "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma" were advances.
  4. Bubble Boy
    Seems bent on creating equal-opportunity offense to many groups, but more often than not is appalling simply for its silliness and lack of comedic control.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Fighter
    A powerful, heartfelt and funny documentary that serves as a respectful nod to the aging generation of WWII survivors.
  6. Brooklyn Babylon
    A case of means exceeded by ambition.
  7. American Outlaws
    Sadly symbolizes the decline of the Western. The 36th bigscreen version of the exploits of the James-Younger Gang is one of the least convincing.
  8. Captain Corelli's Mandolin
    Strikes too many false notes on the dramatic side to add up to a satisfying emotional experience.
  9. Rat Race
    A lineup of comic actors running on empty long before the dust settles.
  10. Aberdeen
    A humanistic, warts-and-all battle of wills between a dissolute father and an emotionally ravaged daughter.
  11. Hamlet
    In one of the most accessible versions of Hamlet yet committed to film, Campbell Scott's self-helmed Great Dane is more than ever a man for our time.
  12. An American Rhapsody
    Calculated yet undeniably skillful melodrama.
  13. The Turandot Project
    A real-life inspirational comedy that should beguile viewers regardless of their operatic taste (or distaste).
  14. All Over the Guy
    Lightweight but likable romantic comedy about two mismatched gay singletons who are, of course, made for each other.
  15. American Pie 2
    A remarkably boring comedy.
  16. Session 9
    Little more than an overworked exercise in jostling red herrings, and not particularly fresh herrings at that.
  17. The Others
    A luxuriously old-fashioned star vehicle custom-fit to its topliner's strengths, which come across to sensational effect.
  18. Osmosis Jones
    The most extensive interplay of live action and animation since "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"
  19. The Deep End
    Taking film noir material and turning it inside out visually and morally, The Deep End is an absorbing, beautifully made melodrama that succeeds on formal levels more than it does with suspense or emotion.
  20. The Blackout
    Ferrara has made a film that's always visually arresting, but one that lacks emotional and dramatic sense -- a recurrent weakness in his work.
  21. Original Sin
    Lavish and florid, the corny venture falls into so-bad-it's-good territory.
  22. Thomas in Love
    A funny and original film set in a future when communications are even more refined than they are now.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Under solen
    A celebration of traditional, detailed filmmaking.
  24. The Princess Diaries
    Exudes a pre-fab quality.
  25. Rush Hour 2
    Superior sequel, which is the very model of the limber, transnational Hollywood action comedy.
  26. Apocalypse Now Redux
    If the original Apocalypse Now was a narrow, swiftly flowing river that gradually closed in on the patrol boat carrying Captain Willard into the heart of darkness, Apocalypse Now Redux is a wide river of greater depth, more variable currents and some fascinating new ports of call.
  27. Greenfingers
    This shameless knockoff marches lock-stepped through moves that were already looking as tired as the Macarena.
  28. The Monkey's Mask
    Builds and sustains considerable interest through its unexpected characterizations, unusual milieu and atmospheric style.
  29. Tokyo Eyes
    Brings nothing new to the table, and spends far too long making the audience think it will.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Fever Heat [re-release]
    Lacks the suspense, characterization and deft direction of the predecessor "Rififi."
  31. Planet of the Apes
    Largely listless and witless, this extensive reworking of the 1968 sci-fi favorite simply isn't very exciting or imaginative; most surprisingly, given the material, it's also Burton's most conventional and literal-minded film, the one most lacking in his trademark poetic weirdness and bracing flights of fancy.
  32. He liu
    The three principal actors fit their roles like gloves, and the handsome camerawork (by Liao Peng-jung) is a major asset. There's no music, just natural sounds on the track. Except for a shot in which the microphone boom is clearly visible, the film is highly professional in every aspect.
  33. Wet Hot American Summer
    Nearly half over before it finds a consistent groove, let alone a decent hit-to-miss joke ratio.
  34. Jackpot
    A candidate for quiet cult status.
  35. Reykjavík
    A funny, touching, off-the-wall relationer that's one of the freshest helming debuts in world cinema this year.
  36. America's Sweethearts
    Begins as a smartly promising, gently farcical comedy of manners and ends as sourly and haphazardly as the lives it is poking fun at.
  37. Brother
    The mix feels flat and the story remains a fairly banal account of underworld exploits whose emotional gears never fully engage.
