Variety's Scores

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For 17,782 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 2.4 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: 9,136 out of 17782
  2. Mixed: 7,010 out of 17782
  3. Negative: 1,636 out of 17782
17782 movie reviews
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  1. Imagine That
    An undemandingly pleasant, mildly amusing fantasy.
  2. Dead Snow
    The pic reveals itself as a horror-action-comedy a la "Evil Dead," with amusing twists of fate and over-the-top gore.
  3. The End of the Line
    In 82 minutes, Murray wrangles enough data to make his point that biology can't keep up with sophisticated fishing technologies and worldwide demand; attacks high-end restaurants such as Nobu for putting endangered species on the menu; praises Alaska as a paragon of responsible fishing.
  4. Afghan Star
    Not the slickest or most crowd-pleasing among many recent performance-competition docus, it's nonetheless absorbing for the light it casts on those many Afghanis who want an end to guns and fanaticism, and the return of a social liberalism.
  5. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
    With appreciably greater emphasis on action than its predecessors, and clever use of 3-D trickery to enhance storytelling as well as offer spectacle, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs could prove the third time really is the charm.
  6. Soul Power
    Joyously funky documentary.
  7. Somers Town
    Basically a comedy but with typically Meadowsian dark edges, it forms an affectionate tribute to cross-cultural friendship and the rapidly changing landscape known as Somers Town.
  8. Adam
    Emotionally potent performances, gently offbeat humor and writer-helmer Max Mayer's assured touch guide this tender New York love story to a quietly hopeful conclusion.
  9. The Collector
    With both feet planted firmly on the sticky accelerator of the torture-porn vehicle, The Collector is a surprisingly stylish and confident high-concept thriller.
  10. I Sell the Dead
    Antic horror comedy I Sell the Dead nods to the '60s Hammer heyday of fog-swirling Victorian chillers, as well as that period's penchant for teaming genre favorites (Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, Peter Lorre, etc.) in genial sendups.
  11. Grace
    In the showdown between mother and mother-in-law, the proceedings are peppered with spasm of violence that are alternately sick-funny and downright chilling, but don't cancel out the intelligence, or at least drollery, with which so much of the film is put together.
  12. Fifty Dead Men Walking
    A classic about the Irish "troubles." Despite the unavoidably convoluted facts of the real-life story, pic boasts plausibly written, solidly acted characters and a conflict that pushes the viewer's righteous-indignation buttons.
  13. Mystery Team
    A genuinely funny but amateurishly constructed laffer from Derrick Comedy, a troupe of YouTube-savvy NYU grads with promising writing careers ahead of them.
  14. The Open Road
    Boasting strong performances by Jeff Bridges and Justin Timberlake.
  15. The September Issue
    A dishy and engrossing peek inside the fashion world’s corridors of power -- every bit as slickly packaged as the publication it seeks to uncover.
  16. Carriers
    Carriers has moments of genuinely communicable horror.
  17. No Impact Man: The Documentary
    Goes down far easier than, say, an all-natural, fiber-enriched peanut butter sandwich without a glass of soy milk. It's that rare doc (these days) that could go theatrical, largely because it's a film about a couple, more than a movement.
  18. Splice
    Vincenzo Natali's outlandish sci-fier sustains a grotesque and funny fascination throughout its slightly protracted runtime.
  19. Disgrace
    Anchored by another marvelously quirky yet deadly serious performance from John Malkovich, and likely to be relished by the fan base of J.M. Coetzee's Booker Prize-winning novel, this is a strong, perceptive, old-school arthouse picture.
  20. Blind Date
    A sometimes hilarious, often wrenching pas de deux between actors Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson.
  21. The Yes Men Fix the World
    Finds its titular merry pranksters up to yet more capitalist-critiquing chicanery and fat-cat-fooling fun.
  22. The House of the Devil
    Call it the best '80s babysitter-in-peril movie never made. The House of the Devil delivers about as much as one could reasonably hope from the not-quite-alone-in-the-house category, with the bonus of authentically re-creating the low-budget look and feel of that era's classic horror entries.
  23. Defamation
    End result is at once intelligent, wry and -- there's no way around it -- quintessentially Jewish, in the best sense.
  24. The Sun
    As usual, Sokurov's unhurried pacing will test the patience of more fidgety viewers, although the script is more accessible than some of his recent efforts.
  25. The Vicious Kind
    Before it bogs down in one too many moments of cathartic reckoning, The Vicious Kind is an unpredictable, off-kilter and scabrously funny piece of work.
  26. The Karate Kid
    It's a sign of that pic's dramatic durability that "Kid" manages to be as absorbing as it is, despite its nearly 2½-hour running time.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Tooth Fairy
    Scores a goal for kids and adults alike.
