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. Hollywood Buddha
    A refreshingly unpretentious cocktail of karmic serendipity and a tongue-in-cheek look at Hollywood values vs. ecumenical verities.
  2. AmnesiA
    The brooding, well-constructed drama gets considerable mileage out of the schizoid twin dynamic.
  3. Straight-Jacket
    A fey and frisky farce with a fabulous fashion sense, Straight-Jacket artfully balances broadly campy humor and ironically overplayed soap opera.
  4. Loners
    Dryly funny and benevolently shrewd.
  5. Alila
    An ensemble drama laced with lighter moments that depicts the vitality, resilience and moral dilemmas of the people of Tel Aviv, the film is absorbing and at times moving.
  6. The Hunter and the Hunted
    A leisurely and lovingly observed character study about a detective, his home life, and a crook who plays cat-burglar-and-mouse with the cop.
  7. Unscrewed
    An often genuinely funny mockumentary.
  8. With Friends Like These...
    The perennially insecure world of two-bit character actors is humorously and knowingly explored in With Friends Like These.
  9. Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating
    This amusingly light (but oh-so-gut-busting) reverie on one man's titanic efforts to rise to the top ranks in the very unofficial sport of competitive scarfing goes down quickly as a good example of documaking on freakish behavior and freakier subcultures.
  10. Sheriff
    Equal parts colorful character study and real-world procedural, docu by Daniel Kraus retains interest throughout, even if it delivers just partial insight into the man, job and milieu.
  11. 16 Years of Alcohol
    The highly directed film adopts a semi-impressionistic approach more European than British in flavor, aided by a terrific central performance by Kevin McKidd and painterly lensing by John Rhodes.
  12. Odessa... Odessa!
    Glacial in its pacing but beautifully, mournfully evocative of its subjects' ethnic/psychic exile.
    • 32 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A Hole in My Heart
    Dark, provocative and disturbing, the new film by Lukas Moodysson is definitely not for all tastes but solidifies his standing as the most interesting director working in Scandinavia today.
  14. Voices in Wartime
    A history of verse is laid alongside that of warfare, and the ways in which they are braided together proves fascinating.
  15. Winning Girls Through Psychic Mind Control
    Track record of helmer Barry Alexander Brown, and scads of clever writing from scripting producer Dan Harnden, should help this little gem find a home, although it is probably too intimate and original to win more than a cult following.
  16. March of the Penguins
    Sometimes harrowing, sometimes hokey, sometimes heartwarming nature documentary.
  17. A Decent Factory
    Fascinating case study of the moral quagmire of globalism.
  18. A Sidewalk Astronomer
    Entertaining, painlessly educational documentary.
  19. Call Me Malcolm
    Co-produced by the subject's church, this fine feature takes its cue from Malcolm's personality, treating material in a refreshingly earnest, straightforward terms sans flash or preachiness.
  20. Mind Game
    Brain-teasing, wildly unpredictable animated feature.
  21. Hard Goodbyes: My Father
    An involving family drama about a young boy's dreams and personal loss, Hard Goodbyes: My Father brings a light touch -- and a full measure of unaffected charm -- to potentially downbeat material.
  22. Santo Domingo Blues
    Alternating between New York clubs by night and the colorful streets and countryside of Santa Domingo by day, pic captures the spirit of the music and the nation that gave birth to it.
  23. Naked in Ashes
    A respectful, illuminating appreciation of a few of the estimated 13 million yogis in India.
  24. little man
    Pic can be taken as either inspirational or cautionary, but either way rivets attention on the efforts of both medical science and Conn herself to keep the little guy alive.
  25. Isn't This a Time! A Tribute Concert for Harold Leventhal
    Timely and entertaining concert documentary.
  26. The Grace Lee Project
    Trivial-sounding hook manages to float a funny but complex meditation on identity, ethnicity and cultural expectations that should be as accessible to teens as adults.
  27. El carro
    Winning, consistently funny comedy, with lively script by veteran Colombian producer/scribe Dago Garcia ("Maximum Penalty"), The Car is driven by unusually sharp helming from newcomer Luis Orjuela, and a dynamite ensemble cast.
