Boxing Gym played in key cities to outstanding reviews. • Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "...a riveting and unexpectedly inspiring essay on the peace that comes from shared physical and mental concentration." • And Andrew Schenker wrote for Slant, "...offers a privileged peek into a little pocket of something close to a functioning democratic system..." More Reviews Below...
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (5 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...mesmerizing... Mr. Wiseman eschews voiceovers, talking-head interviews, extraneous footage and the customary and sometimes superfluous like."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,205 words, 10/22/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...what the film lacks in punch, it makes up for in character. Wiseman films it all without comment, letting the rhythm of the place tell the story."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 134 words, 10/22/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...subtle and meditative... never in a hurry to reveal itself, carefully allowing audiences the time and space to figure things out on their own.... quietly provocative..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 713 words, 11/05/10
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...a crowning accomplishment.... effortlessly takes its place beside 'Requiem for a Heavyweight,' 'The Great White Hope,' 'Fat City,' 'Rocky' (sigh), 'Raging Bull'..."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 949 words, 10/20/10
KEY CITIES (8 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's cinema as meditation, evoking those fleeting moments of transcendence that arrive by way of complete and self-forgetful focus."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 11/05/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "I find Wiseman's anti-narrative vow of chastity off-putting... But taken as a sort of live-action sports painting, 'Boxing Gym' is so vivid you can smell the liniment and sweat."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 158 words, 12/10/10
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Wiseman doesn't tell stories; he captures the rhythms of a place and makes himself invisible.... It's a hypnotic trip inside the sweet science."(See all of Chris Vognar's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 146 words, 11/19/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Wiseman is 80, and there's wisdom in his formal economy. He doesn't appear to work harder than a subject needs him to.... modest by the standards of Wiseman's epics."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 562 words, 11/12/10
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...even with no traditional narrative, there are wonderful discoveries to be made.... a meditative state of a movie... interesting and enjoyable..."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 465 words, 12/22/10
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...you can see why so many artists -- writer Joyce Carol Oates, filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood, among others -- have been fascinated by the sport..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 397 words, 11/12/10
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "You have to pay attention to fully appreciate movies like 'Boxing Gym'.... it is not easy entertainment, but it is an expertly crafted work of art."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 258 words, 11/26/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...views boxing through the lens of art, not violence... graceful and quietly inspiring... the rhythmic footwork and repetitive movements are unmistakably balletic."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 02/04/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...a crowning accomplishment.... effortlessly takes its place beside 'Requiem for a Heavyweight,' 'The Great White Hope,' 'Fat City,' 'Rocky' (sigh), 'Raging Bull'..."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 949 words, 10/20/10
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Wiseman records the rituals of repetition (speed bag and footwork) in poetic long shots.... The cadence is both primal and hypnotic."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 11/11/10
Noel Murray, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...anyone who's spent any time around gym-rats will appreciate how well Wiseman captures that peculiar mix of geekiness and sweaty determination..."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 344 words, 10/21/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "...both demanding and extremely rewarding... set to the relentless beat of speed bags and rope jumpers, the mystery of violence and its infinite permutations."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 493 words, 10/22/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...mesmerizing... Mr. Wiseman eschews voiceovers, talking-head interviews, extraneous footage and the customary and sometimes superfluous like."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,205 words, 10/22/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...subtle and meditative... never in a hurry to reveal itself, carefully allowing audiences the time and space to figure things out on their own.... quietly provocative..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 713 words, 11/05/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Rob Nelson, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "Adhering to the auteur's trademark fly-on-the-wall style, pic favors portraiture over narrative... for those in Wiseman's corner, 'Boxing Gym' goes the distance."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 592 words, 05/31/10
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "Wiseman applies the same technique to pugilism in 'Boxing Gym' as he did to ballet in 'La Danse' but with considerably less impact.... it all feels a bit random and uninteresting."(See all of Ray Bennett's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 233 words, 10/06/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...subtle and meditative... never in a hurry to reveal itself, carefully allowing audiences the time and space to figure things out on their own.... quietly provocative..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 713 words, 11/05/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...mesmerizing... Mr. Wiseman eschews voiceovers, talking-head interviews, extraneous footage and the customary and sometimes superfluous like."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,205 words, 10/22/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "...both demanding and extremely rewarding... set to the relentless beat of speed bags and rope jumpers, the mystery of violence and its infinite permutations."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 493 words, 10/22/10
16.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Boxing Gym's reviews are separated by an average 16.9 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.
Boxing Gym (20 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Boxing Gym's reviews cover 26.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,442 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 422 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 14 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Boxing Gym's reviews on average broke 14 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 Boxing Gym's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Boxing Gym (20 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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