  28. Off and Running
    What at first looks like a heartwarming portrait of a highly blended modern family turns into a no less engrossing illustration of that situation's possible pitfalls in Off and Running.
  29. The Crazies
    Delivers the essential suspense goods with overall skill and a modicum of intelligence.
  30. The Yellow Handkerchief
    A thoughtful, niche-oriented portrait of four off-the-beaten-path characters trying to find their way.
  31. Mother
    Key casting is aces, led by a deglammed Kim, forcefully low-key as the mother who seems capable of anything to protect her son.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Diary of a Wimpy Kid
    It's a spry, fluffy comedy.
  33. Greenberg
    As a study of stasis and of people conscious of not living the lives they had imagined for themselves, the picture offers a bracing undertow of seriousness beneath the deceptively casual, dramatically offhand surface.
  34. The Runaways
    A conventionally enjoyable making-and-breaking-of-the-band saga.
  35. Just a Kiss
    The helming debut of thesp Fisher Stevens, who mixes swell ensemble acting with eye-popping animation for a witch's brew of good sex, bad timing and very funny dialogue.
  36. Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV
    Any buyer who's had success with Troma fare in the past will find the makings to delight the self-selecting audience that generates grosses from gross-out humor.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Ambush
    Thoughtful and mostly very watchable picture, with its emphasis on how war dehumanizes the individual soldier.
  38. The Dish
    A feel-good comic ensembler that's hard to resist.
  39. Cowboys & Angels
    Pic drifts onto a familiar obstacle course for its wide-eyed hero, but displays a spirited, open-hearted goodness along the way. Combination of warmth, humor, danger and a cosmopolitan take on young, urban Eire sets pic distinctly apart.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Cinema Paradiso
    Tornatore is an able storyteller who knows the value of cute kids and easy emotion.
  41. Jing Ke ci Qin Wang
    A string of striking set pieces hung on a dramatically shaky clothesline.
  42. The Same River Twice
    Has the built-in curiosity value of watching real people evolve on camera -- a fascination increased by subjects' original, variably sustained commitment to countercultural ideals.
  43. Rare Birds
    Hurt is quietly affecting as Dave Purcell, a fine chef but a lousy businessman whose sticksville cafe, the Auk, is named after a rare, possibly extinct kind of duck.
  44. Taboo
    Walks the line between conviction and camp with a not entirely steady step.
  45. Marcel Proust's Time Regained
    Engrossing despite its chaotically fragmented form.
  46. Titan A.E.
    Despite occasional awkwardness in character motion, viewers will be swept away by the luxuriant creation of alternate universes.
  47. Murderous Maids
    Rigorous but creepy drama.
  48. Cradle Will Rock
    Succeeds far more often than not in delivering a credible, kaleidoscopic portrait of creative, and often famous, individuals.
  49. Divine Intervention
    Always imaginative, often arresting, but sometimes just too clever by half.
  50. Hell House
    Hell House is a slice of contempo life many viewers will find bizarre and disturbing, not necessarily in the precautionary-moral way its subjects intend. Briskly paced docu is well handled in tech departments.
  51. The Mystic Masseur
    Succeeds as light entertainment -- even if at the cost of the material's greater potential.
  52. That's My Face
    Harris effectively interweaves home movies of his 8th birthday party and his two-year stay in Tanzania into a mesmerizing autobiography.
  53. Gaza Strip
    Takes the viewer deep into the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the powerful immediacy of raw images, some of them very hard to look at.
  54. Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie
    Uses humor and high spirits to entertain while spreading the Good Word. Much of this slick and sprightly CGI feature is sufficiently funny to amuse even the most resolutely unreligious parents who escort their little ones to megaplex screenings.
  55. The Wild Thornberrys Movie
    Balances intelligent humor, slapstick, Blighty reserve and Yank spunk along with environmentalism.
  56. The Guys
    An adept if necessarily limited translation of uncinematic material, The Guys retains the potency of its stage original as a poignant, ingeniously simple tribute to firefighters lost in the World Trade Center disaster.
  57. The Trench
    Soberly and intelligently examines the fear, frustration, anxiety, animosity and boredom of waiting to advance into the terrifying other world that lies over the lip of the trenches.
  58. In Too Deep
    Formulaic but effectively gritty inner-city crime drama.
  59. Just Looking
    It goes down as easy as a cherry Coke.
  60. The Luzhin Defence
    A smoothly made period romancer that's elevated by strong playing from its whole cast, led by John Turturro and Emily Watson as the starstruck lovers.
  61. Fast Food Fast Women
    Boasts engaging characters, inventive situations and a series of satisfying punchlines that will send viewers out with a smile.