  28. I Am Taraneh, I Am Fifteen Years Old
    An appealing film thanks to its irresistible teenage heroine, I, Taraneh, Am Fifteen delivers the message that there's a new generation of strong-minded femmes out there who aren't afraid of bucking social norms.
  29. State of Fear
    So strong are the perceived parallels between the Peruvian situation described in State of Fear and the sociopolitical dynamics of the current U.S. war on terror that filmmakers have trouble, in post-screening Q&As, returning the discussion to the historical subject at hand.
  30. The Real Dirt on Farmer John
    Examines 50-odd years in the life of its eponymous subject -- a most compelling character -- and in doing so literally provides the viewer with food for thought.
  31. Cowboy del Amor
    Richly amusing and sporadically insightful as it offers an up-close-and-personal view of Ivan Thompson, a self-proclaimed "cowboy cupid" who plays matchmaker between American men and Mexican women.
  32. Al otro lado
    Viewers unaware of the music --hugely popular among Mexicans -- and the often intensely nationalist sentiments behind it, may blanch at the open chauvinism and celebration of outlaw lifestyles. But part of the pic's strength is its presenting the cultural strain as it is, without comment.
  33. Doing Time for Patsy Cline
    Overall the charm of the film works its spell, and director Kennedy shows confidence in juggling understated comedy and gently sentimental drama.
  34. The Beautiful City
    Fascinating glimpse into wholly different body of laws, engrossingly evolving script and standout performances.
  35. Beyond Honor
    Though it can't hide occasionally crude dramatics, pic is an undeniably bold and daring tragedy.
  36. Drawing Restraint 9
    A tapestry of sensuous, striking and sometimes disturbing imagery, Drawing Restraint 9 marks the latest cinematic visit to the wacky world of experimental artist Matthew Barney.
  37. 95 Miles to Go
    An engaging crazy-quit of comedy.
  38. Sisters in Law
    Documentary has the fascination of watching an African "Judge Judy" with a more important case load. It also offers the satisfaction of seeing the law being used to change patterns of social injustice.
  39. The Outsider
    Jarecki has produced more of a Friar's Club roast than a document, with the negative aspects of the subject made funny, and the positive inflated.
  40. Stolen
    A documentay that should appeal not just to the legion of Vermeer fans, but to lovers of good mystery.
  41. Havana Suite
    The surprisingly watchable delight strikes universal chords.
  42. Light from the East
    Generates genuine suspense as it follows a group of American actors in the former Soviet Union during a fateful period of the Perestroika era.
  43. Sto je muskarac bez brkova?
    Director Hrvoje Hribar gives a lively professional look to this good-humored film.
  44. Room
    A perceptive, unsettling psychodrama marking the assured feature writing and directing debut of shorts filmmaker Kyle Henry.
  45. Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela
    A quasi-docu about the formative years of the African National Congress that relies heavily on handsomely-mounted dramatic recreations to tell its story.
  46. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
    A star-loaded, Gotham-set relationships movie that's generally good but works better in bits than as a whole.
  47. King Leopold's Ghost
    Ghost throws its most powerful punch in its second half, reporting on contempo events as a direct repeat of the ghastly Leopold era.
  48. A Cantor's Tale
    Delightful documentary A Cantor's Tale casts a fond eye back at the "golden age" of chazzanut (Jewish liturgical music) and its star performers in the Brooklyn of yesteryear.
  49. Vajra Sky Over Tibet
    An illuminating meditation on that deepest of Buddhist philosophical concerns -- impermanence. Study of a threatened culture and people is beautifully shot inside Tibet's most sacred sites and arrives with the blessing of the Dalai Lama.
  50. Exit: The Right to Die
    Pic's quiet lucidity and matter-of-fact procedurals pack a cumulative emotional punch.
  51. Romántico
    Engrossing pic is impressively shot, edited and scored.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Great Warming
    A more diffuse and prettier case for global calamity that accents the positive and stresses the possibility of reversing the planet's headlong rush to extinction.
