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A BAG OF HAMMERSMovie Reviews
Comedy drama about two 20-something grifters who are faced with growing up when a neglected 12-year-old boy becomes part of their lives. Cast:Jason Ritter, Jake Sandvig, Chandler Canterbury, Rebecca Hall, Todd Louiso, Gabriel Macht, Carrie Preston, Johnny SimmonsDirector:Brian CranoRelease Date:May 11, 2012DVD Release:June 19, 2012From:MPI Media GroupLength:1 hr 27 min
A Bag of Hammers played in New York City and Los Angeles to fair reviews. • Alison Willmore wrote for Movieline, "...a film that should be appallingly twee, but more often than not is actually scruffy and sweet.... remains fairly light despite some serious developments..." • And Andrew Schenker wrote for Slant, "Lightly likable, if finally flimsy..." More Reviews Below...
A Bag of Hammers Positive Reviews (11 Reviews, reviews below)
A Bag of Hammers has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
Andy Webster, New York Times: FAIR "...a low-budget dramedy... The portraits of beleaguered lower-income people by Ms. Hall and especially Ms. Preston lend the movie its only dramatic traction."(See all of Andy Webster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 273 words, 05/11/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...woven amid the glib one-liners and contrived scenarios is an unexpected, and undeniably touching, sense of heart... we actually care about these characters."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 221 words, 05/11/12
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...thin, neatly folded, paper-airplane of a movie threatens to nose dive into tweeville as it depicts the carefree lives of best-bud scam artists..."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 199 words, 05/18/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "Rebecca Hall is wasted as Sandvig's sister and the film's voice of reason, who works as a waffle-shop waitress... Amanda Seyfried is corralled for a cameo appearance."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 159 words, 05/11/12
Michelle Orange, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...a precarious blend of glib indie tropes and bleak urban melodrama.... A few striking performances smooth out what might have been a much bumpier ride."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 197 words, 05/09/12
KEY CITIES (0 Reviews)
A Bag of Hammers has not been reviewed in Key Cities
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Michelle Orange, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...a precarious blend of glib indie tropes and bleak urban melodrama.... A few striking performances smooth out what might have been a much bumpier ride."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 197 words, 05/09/12
Scott Tobias, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...rests in the push-and-pull between sincerity and indie piffle.... Yet the film has an earnest quality that asserts itself more and more as it sputters along..."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 05/10/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: GOOD(cg) "...a film that should be appallingly twee, but more often than not is actually scruffy and sweet.... remains fairly light despite some serious developments..."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 838 words, 05/10/12
Andrew Schenker, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "Lightly likable, if flimsy... an odd, ineffective structure and low-key tone jars uncomfortably with the subject matter... makes the stakes seem unnecessarily low."(See all of Andrew Schenker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 528 words, 05/06/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Andy Webster, New York Times: FAIR "...a low-budget dramedy... The portraits of beleaguered lower-income people by Ms. Hall and especially Ms. Preston lend the movie its only dramatic traction."(See all of Andy Webster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 273 words, 05/11/12
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...thin, neatly folded, paper-airplane of a movie threatens to nose dive into tweeville as it depicts the carefree lives of best-bud scam artists..."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 199 words, 05/18/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Joe Leydon, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "First-time feature helmer Brian Crano maneuvers some tricky tonal shifts with impressive ease... a droll, quirky comedy with a pleasant amount of heart."(See all of Joe Leydon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 587 words, 06/06/11
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...thin, neatly folded, paper-airplane of a movie threatens to nose dive into tweeville as it depicts the carefree lives of best-bud scam artists..."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 199 words, 05/18/12
Andy Webster, New York Times: FAIR "...a low-budget dramedy... The portraits of beleaguered lower-income people by Ms. Hall and especially Ms. Preston lend the movie its only dramatic traction."(See all of Andy Webster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 273 words, 05/11/12
12.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
A Bag of Hammers's reviews are separated by an average 12.9 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.
A Bag of Hammers (11 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:A Bag of Hammers's reviews cover 12.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 4,147 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 377 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
A Bag of Hammers Coverage, Volume & Length (11 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 30 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
A Bag of Hammers's reviews on average broke 30 days before 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 A Bag of Hammers's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
A Bag of Hammers (11 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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