  62. The Best Man
    Overall, this smooth, glossy, enjoyable film showcases an impressive new authorial voice.
  63. In July
    Highly engaging, beautifully played romancer.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Ha-Hesder
    Emerges as an intelligent portrayal of the repercussions of single-minded religious fervor, and of the way the willingness to suffer for a cause does not necessarily translate into selfless acts.
  65. Scratch
    Works best as a straightforward appreciation of the music. Though docu's structure wears out full viewer interest after an hour or so, few will come away with staid prejudices (i.e. that turntablism isn't "real" musicianship) intact.
  66. Space Station 3D
    Like a really, really high-tech version of a high school class trip to the planetarium.
  67. Circuit
    All-encompassing drama.
  68. Secret Society
    Charmingly eccentric light comedy.
  69. The Emperor's New Clothes
    Pleasant rather than rollicking entertainment.
  70. Lovely & Amazing
    Engaging, intermittently insightful but too glib to wring full value out of its subject matter.
  71. Three to Tango
    A smart and sassy comedy with a playful sensibility and subtle sensitivity.
  72. Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams
    The moments of inspired originality are all too infrequent. There's enough eye candy and marvels on screen, however.
  73. Piglet's Big Movie
    Fine new chapter in the long-running franchise should score well with family audiences.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Let It Snow
    Smarter and more appealing than many other recent romantic comedies.
  75. Comedian
    Gains much greater texture from the intercutting between the two performers than had it remained simply a Seinfeld promotional project.
  76. Judy Berlin
    Numerous lovely, quirky moments.
  77. Restless
    A winning look at cross-cultural romance.
  78. Brigham City
    The happiest marriage yet of the disparate propagandistic and narrative influences inherent in the subgenre of "religious" cinema.
  79. Made
    Fitfully amusing and two leads generate engaging chemistry.
  80. The Strange Case of Señor Computer
    A retro sci-fi tale that takes its time stoking a low-key absurdism to high silliness. Initial slow going pays off in cumulative laughs.
  81. Baran
    A fine cast brings the believable, sometimes humorous characters to life and gradually draws the viewer into a well-crafted, well-paced story.
    • 41 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Money Buys Happiness
    Camera compositions are curious, even poorly framed at times, but helmer's gift is in directing actors and building scenes around physical actions, much like silent filmmakers.
  83. The Way Home
    Utterly unsentimental but profoundly moving,The Way Home" is a tiny gem from South Korea.
  84. The Three Marias
    Fresh and offbeat tale of vendetta.
  85. Autumn Tale
    A typically deftly layered meditation on men, women, friendship and the prospect of romance.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Elvira's Haunted Hills
    Must-see fare for fans of the bosomy camp horror queen.
  87. Shaft
    Samuel L. Jackson instantly takes the mantle from Mr. Shaft himself, Richard Roundtree, and runs with it on pure style and charisma.
  88. Family Fundamentals
    Docmeister Arthur Dong brings empathetic balance and emotional heft to the discord between fundamentalist Christian parents and their gay children.
  89. Sonny
    Besides "Midnight Cowboy" and "American Gigolo," there aren't many mainstream movies centered on straight male prostitutes. Sonny is a worthy, if indie-style, addition to the list.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Standing in the Shadows of Motown
    The film works on both a human-interest level -- focusing on the travails of the band members now finally receiving their well-earned due -- and as a slice of Motown's early history.
  91. Harrison's Flowers
    Provides powerful drama thanks to its trenchant core story and harrowing re-creation of the brutal chaos of war.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Pipe Dream
    Pic, which may be too cutesy for some tastes, is lacking in substance in some areas but it has a wonderfully nuanced, constantly surprising perf by Mary-Louise Parker, who elevates the intermittently charming insider spoof.
  93. The Banger Sisters
    Adult fans of good thesping in the service of a lightweight but thoroughly entertaining story should bask in the antics.
  94. The Trials of Henry Kissinger
    A chilling history lesson in realpolitik.
  95. Tattoo
    Slick, grisly and determinedly umbral, German cop thriller Tattoo is a largely effective "Se7en" wannabe that gradually develops its own character after an over-derivative start.
  96. Long Night's Journey Into Day
    Demonstrates the impossibility of separating the private from the public dimensions of politics, and the pain involved in trying to account for behavior that cannot withstand rational examination.
  97. Simpatico
    An unbeatable cast lends satisfying emotional texture.
  98. The Monkey's Mask
    Builds and sustains considerable interest through its unexpected characterizations, unusual milieu and atmospheric style.
  99. Dinner Rush
    "Big Night" meets "The Sopranos" in Dinner Rush.
  100. Maelstrom
    A film whose charms are odd and indefinable by design.
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