  38. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
    Despite some imaginative packaging too often proves a drag in more than the sartorial sense. Taking Mitchell's sketchy book far too seriously, the movie grows leaden between its terrific songs.
  39. Ghost World
    By sharp turns poignant, disturbing and hysterically funny.
  40. Jurassic Park III
    Game ride that makes the two previous installments look like models of classic filmmaking.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Downtown 81
    Extraordinary real-life snapshot of hip, arty, clubland Manhattan in the post-punk era.
  42. Made
    Fitfully amusing and two leads generate engaging chemistry.
  43. Legally Blonde
    The mildly engaging silliness of its premise is never transformed into something more substantial, and the attempt at a fine-tuned "Clueless"-like tone is only sputteringly achieved.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    That Obscure Object of Desire
    A gem-like, almost hypnotic, tale of an older man's obsession with a young woman.
  45. Bully
    By turns turgid, embarrassing and plain off-putting.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Score
    Meticulously detailed thriller.
  47. Adanggaman
    Dramatically naive at times, but still represents a refreshingly ambitious, imaginative film in a period of creative underachievement for African cinema.
  48. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
    As computer game-derived features go, it sure beats "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider."
  49. Off the Hook
    Building blocks of tale are not new, but there's an appealingly rough-hewn and convincing tone to the proceedings.
  50. Kiss of the Dragon
    Slick, straight-ahead action-thriller that marks a small step back and two bounding leaps forward for toplined Jet Li.
  51. Lost and Delirious
    All the dramatic stops are pulled out as the script goes into serious literary overload.
  52. Jump Tomorrow
    Hopkins delivers a genuinely charming example through the generosity and affection with which he treats his characters, a racially and culturally mixed bunch that could have seemed schematic and forced.
  53. Cats & Dogs
    This comically intended battle of the species is family entertainment for families that will buy anything.
  54. Scary Movie 2
    Technically and comedically strained by the demands of its special effects-filled haunted house setting. Worse, the need to top the first pic's outlandish stunts is ghoulishly unfulfilled and terribly ironic.
  55. The Closet
    A clever premise that's good for many laughs.
  56. Pandaemonium
    Never quite dull, neither does it ever find a viable rhythm, narrative arc or crux of emotional engagement.
  57. The Crimson Rivers
    Adequately entertaining but not particularly memorable.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Quadrophenia (re-release)
    Sting, as the weekend super-Mod whose image collapses when he's revealed to work as a bellhop, cuts a slick dash in the dancehall sequences.
  59. Pootie Tang
    Has the distinction of being one of the most amateurish features ever released by a major studio.
  60. Crazy/Beautiful
    The significant potential of its premise is squandered by an increasing reliance on teen movie cliches, silly plotting and the urge to be upbeat rather than to communicate life lessons.
  61. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
    This is not "E.T.," nor is it a kid's film nor even necessarily a major mass-audience film, although Spielberg's name, high public anticipation and the child-oriented campaign will make it perform like one.
  62. Come Undone
    The elusive, quicksilver nature of young love is often reduced to crude simplicities by the movies, but director Sebastien Lifshitz and writing partner Stephane Bouquet have observed it with a superb balance of aesthetics and insight in Come Undone.
  63. Lumumba
    An impassioned, at times thrilling re-creation of the birth of the country that became Zaire and is now known as Congo again.
  64. Baby Boy
    Can be taken to task for its overt point-making, lackluster style and some late-on dramatic contrivances seemingly dragged in to provide a little violence.
  65. The Princess and the Warrior
    Eminently stylish, visually striking romantic thriller.
  66. Dr. Dolittle 2
    Even more family-friendly than its immensely popular predecessor.
  67. LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton
    The balance between feeling and distance is never a contradiction here but, rather, the dynamic that makes this film an especially humanistic entry in the Maysles canon.
  68. The Fast and the Furious
    A gritty and gratifying cheap thrill, Rob Cohen's high-octane hot-car meller is a true rarity these days, a really good exploitationer, the sort of thing that would rule at drive-ins if they still existed.
  69. Chain Camera
    Provides an intriguing, well-assembled snapshot of kids in the year 2000, bringing the portraits to an appealing conclusion by briefly revisiting each subject at the prom, graduation and then in sweet on-camera farewells.
