Variety's Scores

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For 17,771 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 2.5 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: 9,130 out of 17771
  2. Mixed: 7,005 out of 17771
  3. Negative: 1,636 out of 17771
17771 movie reviews
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  1. A Day Without a Mexican
    Darkly amusing idea delivers an early salvo that fades as the film swings across a range of styles and tones director Sergio Arau gamely tries to corral. Even at its half-realized level, pic will anger some as it amuses others.
  2. After Freedom
    Compensating for the technical faults is the writer-director's unmistakable and undiluted need to express the issues he feels are at the heart of his community.
  3. Coffee and Cigarettes
    Holding the film together are simple but strong B&W visuals of offbeat types sitting around a table smoking and drinking java while they talk.
  4. Troy
    Despite a sensationally attractive cast and an array of well-staged combat scenes presented on a vast scale, Wolfgang Petersen's highly telescoped rendition of the Trojan War lurches ahead in fits and starts for much of its hefty running time, to OK effect.
  5. Off the Lip
    Rich in its love of surfing but curiously short on such footage, well-meaning directorial debut by producer Robert Mickelson is boosted by winning performances, but ultimately about as memorable as a day of 3-4 foot swells.
  6. The Mudge Boy
    Sensitive direction and a touching performance from Emile Hirsch in the title role help counter some dramatic naivete and awkward, at times unintentional, humor in The Mudge Boy.
  7. A Foreign Affair
    An odd concoction: an English-language movie made by Dutch filmmakers working with an American cast on location in Russia and Mexico. That strangeness, combined with sharp casting and affectionate performances, is a big part of "Affair's" charm.
  8. Valentin
    The choice to have Valentin narrate the tale and make philosophical observations beyond his years becomes irritating at times; ditto the cartoon humor.
  9. Oasis
    An eloquent expression of both unorthodox romance and bitter disillusionment with the hypocritical institutions of family and society.
  10. Super Size Me
    Primarily humorous in a believe-it-or-not fashion.
  11. Van Helsing
    The sense of evil overkill is entirely representative of the picture itself, which repeatedly looks ready to blow all its fuses due to sensory overload.
  12. Seeing Other People
    While lacking originality, pic is a case of cogent moviemaking that really knows its business. Traces of early Steven Soderbergh and recent Larry David enhance one of the most satisfying comedies in a fallow season.
  13. New York Minute
    After a string of direct-to-video excursions, this latest film remains an off-putting assault of too-screwball comedy with glints of pathos.
  14. A Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake
    Beautifully evokes the enduring appeal of English singer-songwriter Nick Drake.
  15. Superstar in a Housedress
    Fan, friend and documentarian Craig Highberger delivers the goods with rare clips of the inimitable Jackie in Off-Off Broadway shows written by the star. The shaky, blurry quality of this never-before-seen archival footage shot by the helmer only adds to pic's surreal shoestring mystique.
  16. The Clay Bird
    Accomplished, emotionally involving film.
  17. Bulgarian Lovers
    Full of charm, entertaining enough as it unfolds, good looking, but not especially memorable in retrospect.
  18. Laws of Attraction
    While slight comic concoction is so airy it seems in danger of floating right off the screen, the pleasant retro vibe and a handful of effervescent moments carry this film no self-respecting heterosexual male would dare see except on a date.
  19. Since Otar Left
    The film is traditionally and effectively made; it also is superbly acted.
  20. Godsend
    Solid performances, handsome production values and a few genuinely creepy scenes are not enough to save Godsend.
  21. Envy
    Can't decide whether to be an eccentric black comedy or a middle-of-the-road diversion.
  22. Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius
    This exceedingly long-winded but classy drama could appeal to the same strain of infrequent, regional moviegoers looking for righteous entertainment that flocked to "The Passion of the Christ."
  23. The Saddest Music in the World
    Almost as much an art piece as a film, this playful Prohibition-era tale is visually inventive and initially amusing but, at feature length, becomes somewhat wearing in its cacophonous eccentricity.
  24. Mean Girls
    This sassy if wildly uneven comedy navigates the treacherous high school jungle that separates cool cliques from wannabes, wading through some nasty behavior before delivering its moral message.
  25. People Say I'm Crazy
    Fascinating and frustrating in nearly equal measure.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands
    Has a certain raw charm but does not quite achieve the needed cohesion and directorial finesse it calls for. (Review of original release)
  27. The Agronomist
    Melds a great cause and Dominique's incandescent charisma with care using research from nine years of filming and reporting.
  28. MC5*: A True Testimonial
    Draws on extensive archival materials to etch an absorbing portrait of a singular counterculture mini-phenom that will be manna to music fans.
  29. Close Your Eyes
    An enjoyable throwback to the occult psychological horror-thrillers of the late 1970s. While it flirts often with campy excess, the film remains compelling thanks to its chilly mood, stylish visuals and polished production values.
  30. Faster
    An often thrilling, always compelling intro to the sport.
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