Variety's Scores

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For 17,791 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: 9,139 out of 17791
  2. Mixed: 7,015 out of 17791
  3. Negative: 1,637 out of 17791
17791 movie reviews
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  1. The Grand
    Safer, more conventional and closer to broad TV sketch humor than Christopher Guest's comedies of manners, The Grand never quite recoups in laughs what it loses in spontaneity.
  2. The Hammer
    This inordinately likable and consistently funny boxing saga-cum-romantic comedy doesn't so much ridicule the "Rocky"-type inspirational sports fable as gently deflate its heroic overdrive.
  3. Meet the Browns
    Often plays more like "Tyler Perry's Greatest Hits" as it recycles various elements from the writer-director's earlier works.
  4. Body of War
    By documenting the difficult life of their paraplegic subject, helmers Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue succeed in personalizing some of the war's grim statistics, but the purview of their portrait feels too limited for the pic to play widely.
  5. Pathology
    Like its characters, the picture is too clever for its own good, allowing the meticulously researched scenario to be undone by implausible behavior and gaping plot holes.
  6. Chaos Theory
    The lead performers, the brighter fillips in Daniel Taplitz’s screenplay and Marcos Siega’s (“Pretty Persuasion”) assured direction make this a pleasing item overall.
  7. Rogue
    A competent horror yarn filmed in eye-catching Aussie outback locations.
  8. Mister Lonely
    Less outre than "Gummo" and "Julien Donkey-Boy," Korine's most lavishly produced pic to date begins as a sweet-tempered tale of social misfits-turned-celebrity impersonators, but falls short of its ambition to say something meaningful about the obsessive nature of celebrity culture.
  9. Son of Rambow
    A sweetly raucous adventure. Widely quoted comparisons to "Billy Elliot" and Tim Burton overstate the case for what is really a modestly eccentric entertainment.
  10. Surfwise
    Somewhat forced happy ending aside, the pic holds together well.
  11. What Happens in Vegas
    This two-seated star vehicle for top-billed Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz wrings a respectable number of laughs from a formulaic scenario about attracted-opposites who bicker and back-stab their way toward happily-ever-aftering.
  12. Pineapple Express
    This rambunctious paean to pot retains the trademark Apatow sweetness even as it careens from messy vulgarisms to even messier violence.
  13. Mamma Mia!
    Scribe-creator Catherine Johnson (also in her first screen outing) and theater-opera vet Lloyd can't seem to find the right tone or style for their globally celebrated material.
  14. Tropic Thunder
    Apart from startling, out-there comic turns by Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, however, the antics here are pretty thin, redundant and one-note.
  15. Quantum of Solace
    Stripped of "Royale's" humor, elegance and reinvented old-school stylishness, Quantum has little left except its plot, which is rudimentary and slightly barmy, in the line of the Roger Moore pics of the '70s and '80s.
  16. The Order of Myths
    Order of Myths looks good, and its characters are memorable. It's important to know that the "traditions" extolled by both sides of Mobile involve keeping people apart. But it's not clear at all that Brown is bringing them together.
  17. Trouble the Water
    Though tinged with the sheer gumption and personal resolve of amateur vidmaker and would-be rapper Kimberly Roberts, this is ultimately a minor doc contribution to the bulging library of Katrina-related films and TV reports.
  18. Traitor
    Brandishes physical verisimilitude and intelligent seriousness but proves unable to really get inside its chameleon-like central character.
  19. Save Me
    The first feature from new gay-focused production company Mythgarden, is a welcome exception in that it effectively dramatizes the issues without caricaturing or pillorizing either party.
  20. Moving Midway
    Uniquely Southern documentary has become surprisingly timely this election year.
  21. Battle in Seattle
    Picture's ambition, cogency and decent performances make up for its uneven aspects. Woody Harrelson has some especially good moments as a cop.
  22. The Duchess
    A serviceable picture that offers all the sumptuous visual pleasures of a historical costume drama, yet little in the way of actual history.
  23. Lakeview Terrace
    Delivers fairly tense and engrossing drama before succumbing to thriller convention.
  24. Beverly Hills Chihuahua
    A filthy-rich fantasy for these cash-strapped times, Beverly Hills Chihuahua features the voices of Drew Barrymore and much of the industry's top Latino talent in a live-action talking-dog lark that should please young pups.
  25. The Express
    Crowdpleasing and oh-so-predictable.
  26. A Christmas Tale
    Largely thanks to the snappy editing, short scenes and a strong cast led by a matronly Deveuve and Amalric's enjoyable perf as the black sheep of the family, A Christmas Tale never devolves into a tedious two-and-a-half hours of self-examination. But it also never goes very far, either.
  27. Eden
    Picture loses its delicate edge when it builds to a prescribed dramatic flashpoint within an overly compressed timeframe
  28. Cadillac Records
    Most of the details are right-on in Cadillac Records, though the director's efforts to sell it sometimes steers the film into mawkish or hokey territory.