  53. En soap
    Casts an entrancing spell thanks to understated perfs by leads and Christensen's featherlight touch with Kim Fupz Aakeson's screenplay.
  54. Encounter Point
    Picture offers unique glimpses into the hearts and minds of those who have turned reasons for hatred into a crusade for tolerance, braving the scorn of enemies and compatriots alike.
  55. Hermanas
    A solidly-built but somewhat airless debut from the assistant director of "The Motorcycle Diaries."
  56. Family Law
    A deft, witty and emotionally rewarding study of a thirtysomething man in his roles as father and son.
  57. Matthew Barney: No Restraint
    Whatever audiences might have wanted to know about sculptor-filmmaker Matthew Barney but were too embarrassed to ask is revealed in accessible documentary Matthew Barney: No Restraint.
  58. Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story
    Looks, sounds and fascinates like an exceptional episode of a true-crime TV series.
  59. China Blue
    Bleakly Dickensian as all this sounds, much of China Blue is charming, because its subjects are.
  60. Room 314
    Pic feels like a cross between an anthology of ambiguous short stories and a string of acting-class exercises. Thesping is first-rate across the board.
  61. Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?
    Although the outcome is public record, picture is undeniably gripping as it reveals a distressing degree of voter complacency.
  62. The Decomposition of the Soul
    A thorny subject is handled with care in this meticulous reconstruction of life inside the East German police state, as boiled down to the experiences of just two ex-inmates -- one man and one woman --- of a notorious Stasi prison. Overall effect is poetically thought-provoking, not depressing.
  63. Notes on Marie Menken
    Handsome tribute is paid to the eponymous experimental filmmaker in Notes on Marie Menken, the fourth feature by Austrian docu helmer Martina Kudlacek, who previously made "In the Mirror of Maya Deren."
  64. Cocaine Angel
    Pitch-perfect central perf (by scribe and co-producer Damian Lahey), total lack of dramatic artifice and surreally situational humor make for a minor-key vignette of unmistakable, if unstable, authenticity.
  65. The Border Post
    A flashback to the playfully tender East Euro cinema of yore with a forceful if predictable punch in the closing reel, Rajko Grlic's Border Post marks a virile comeback for the Croatian veteran after his weak-kneed "Josephine."
  66. Blockade
    Told without voiceover, explanatory subtitles or any other contextualizing material, Russian docu Blockade looks unlikely to show up on the History Channel as it stands now. Nevertheless, this absorbing account of the 900-day siege of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) during WWII, told entirely through re-edited archive footage with freshly made sound, reps poignant viewing as it focuses on the daily lives of the city's inhabitants.
  67. Words of My Perfect Teacher
    Thoughtful, surprisingly fast-moving documentary.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Surviving Picasso
    Latest Merchant Ivory production (produced with David Wolper) is a winner in spite of relatively modern look to the film.
  69. Stephanie Daley
    A taut, provocative, sometimes overreaching but always absorbing thriller.
  70. Severance
    Escalating blend of black humor and grisly goings-on in the wilds of Hungary fully delivers in its latter half.
  71. Diggers
    Basically "Diner" in wading boots, it feels very familiar in conceit and unadventurous in execution, but offers the undeniable pleasures of a well-observed, well-played modest seriocomedy.
  72. The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez
    Sensitively and methodically tells the story of the first U.S. soldier killed in the 2003 Iraq invasion.
  73. Disappearances
    A frequently mesmerizing if exceedingly strange coming-of-age odyssey.
  74. Inlaws & Outlaws
    Lovingly rendered talking-heads effort puts emphasis on basic tenets on basic human connection, not on sexual orientation or social attitudes.
  75. Provoked: A True Story
    Mixed Indian and Western cast --turn the true story of a case that changed British law into an old-style melodrama (in the best sense) complete with a feel-good ending.
