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ANONYMOUS (2011)Movie Reviews
Drama set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, suggesting a possible answer to the question of who wrote the plays attributed to William Shakespeare. Cast:Ed Hogg, Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, David ThewlisDirector:Roland EmmerichRelease Date:October 28, 2011DVD Release:February 7, 2012From:Sony PicturesRating:PG-13Length:2 hr 10 min
Anonymous (2011) played in key cities to fair reviews. • Curt Holman wrote in Atlanta Creative Loafing, "...operates on the level of salacious trash.... frequently resembles Rowan Atkinson's 'Blackadder II,' only without the punchlines." • And Judith Newmark wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Will Shakespeare, whose words shine on, bright and brave, is turning o'er with laughter in his grave." More Reviews Below...
Alynda Wheat, People: MODERATE(cg) "That Shakespeare didn't write the plays attributed to him is the least nutty idea here.... tack on a confusing narrative and a slew of characters who look suspiciously alike."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 111 words, 10/27/11
Mary Pols, Time: WEAK "...a nonsensical fiction that is woefully representative of how little credence contemporary society gives to the possibility that sometimes, people tell the truth."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,009 words, 10/28/11
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a heavy-handed and needlessly complicated exploration of the theory that maybe William Shakespeare didn't really write all those plays and sonnets after all."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 520 words, 10/27/11
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "Intriguing scandal aside, the film falters with confusing Elizabethan-era time jumps and a historical character pileup. Thou might need Cliffs Notes!"(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 78 words, 10/27/11
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: FAIR(cg) "...might just as well declare that Elizabethans lived in yurts and invented the game of Sudoku... a thumpingly silly yet self-serious period-piece what-if."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 10/28/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a tribute to the unstoppable force of art -- even if it implies that only an aristocrat could create it.... aims to be epic but is closer to stately soap opera."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 372 words, 10/28/11
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a splendid experience... But I must tiresomely insist that Edward de Vere did not write Shakespeare's plays. Apparently Roland Emmerich sincerely believes he did."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 757 words, 10/28/11
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: MODERATE(cg) "Rhys Ifans... David Thewlis... Mark Rylance... Derek Jacobi... Venessa Redgrave. They deserve better, but they all do better than all right with this mess."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 796 words, 10/25/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a cross between 'Elizabeth' and 'Shakespeare in Love,' with all the political machinations, skullduggery, and opportunism one expects from such a story."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 960 words, 10/30/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (14 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...a costume spectacle... a vulgar prank on the English literary tradition, a travesty of British history and a brutal insult to the human imagination. Apart from that, it's not bad."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,071 words, 10/28/11
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Though the cast is energetic and the intrigues diverting, you'll have to distance yourself from reality to enjoy so much outlandish scheming."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 221 words, 10/28/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a thoroughly entertaining load of eye candy with solid performances, even if John Orloff's exposition-heavy script practically requires a concordance to follow at times."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 556 words, 10/28/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...ridiculous... like Oliver Stone's 'JFK' it sells its political conspiracy theories by weight and by volume. But dull, it's not."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 649 words, 10/28/11
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "You don't need a double doctorate in English history and literature to sit through it, but it might help when trying to separate historical fact from whole-cloth fiction."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 300 words, 10/28/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: FAIR "...a well-polished cowpat that will confuse and bore those who know nothing about Shakespeare and incense those who know almost anything."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 481 words, 10/24/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a splendid experience... But I must tiresomely insist that Edward de Vere did not write Shakespeare's plays. Apparently Roland Emmerich sincerely believes he did."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 757 words, 10/28/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "...a Shakespearean whodunit, since it vigorously disputes the Bard's authorship of all those wonderful plays, sonnets and poems. It's also completely preposterous."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 845 words, 10/28/11
Josep Parera, La Opinion: GOOD(cg) "...deja la puerta abierta para que Roland Emmerich confirme en un futuro cercano que en él hay un cineasta con mucho más que decir..."(See all of Josep Parera's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 520 words, 10/28/11
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...a terrible movie... the tone is wildly uneven, and Rhys Ifans whispers his way through the role, resulting in a different kind of disaster movie."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 215 words, 10/27/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an entertaining eye-roller of alternative history... as fascinating, in its own way, as the 'true' history of these plays, or as much of that as is known."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 700 words, 10/28/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...so disappointingly dopey that it's unworthy of anyone's time.... snobbishly argues that an uneducated yokel could never have written so radiantly."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 10/28/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "Historians will quibble with the timing and accuracy of a lot of the film, and you know what? Let them. The rest of us can enjoy the performances and the sumptuous look..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 606 words, 10/28/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "Roland Emmerich destroys things for a living. Why not the reputation of a man who lacked the imagination to blow up the Sistine Chapel?"(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 630 words, 10/28/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "Yon schlocker Roland Emmerich would do the life of the Bard! But 'twould not be the great man of Avon. You buy that fiction? Fie! Are you ravin'?"(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 479 words, 10/28/11
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "I'll just go back to believing that someone named Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare's works. And I'll just go back to regarding them with awe."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 345 words, 10/28/11
Keith Phipps, AV Club: WEAK(cg) "...as dull as it is brainless, the work of creators who've spent far more time concocting silly stories about Shakespeare than learning from him."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 410 words, 10/27/11
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: VERY GOOD(cg) "The whole affair is rather silly, and more than a little boring, but there are a few flashes of brilliance tucked amid Emmerich's bid for period-picture classiness."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 416 words, 09/09/11
Bill Weber, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...leaves one bereft of any meaningful knowledge of these personages or the theatrical energy of their age, and earns the obscurity it figures to acquire..."(See all of Bill Weber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 508 words, 10/27/11
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...a terrible movie... the tone is wildly uneven, and Rhys Ifans whispers his way through the role, resulting in a different kind of disaster movie."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 215 words, 10/27/11
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: WEAK(cg) "...operates on the level of salacious trash.... frequently resembles Rowan Atkinson's 'Blackadder II,' only without the punchlines."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 593 words, 10/28/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "...a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. It is a fusty nut with no kernel. It speaks an infinite deal of nothing."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 916 words, 10/27/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...a costume spectacle... a vulgar prank on the English literary tradition, a travesty of British history and a brutal insult to the human imagination. Apart from that, it's not bad."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,071 words, 10/28/11
Bob Mondello, NPR: WEAK "...this film's plot will prove incoherent for folks who can't identify Ben Jonson, Robert Cecil and the 2nd Earl of Essex -- and it'll prove exasperating for those who can."(See all of Bob Mondello's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 659 words, 10/27/11
Robert Koehler, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...strains under the constant switches in time signature, which are sometimes dramatically effective and revealing of character, and other times overworked and fussy."(See all of Robert Koehler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,165 words, 09/10/11
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...easily Roland Emmerich's best film.... he steers a coherent path through a complex bit of Tudor history while establishing a highly credible atmosphere..."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,018 words, 09/09/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...a costume spectacle... a vulgar prank on the English literary tradition, a travesty of British history and a brutal insult to the human imagination. Apart from that, it's not bad."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,071 words, 10/28/11
19.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Anonymous (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 19.6 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.
Anonymous (2011) (49 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Anonymous (2011)'s reviews cover 98.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 27,323 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 558 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 33.2 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Anonymous (2011)'s reviews on average broke 33.2 hours 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 Anonymous (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Anonymous (2011) (49 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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