  29. Nobel Son
    Uneven but enjoyably titillating black comedy should elate Rickman fans while pleasing aficionados of extra-flakey caper flicks.
  30. Adam Resurrected
    Largely set in two of the least appetizing locations imaginable, a concentration camp and an insane asylum, this is a rigorously made film that does almost nothing to invite the viewer into its world.
  31. Yes Man
    Genial but slim, picture is certainly a light-hearted alternative to weighty year-end awards bait, but the conceit isn't realized fully enough.
  32. Marley & Me
    This perky, episodic film is as broad and obvious as it could be, but delivers on its own terms thanks to sparky chemistry between its sunny blond stars, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, and the unabashed emotion-milking of the final reel.
  33. Hotel for Dogs
    Ultimately warm and furry, with a wet nose buried in gross receipts.
  34. My Bloody Valentine
    At heart an unabashedly retro work, reveling in the cliches and conventions of the slasher horror pics that proliferated in the early 1980s.
  35. Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh
    Senesh was a budding writer, and her poems and diary entries add flavor to an already dramatic tale in Roberta Grossman's Blessed Is the Match.
  36. The Pink Panther 2
    Serves up enough goofy pranks and fractured wordplay to keep the series purring along.
  37. Service (Serbis)
    Brillante Mendoza’s latest opus that revels in shock value.
  38. Angels & Demons
    Less turgid and aggravating than its predecessor, this cleverly produced melodrama remains hamstrung by novelist's Dan Brown's laborious connect-the-dots plotting and the filmmakers' prosaic literal-mindedness in the face of ripe historical antagonisms, mystery and intrigue.
  39. The Ugly Truth
    The Ugly Truth is an arch, contrived, entirely predictable romantic comedy assembled with sufficient audience-friendly elements to put it over as both a good girls' night attraction and a date-night lure raunchy enough to leave couples in the right mood afterward.
  40. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
    Neither the best nor the worst of movies derived from videogames, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li at least gives action fans plenty to ogle besides the titular heroine (Kristin Kreuk), whose original incarnation, legend has it, was among the first distaff figures controllable by joystick.
  41. Tokyo!
    An uneven but enjoyable trio of films that take affectionate (and sometimes literal) aim at the Japanese capital.
  42. Skills Like This
    Likable but lightweight slacker comedy.
  43. The Girl from Monaco
    A generally entertaining piece of fluff that's kept afloat by a weathered cast including Fabrice Luchini and Roschdy Zem.
  44. Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg
    Director-producer Aviva Kempner's well-researched but unchallenging docu, like "The Goldbergs" itself, has cross-cultural appeal for Jews and goyim alike.
  45. Aliens in the Attic
    Performances are unremarkable but acceptable pretty much across the board, and the vocal talents -- particularly Thomas Haden Church as the belligerent Tazer and Josh Peck as the lovable Sparks -- are well cast.
  46. Shrink
    The film may be too inside-baseball, with strained sympathy and contrived emotions.
  47. Capitalism: A Love Story
    Whether Capitalism matches "Fahrenheit 9/11" or underperforms like "Sicko" will depend on how much workers of the world are ready to unite behind the message.
  48. Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution
    Will have to overcome an unfortunate title and competition from this year's other nutrition-oriented titles, though it's a natural for the crunchy crowd.
  49. The Stepfather
    McCormick's Stepfather boasts a decent script by J.S. Cardone, but it seems to have been made in a bubble, as if nothing had transpired in the world of slasher/horror since the late Donald Westlake ("The Grifters") wrote the much-respected original.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Shinjuku Incident
    Though hyped as a rare straight dramatic outing by Chan, the picture still has him displaying his action skills, if less sensationally than usual.
  51. Defendor
    Harrelson shines, particularly in framing scenes with Sandra Oh as a tactful court psychiatrist.
  52. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
    More of an action-light whodunit than a real thriller, and more of a CliffsNotes version than a deeply disturbing portrait of what's wrong with contempo Sweden.
  53. Bartleby
    Although closer in tone to "Office Space" than Herman Melville, Jonathan Parker's absurdist update of Bartleby is surprisingly faithful to the spirit, if not the letter, of the "Moby-Dick" author's 1853 novella about an under-achieving Wall Street copy clerk.
  54. Da wan
    Pic is an obvious but highly accessible entertainment that manages to josh its subjects without being condescending to either Eastern or Western auds.
  55. Around the Bend
    Self-consciously mannered yet fitfully interesting, Around the Bend gets the most mileage it can from the eccentric, low-key charisma of Christopher Walken.
  56. The Fluffer
    Distinguished by generally good performances and smart camerawork.
  57. Frequency
    An oddly schizophrenic fantasy thriller that ultimately succumbs to a fatal case of sentimentality.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Night of the Hunter
    This start for Gregory as producer and Laughton as director is rich in promise but the completed product, bewitching at times, loses sustained drive via too many offbeat touches that have a misty effect.