  76. Brand Upon the Brain!
    Billed as a silent film, Guy Maddin's Brand Upon the Brain! is actually closer to a live theatrical event -- a feature-length motion picture screened with the accompaniment of a live orchestra, plus Foley artists, sound effects technicians and assorted vocalists, too. Together, they provide the elaborate soundscape for a typically frenetic, Maddin-esque amalgam of the autobiographical, Freudian and willfully absurd.
  77. Duck
    A small, affecting road movie peopled with sharp vignettes.
  78. The Wendell Baker Story
    A loose-knit, character-driven comedy that percolates with good-vibe amusement, often earning industrial-strength guffaws with sneaky one-liners and tossed-off non-sequiturs.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Trust
    Long Island filmaker Hal Hartley progresses from his debut feature, The Unbelievable Truth to this bleak, off-center comedy about dysfunctional families in working class suburbia.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Memories of Tomorrow
    Pulses with firm conviction and gentle sincerity. For Western audiences, opening reels may seem a tad melodramatic, but by journey's end there won't be a dry eye in the house.
  81. Flirt
    Slight but sleek, Flirt is still fun.
  82. The Boss of It All
    For all its slightness, pic is helmer's least pretentious and most sheerly enjoyable for years.
  83. Steel City
    Its honest, unshowy performances and textured depiction of life in a working-class community in a nowhere Southern Illinois town make this modest indie feature an affecting experience.
  84. White Palms
    An uncommonly resonant sports drama in which a talented yet troubled gymnast comes to terms with a turbulent past.
  85. Longing
    Big emotional themes come hidden in a deceptively small package in Longing, a mightily impressive feature debut by German writer-director Valeska Grisebach.
  86. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox
    Tyro helmer Sara Lamm satisfyingly stitches together the family soap opera into a comfortable crazy quilt without sacrificing its unique, oddly topical edge.
  87. The Method
    Smartly and seamlessly blending a cast of talented Argentine and Spanish thesps, Pineyro seems to be testing how much cinema he can derive from a restricted space.
  88. Drama/Mex
    An unerring compositional eye plus firm control of an inventive structure keep Drama/Mex well within the attention span, even when the script wanders without seeming to know why.
  89. Your Mommy Kills Animals
    There are no good guys or bad guys in this propulsive film, but there's enough in the way of odd characters and bad behavior to amuse and inform auds who only marginally care about the content.
  90. The Sugar Curtain
    Those on both sides of the great Cuba divide should find food for thought in these sober, realistic reflections.
  91. Chak De India!
    Shaky handheld lensing, terrific cutting and uplifting music build to a grandstand finish in which the main characters are bound tightly into the physical drama. It ain't subtle, but it packs a punch at a simple emotional level.
  92. Crossing the Line
    Film's rarity value and still-hot subject matter make this required viewing.
  93. Zebraman
    The special effects are quality fun, the humor only a little Japanese, and the story boasts the offbeat genre twists Miike lovers clamber for.
  94. In Paris
    Inside Paris is that rarity, a genuinely honest, unpretentious and delightful, small film, alternately sober and effervescent, steering clear of either heavy-going philosophizing or dreaded whimsy.
  95. Primo Levi's Journey
    Sensitive, sobering, and tinged with respectful melancholy, Primo Levi's Journey retraces the enforced peregrinations of the great Italian chemist following his release from Auschwitz.
  96. Exiled
    Cast of regulars blends like those in a late-on Howard Hawks' movie.
  97. Self Medicated
    Searing portrait of an out-of-control youth who winds up in a decidedly shady rehab center has more than its share of teen-angst cliches but still makes a surprisingly trenchant tearjerker, thanks to strong acting from all quarters and an especially blistering perf from Lapica.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Milarepa
    Buddhist legend brings warnings of bad karma in Milarepa, a worthy and engaging period pic from Bhutan.
  99. Great World of Sound
    Blessed with a witty script (by Zobel and co-writer George Smith), a talented ensemble of little-known character actors and a Meredith Willson-like feel for just-plain-folks Americans, this is a low-key but enormously charming picture.
  100. The Price of Sugar
    A solid and affecting piece of work.
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