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44 INCH CHESTMovie Reviews
Drama about a man who is devastated to learn that his wife has met someone else and responds by enlisting four of his friends, all toughs, to kidnap Loverboy. Cast:Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen DillaneDirector:Malcolm VenvilleRelease Date:January 15, 2010DVD Release:April 20, 2010From:Image EntertainmentRating:RLength:1 hr 35 min
44 Inch Chest played in key cities to moderate reviews. • Ann Hornaday wrote in the Washington Post, "...there's not much payoff... The best reason to see '44 Inch Chest' is simply to behold some of the finest actors working today, especially Winstone..." • And Curt Holman wrote in Atlanta Creative Loafing, "...lacks a narrative motor and a destination, and its two-fisted critique of masculine behavior eventually sputters..." More Reviews Below...
44 Inch Chest Positive Reviews (23 Reviews, reviews below)
David Germain, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Profane, irreverent bluster by five very loud men might carry a choice scene, but it cannot carry an entire movie.... densely packed but ultimately slight..."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 691 words, 01/14/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (7 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Think of '44 Inch Chest' as a piece of chamber music and you can compensate for the thinness of its story and the lack of visual distinction."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 669 words, 01/29/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "The irrepressible cast gab and tell tales, and director Malcolm Venville lets their glass-cutting voices string us along and blow us away."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 175 words, 01/29/10
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...blessed with Mellis and Scinto's corrosive yet at times soaringly poetic language and splendid, nuanced portrayals so typical of the Brits."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 332 words, 01/15/10
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "Even a great British cast and obscenity-laden gangland dialogue aren't enough to make what amounts to an extended acting exercise into much of a movie."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 145 words, 01/29/10
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: MODERATE "The script probably looked great on paper, but instead of letting it breathe, Venville jumps to a close-up of each actor as he drops another arch one-liner..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 150 words, 01/25/10
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "A quintet of pathetic pals are sized up in this often-sharp, nasty exposé of masculinity, written by 'Sexy Beast' scripters Louis Mellis and David Scinto..."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 201 words, 01/27/10
KEY CITIES (7 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...there's not much payoff... The best reason to see '44 Inch Chest' is simply to behold some of the finest actors working today, especially Winstone..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 408 words, 01/29/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a stagy, half-entertaining, half-tedious acting competition between five excellent Englishmen... Before our eyes, 'Reservoir Dogs'' becomes 'Steel Magnolias.' "(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 564 words, 02/05/10
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...asks us to consider the thug's notion of love, which is both touching and repulsive, mostly the latter. It's an interesting spectacle, but not enough to carry a movie."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 481 words, 02/05/10
John Hartl, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The frequently profane dialogue suggests David Mamet on an off-night (so does Malcolm Venville's claustrophobia-inducing direction)... the first-rate cast works hard."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 379 words, 02/11/10
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "A quintet of pathetic pals are sized up in this often-sharp, nasty exposé of masculinity, written by 'Sexy Beast' scripters Louis Mellis and David Scinto..."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 201 words, 01/27/10
Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The talented actors have great fun with the chewy, clever, self-congratulatory dialogue, but it's less enjoyable for the audience, which gets suffocated by the talk, talk, talk."(See all of Gerald Peary's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 133 words, 02/04/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: WEAK(cg) "...lacks a narrative motor and a destination, and its two-fisted critique of masculine behavior eventually sputters to a halt."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 445 words, 02/10/10
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "After 95 minutes, the majority of it taking place in that one room, '44 Inch Chest' ends with the cinematic equivalent of a shrug."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 01/28/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Think of '44 Inch Chest' as a piece of chamber music and you can compensate for the thinness of its story and the lack of visual distinction."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 669 words, 01/29/10
David Denby, New Yorker: GOOD "...mesmerizing, in a limited way.... Mellis and Scinto's pungent script has a manic obsessiveness that sounds like a tirade delivered by a guy sitting at the next barstool."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 01/25/10
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...blessed with Mellis and Scinto's corrosive yet at times soaringly poetic language and splendid, nuanced portrayals so typical of the Brits."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 332 words, 01/15/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Leslie Felperin, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "The actors go at the material with obvious relish... [but] the final reel ends not with the expected bang but with an almost inaudible whimper."(See all of Leslie Felperin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 877 words, 10/21/09
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "Angelo Badalamenti's wonderfully insinuating score adds considerably to the film's IQ... it's far from being a gangster film -- more like a poor man's Pinter."(See all of Ray Bennett's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 490 words, 10/19/09
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...blessed with Mellis and Scinto's corrosive yet at times soaringly poetic language and splendid, nuanced portrayals so typical of the Brits."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 332 words, 01/15/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Think of '44 Inch Chest' as a piece of chamber music and you can compensate for the thinness of its story and the lack of visual distinction."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 669 words, 01/29/10
14.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
44 Inch Chest's reviews are separated by an average 14.1 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
44 Inch Chest (23 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:44 Inch Chest's reviews cover 36.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,838 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 384 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 8 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
44 Inch Chest's reviews on average broke 8 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is 44 Inch Chest's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
44 Inch Chest (23 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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