  59. The Château
    Modest but engaging.
  60. Onmyoji: The Yin Yang Master
    The effects prove extremely uneven, with sub-par touches alongside astonishing and truly unforgettable shots.
  61. K-19: The Widowmaker
    Obediently follows the verities of the submarine movie and its true story origins but without the imagination needed to refresh the genre.
  62. Just Visiting
    A one-joke comedy that is good for more than a few good laughs.
  63. Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy
    The Legend of Ron Jeremy is, at a brisk 75 minutes, long enough to get the job done.
  64. 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.
  65. Auggie Rose
    Unspectacular but quietly absorbing.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Le bossu
    Consistently enjoyable, if rarely exceptional, mass entertainment.
  67. Shuang long hui
    Ticket buyers get two Jackie Chans for the price of one in Twin Dragons, but the pic itself is no great bargain.
  68. Lansdown
    Recycles familiar ideas, with just enough droll wit to score as a nifty normal-folk-doing-stupid-deadly-things comedy a la "Fargo."
  69. Empire
    Choreographer-turned-filmmaker Franc. Reyes covers familiar ground without stumbling or dazzling.
  70. Murder by Numbers
    Engrossing but psychologically shallow tale.
  71. Dark Days
    Intimate and engrossing.
  72. A Room for Romeo Brass
    An easygoing kitchen-sink comedy with an unsettling final act.
  73. Grateful Dawg
    The music is fine, but there's little else here to hold the attention of non-Deadheads.
  74. Segunda piel
    Starts out slow but ends up engaging both heart and mind, despite occasional slips into straight melodrama.
  75. Keeping the Faith
    Norton directs with assurance.
  76. The Mad Songs of Fernanda Hussein
    While refraining from excess melodrama or overt preachiness, pic makes no secret of its dismay at this chapter in American history.
  77. My Wife Is an Actress
    A sporadically amusing but ultimately very slight showbiz story about being married to a celebrity. Most of the jokes and situations are predictable, and the film is saddled with irritating supporting characters.
  78. Going By
    Pleasantly watchable.
  79. Everybody Says I'm Fine!
    Too stylistically scattered to appeal to all tastes…but its unique combo of slick art direction, sweet romance, supercharged eros, low comedy and out-there melodrama –--
  80. A Family Affair
    Sharp wit but shaky storytelling.
  81. The Business of Fancydancing
    Stalled character development in the second half of the pic reduces the impact of the whole.
  82. Chuen jik sat sau
    High-octane plunge into pop gangster psychology.
  83. Heaven
    Sports a lustrous performance by Cate Blanchett that gives the movie much of its final sheen but still can't keep it on the rails as the already flimsy story starts to disintegrate in the final act.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Interview with the Assassin
    Satisfying picture that like a pot of water on the stove keeps heating up until it explodes.
    • 34 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    $pent
    Covers familiar territory unevenly, but Gil Cates Jr. directs his freshman feature with a mostly assured hand.
    • 21 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Better Living
    Vibrant, snappy and surprisingly fresh.
  87. Adanggaman
    Dramatically naive at times, but still represents a refreshingly ambitious, imaginative film in a period of creative underachievement for African cinema.
  88. Smiling Fish & Goat on Fire
    Boasts a perceptive script, rich performances and date-movie appeal.
  89. China: The Panda Adventure
    This wobbly docu-drama ends up being caught in between the impulse to make theatrical a true story and the usual Imax mission of imparting information about the natural world in an entertaining way for families.
  90. Big Bad Love
    A flawed and overlong but ultimately affecting account of one man's struggle to regain control of his life.
  91. Bad Company
    It's almost impossible to enjoy this uneven but mostly exciting popcorn pic without flinching at a few plot elements that feel a bit too real for comfort.
  92. Ivansxtc
    Achieves a certain poignancy through its sensitivity to mortality in a context where illness and death are often thought of primarily in terms of gossip, blown deals and lost money.
  93. Thorns
    An involving, often kinetic 2½-hour ride for auds who can accept their entertainment overboiled as well as just hardboiled.
  94. Boiler Room
    Begins extremely well as a saga of greed and conspicuous consumption, but gradually loses its bite.
  95. Friends and Family
    Unusually slick, mini-budgeted and broad piece of slapstick that liberally borrows from Neil Simon and "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight'' with the twist that gay hit men are the romantic heroes.
  96. House of Fools
    Has the comically grotesque appeal of a Fellini film and could reach out to auds in specialized release. It lacks the originality and invention to go much beyond that.
  97. Dirt Boy
    Intelligent, low-key suspenser.
  98. Original Sin
    Lavish and florid, the corny venture falls into so-bad-it's-good territory.
  99. Crush
    Some fine screen chemistry between its leads and a spikey, offhandedly comic script by young writer-director John McKay put spice into Crush.
  100. Warm Water Under a Red Bridge
    A film with a terrifically engaging concept that overstays its welcome by quite a stretch.
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