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CEDAR RAPIDSMovie Reviews
Comedy about a naive insurance salesman who is sent to a trade conference in Cedar Rapids to represent his company with calamitous results. Cast:Ed Helms, Anne Heche, John C. Reilly, Alia Shawkat, Sigourney Weaver, Kurtwood SmithDirector:Miguel ArtetaRelease Date:February 11, 2011DVD Release:June 21, 2011From:Fox SearchlightRating:RLength:1 hr 26 min
Cedar Rapids played in key cities to very good reviews. • Alynda Wheat wrote in People, "...takes a while for the fun onscreen to translate into laughs, but once they start, they don't let up." • And Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "...a marvelous mix of tones, from the shallow bonhomie of business travelers in a hotel bar to moments of tenderness that simply ambush you.... Tremendous fun." More Reviews Below...
Cedar Rapids Positive Reviews (44 Reviews, reviews below)
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "As leading man, Ed Helms holds the screen well, buoyed by the strong supporting cast.... hard to resist -- especially when Reilly and Heche are in your corner."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 753 words, 02/10/11
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...delightfully bent... within the structure of a conventional, well-built comedy fable about an innocent among bigger-city sophisticates is something truly original."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 307 words, 02/11/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "...springs indecently funny surprises.... a tartly observed script by Phil Johnston and direction from the gifted Miguel Arteta... both hilarious and heartfelt."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 238 words, 02/18/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a genially rowdy comedy that stops short of poking fun at small-town Midwesterners.... the film's heart remains steadfastly in the right place."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 02/11/11
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...both easy to like and easily forgotten. Its appeal comes almost entirely from the cast members, who appear genuinely excited to invite us to their party."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 274 words, 02/11/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...characters to laugh with, rather than at... a basic mix of sex, drugs and karaoke, along with some double-dealing betrayals to up the stakes."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 863 words, 02/11/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Ed Helms makes a fine potato-faced naif, smiling earnestly and wearing a palette of burnt orange and walnut brown."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 446 words, 02/11/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD "...you have to enjoy scenes like the one in which insurance agent John C. Reilly... declares, 'I am so hung-over... big-time beer shits... You got a pube on your cheek.' "(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 228 words, 02/07/11
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a mild comedy of embarrassment... makes for some lively farce before the obligatory cringe-inducing Capra-worthy closer."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 538 words, 02/09/11
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...the condescension here seems far too easy and the film's conventional combination of childlike hero and gross-out slapstick is calculated to appeal to the mainstream..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 659 words, 02/11/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a reliable set-up for farce, but somehow 'Cedar Rapids' never breaks free of its influences to establish its own rhythm."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 375 words, 02/10/11
KEY CITIES (14 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...would all be too twee and condescending were it not for Reilly's unhinged exuberance and the tonal control and compassion director Miguel Arteta brings..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 487 words, 02/11/11
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a gentle, gross-out comedy... there is something fundamentally decent about the film in which Tim loses his illusions, but finds himself."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 369 words, 02/18/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...never loses track of the humanity of its characters, screwballs, one and all, but sometimes warm people who never cross over into caricature."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 02/18/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a marvelous mix of tones, from the shallow bonhomie of business travelers in a hotel bar to moments of tenderness that simply ambush you.... Tremendous fun."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 589 words, 02/18/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "A raunchy comedy that relies on crude jokes for its considerable humor... A tall order and not a uniformly successful one, but a really entertaining effort..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 676 words, 02/18/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "Helms's entire performance is a quiet, perfectly pitched marvel. He's found a way to color in his usual uptightness with true anger, joy, and surprise."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 874 words, 02/18/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Sure, it may make you uncomfortable while you laugh. But only if you've gotten a little too comfortable laughing at small-town squares."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 555 words, 02/11/11
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: GOOD(cg) "...offers a solid 20 minutes of comedy, but dancing at the edges are the requisite movie-fillers -- the hooker, the drunken party, the puking -- that inevitably detract..."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 438 words, 03/04/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a fish-out-of-water story that never strays far from a formula and yet still manages to feel fresh.... piles up laugh after laugh agreeably."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 241 words, 02/18/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a loving tribute to American innocence.... even more uncomfortably funny than one of those sweet-and-salty Judd Apatow comedies."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 415 words, 02/18/11
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a mild comedy of embarrassment... makes for some lively farce before the obligatory cringe-inducing Capra-worthy closer."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 538 words, 02/09/11
Scott Tobias, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...walks a thin line between good-natured mockery and hayseed condescension... the cast, anchored by sweetly goofy Ed Helms, redeems the film at every turn..."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 359 words, 02/10/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a reliable set-up for farce, but somehow 'Cedar Rapids' never breaks free of its influences to establish its own rhythm."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 375 words, 02/10/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "...makes you laugh -- often and out loud.... it wanders from gleeful comedy to glib condescension and then back again.... It's awfully funny, though, and touching..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 304 words, 02/11/11
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the hardiest joke is just how brazenly derivative it is. That is not an indictment... it has the courage of its cliches, though some of the brushstrokes seem too broad by half."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 876 words, 02/21/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...characters to laugh with, rather than at... a basic mix of sex, drugs and karaoke, along with some double-dealing betrayals to up the stakes."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 863 words, 02/11/11
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: GOOD "...consistently entertaining... could almost be seen as a fuddy-duddy, Midwestern riff on that what-happens-in-Vegas theme... good natured enough to win everybody over..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 891 words, 01/24/11
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "Helms lands a sturdy showcase for his trademark awkwardness and nerdy charms... balances gentle mockery with affection, and displays a taste for raucous profanity."(See all of David Rooney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 841 words, 01/24/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...characters to laugh with, rather than at... a basic mix of sex, drugs and karaoke, along with some double-dealing betrayals to up the stakes."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 863 words, 02/11/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: EXCELLENT(cg) "...always good-natured and often outrageously funny... Miguel Arteta's film represents a disarming new spin on Hollywood's long-cherished genre of the heartland comedy."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 552 words, 02/13/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "...makes you laugh -- often and out loud.... it wanders from gleeful comedy to glib condescension and then back again.... It's awfully funny, though, and touching..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 304 words, 02/11/11
12.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Cedar Rapids's reviews are separated by an average 12.2 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.
Cedar Rapids (44 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Cedar Rapids's reviews cover 85.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 22,788 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 518 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Cedar Rapids Coverage, Volume & Length (44 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 24.5 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Cedar Rapids's reviews on average broke 24.5 hours 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 Cedar Rapids's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Cedar Rapids (44 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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