  70. Saudate for the Future
    A breezy, good-humored love letter to the city itself.
  71. Down from the Mountain
    Before the music takes over, the film inserts a few bits of charm, such as Emmylou Harris excitedly following the latest Major League Baseball scores.
  72. Auggie Rose
    Unspectacular but quietly absorbing.
  73. Songcatcher
    Unfolds at a leisurely but enjoyable pace, its dramatic contrivances never pushed too hard.
  74. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
    Has the distinction of being a major motion picture that's far less imaginative, and quite a bit more stupid, than the interactive game it's based on.
  75. Russian Doll
    A romantic comedy that treads familiar "Green Card" terrain with considerable charm if no great style or originality.
  76. Sexy Beast
    Often enjoyable, massively uneven Brit ganglander with an almost surreal approach to the genre.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Let It Snow
    Smarter and more appealing than many other recent romantic comedies.
  78. Atlantis: The Lost Empire
    Recycles familiar adventure and cartoon devices with minimal wit and flair, and the lack of imagination will seem all the more dramatic to audiences in comparison to the winningly sophisticated "Shrek."
  79. Evolution
    A consistently amusing action romp.
  80. Bride of the Wind
    An odd case of filmmaking with a crystal-clear subject but no guiding dramatic premise.
  81. The Anniversary Party
    Too familiar in its basic trajectory to be fresh or compelling.
  82. Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?
    Pic's busy direction and bright performances partly compensate for a script that goes in too many directions at the same time.
  83. Erleuchtung garantiert
    Ochsenknecht and Wohler are a strong double act, displaying exemplary comic timing and making the brothers a problem-plagued but likable pair.
  84. Swordfish
    A half-absorbing, half-ridiculous techno-thriller that often goes too far in search of audience-rousing effects.
  85. Divided We Fall
    Confronts an incendiary topic head-on with grace, style, compassion and exquisitely practical wit.
  86. Rape Me
    This hard-core pic is a half-baked, punk-inflected porn odyssey masquerading as a movie worth seeing and talking about.
  87. The Animal
    A sweethearted trifle.
  88. What's the Worst That Could Happen?
    The star in this case is Martin Lawrence, who is not only thoroughly upstaged by nemesis Danny DeVito but is completely boxed out of his comfort zone for broad physical comedy.
  89. Barking Dogs Never Bite
    While the slender idea feels stretched at feature length and fails to brings its themes of societal chaos together in a fully cohesive way, the film is fresh and lively enough to score further festival bookings, particularly at events devoted to new talent.
  90. The Man Who Cried
    Sally Potter, who leapt to critical attention with her 1992 adaptation of Virginia Woolf's "Orlando" -- makes a serious misstep with The Man Who Cried.
  91. The Road Home
    Takes the simplest of stories and weaves a seductive, extremely moving portrait of a young woman’s unshakable love.
  92. Pearl Harbor
    Just compare their superficiality to the complex characters in "From Here to Eternity" and what's missing here becomes terribly clear.
  93. Fast Food Fast Women
    Boasts engaging characters, inventive situations and a series of satisfying punchlines that will send viewers out with a smile.
  94. Strange Fits of Passion
    Technically raw, and amusing only in hit-and-miss fashion, the no-budget independent production recalls too many other entries about erudite young adults wrestling with questions of love and sex.
  95. Angel Eyes
    Darts back and forth from being a psychological thriller to a vaguely metaphysical drama to a fate-driven romance -- it all becomes a blur.
  96. Moulin Rouge!
    A tour de force of artifice, a dazzling pastiche of musical and visual elements at the service of a blatantly artificial story.
  97. Shrek
    This spirited and often very funny lark accomplishes something that most films in the bygone Hollywood studio era used to do but is remarkably rare in today's world of niche markets: It offers entertainment equally to viewers from 4 to 104.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Performance
    Co-director Nicolas Roeg’s lensing is tricky, the characters gamey, the dialog dull, performances flat, impact none.
  99. Sordid Lives
    When Sordid Lives does what it does best -- showing Southern gals in the full flight of rabid self-denial -- it's as screamingly funny as this subgenre can get.
  100. Startup.com
    Topical film, which goes beyond its potentially dry diet of facts to incorporate the juicy human drama of Machiavellian manipulations, ambition, torn loyalties and crushing betrayal.
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