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BEAUTIFUL BOYMovie Reviews
Drama about a married couple whose already strained relationship is further tested by the news that their son has committed a mass shooting at his university and taken his own life. Cast:Michael Sheen, Logan South, Maria Bello, Bruce French, Alan TudykDirector:Shawn KuRelease Date:June 3, 2011DVD Release:October 11, 2011From:Anchor BayRating:RLength:1 hr. 40 min.
OCTOBER 11, 2011
Beautiful Boy, Good (Not Great) Reviews Key Cities
Beautiful Boy played in key cities to good not great reviews. • Bill Goodykoontz wrote in the Arizona Republic, "Michael Sheen's and Maria Bello's performances - genuine, awkward, difficult - are not always easy to watch but never are less than tremendous." • And Carrie Rickey wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "...not an entertainment but an experience.... The parents of killers have feelings, too." More Reviews Below...
Beautiful Boy Positive Reviews (28 Reviews, reviews below)
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a sincere attempt to imagine the aftermath of tragedy for the parents.... Life will go on, one baffling day after another. There can be no release, only a gradual deadening."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 705 words, 06/10/11
James Rocchi, MSN Movies: EXCELLENT(cg) "Bello gives her best performance since 'A History of Violence'... Sheen also delivers an excellent performance... a rare chance to see real actors doing real work."(See all of James Rocchi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 640 words, 06/01/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...grim, thought-provoking... It aims to be both heartbreaking and (in an odd way) inspirational, although the former is more convincingly conveyed than the latter."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 984 words, 06/02/11
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Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...though not every aspect of the film works, its sharp eye for domestic intimacy and distance and spot-on performances by the entire cast are refreshingly unsentimental."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 342 words, 06/03/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...if the key performances in 'Beautiful Boy' were any less honest, the film's half-formed suppositions would undo it utterly."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 440 words, 06/10/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a sincere attempt to imagine the aftermath of tragedy for the parents.... Life will go on, one baffling day after another. There can be no release, only a gradual deadening."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 705 words, 06/10/11
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "First-time feature director Shawn Ku shows skill with this debut. It's not without some missteps, but he's got good instincts and he stays true to them."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 595 words, 06/17/11
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...the themes are vast but the picture is small, and the ensuing emptiness is what the characters are meant to feel - not us."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 698 words, 06/17/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...isn't a bad movie, just a very familiar one.... we shouldn't always know precisely what the characters are going to do five minutes before they do it."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 199 words, 06/16/11
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...not an entertainment but an experience. And a kind of cinematic sensitivity training. The parents of killers have feelings, too."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 267 words, 06/10/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "Michael Sheen's and Maria Bello's performances - genuine, awkward, difficult - are not always easy to watch but never are less than tremendous."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 527 words, 06/17/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "There's just very little that feels fresh or new or truly raw. The houses, that title, every emotion, even the false moves: They're all generic."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 449 words, 06/17/11
Ted Fry, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Most of 'Beautiful Boy' is unrelentingly bleak and depressing, but there are smatterings of understatement and grace."(See all of Ted Fry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 224 words, 06/17/11
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...finds Bello playing her specialty... Sheen is masterful in a less flashy but ultimately more difficult role: the tragedy of an ordinary, almost aggressively uninteresting man..."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 308 words, 06/02/11
Michelle Orange, Movieline: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the effort, however rough in patches, is to be admired.... another jagged, early piece in a puzzle whose borders haven't formed yet."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 919 words, 06/02/11
Paul Schrodt, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...breaches the normal expectations of a respectable family tragedy.... complex emotional texture no doubt owes a lot to Bello's stunning performance..."(See all of Paul Schrodt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 753 words, 05/29/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...isn't a bad movie, just a very familiar one.... we shouldn't always know precisely what the characters are going to do five minutes before they do it."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 199 words, 06/16/11
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...though not every aspect of the film works, its sharp eye for domestic intimacy and distance and spot-on performances by the entire cast are refreshingly unsentimental."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 342 words, 06/03/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Joe Leydon, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "Shawn Ku achieves an impressive balance of formal control and emotional spontaneity in his debut feature... a rigorously understated drama..."(See all of Joe Leydon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 668 words, 09/16/10
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "A spare, unflinching examination of a married couple coping... graced by a pair of equally raw, affecting turns by Michael Sheen and Maria Bello."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 377 words, 10/15/10
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...though not every aspect of the film works, its sharp eye for domestic intimacy and distance and spot-on performances by the entire cast are refreshingly unsentimental."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 342 words, 06/03/11
16.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Beautiful Boy's reviews are separated by an average 16.5 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.
Beautiful Boy (28 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Beautiful Boy's reviews cover 38.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 12,602 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 450 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Beautiful Boy Coverage, Volume & Length (28 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 5 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Beautiful Boy's reviews on average broke 5 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 Beautiful Boy's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Beautiful Boy (28 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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