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CHARLIE ST. CLOUDMovie Reviews
Fantasy drama about a young man who takes a job as a caretaker in the cemetery where his younger brother is buried so that he can visit with his brother whenever he wants. Cast:Zac Efron, Kim Basinger, Amanda Crew, Donal Logue, Ray LiottaDirector:Burr SteersRelease Date:July 30, 2010DVD Release:November 9, 2010From:UniversalRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 39 min.
Charlie St. Cloud played to weak reviews. • Thelma Adams wrote in Us Weekly, "...comes off as an excuse for Efron to look dreamily at the camera with Windex-blue eyes as he drinks Jack Daniels and cries buckets." • And Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "Efron takes a confident half-step toward becoming a mature romantic lead. The film itself? Not so good." More Reviews Below...
Charlie St. Cloud Positive Reviews (41 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Like the handsomeness of heartthrobs before him (think Redford or Pitt), Efron's can distract from the fact that he actually can act."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 131 words, 07/29/10
David Germain, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...a bore, despite a somewhat clever twist -- somewhat because it momentarily jolts the story out of the doldrums before the movie settles back to sleep."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 07/29/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "Efron is in almost every frame and has a natural, physical ease on camera.... the sentimental story suffers from ladling on lightweight spirituality..."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 501 words, 07/30/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...you are supposed to be transported beyond skepticism on a wave of pure, tacky feeling. Instead, in this case, you drown in sentimental, ghoulish nonsense."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 789 words, 07/30/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Somehow, Efron rises above the sentimentality... this former tween idol is the saving grace in a movie that needs all the miracles it can muster."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 273 words, 07/30/10
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...maudlin and unintentionally hilarious... its main assets are Efron's baby blues and the even more lovely British Columbia locations masquerading as New England."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 372 words, 07/30/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: WEAK(cg) "Live your life. Live it to the fullest. These are the worthy sentiments of 'Charlie St. Cloud.' Director Burr Steers milks them dry, like an overeager farmer at milking time..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 07/30/10
Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Efron, supported by a solid cast, demonstrates again that he has the chops to continue his journey from the 'High School Musical' franchise to a serious career..."(See all of Bill Zwecker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 770 words, 07/30/10
Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "Efron does his best to carry the film... the rest feels a bit too formulaic, pretentious and cloying and takes a too long to deliver the dramatic fireworks."(See all of Bruce DeMara's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 07/30/10
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: POOR(cg) "...a packaged teen weepie that often feels stranger than it intends to be.... There's nothing subtle in the way the emotional strings are yanked here..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 542 words, 07/30/10
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an unapologetically schmaltzy affair, enormously effective on heartstrings and tear ducts.... The performances carry the film."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 424 words, 07/30/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: MODERATE(cg) "...ably packages Efron in a teen weeper, a transitional romance that takes the 'High School Musical' star into his 20s... But it's also a gimmicky glop of sentimental..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 07/30/10
Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: MODERATE(cg) "Guilt, grief and the struggle to move on are big themes, but unfortunately, director Burr Steers and his script writers aren't interested in exploring them."(See all of Kerry Lengel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 221 words, 07/30/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "It has no pulse, no apparent breath, and a curious odor seems to waft from the screen not long after Charlie and Sam win a race together in the opening scene."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 645 words, 07/30/10
Stephen Whitty, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: WEAK(cg) "...a schmaltzy sniffle at best.... if you want to see Zac Efron cry, 'Charlie St. Cloud' awaits. And if you want to see me cry, just make me watch it again."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 07/30/10
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Efron reads as a moral idea, one that has something to do with youthful striving and sensitivity, with meaning well and working hard.... and then, lo and behold, he can act."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 588 words, 07/30/10
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: FAIR(cg) "...should appeal primarily to three groups: fans of sailboat racing, fervent believers in angels, and adolescent minds content to swoon and gush over Zac Efron."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 490 words, 07/30/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: WEAK(cg) "...flirts with the mysticism of 'The Sixth Sense,' but it's more like a shelved episode of 'Touched by An Angel'... sappy script is a disservice to the naturally effervescent Efron..."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 330 words, 07/30/10
Scott Tobias, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...memorable mainly for attractive people sailing and smooching against an attractive backdrop. There's no urgency behind all the preening."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 07/29/10
Nick Schager, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...asking mush like this to grapple with theological questions is about as unreasonable as former A-lister Kim Basinger's cursory cameo as Charlie's mom is depressing."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 452 words, 07/26/10
Edward Adams, Atlanta Creative Loafing: WEAK(cg) "What starts out as a sappy love letter between brothers slowly, and I mean slowly, turns into a sappy, melodramatic farce... a drawn out bore..."(See all of Edward Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 654 words, 07/30/10
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: GOOD(cg) "...not a great film.... [but] there's something very moving about Charlie's plight, and in the poignancy of deciding whether or not to let go of the memories of those we love."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 757 words, 07/29/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...you are supposed to be transported beyond skepticism on a wave of pure, tacky feeling. Instead, in this case, you drown in sentimental, ghoulish nonsense."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 789 words, 07/30/10
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: FAIR "Those easily moved will sniffle as cued; anyone else is likely to remain dry-eyed.... Steers does avoid some potential bathos via brisk pacing and glossy packaging."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 763 words, 07/29/10
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: POOR "...the film doesn't just fail, it actually gets sillier by the minute. There is little worse in movies than earnestness hitched to the wrong project."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 735 words, 07/29/10
Patrick Z. McGavin, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "...rather inchoate and finally feels closer to a pastiche that collects different parts of other forms than ever registering as a fully realized work on its own."(See all of Patrick Z. McGavin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 908 words, 07/29/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...you are supposed to be transported beyond skepticism on a wave of pure, tacky feeling. Instead, in this case, you drown in sentimental, ghoulish nonsense."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 789 words, 07/30/10
14.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Charlie St. Cloud's reviews are separated by an average 14.9 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.
Charlie St. Cloud (41 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Charlie St. Cloud's reviews cover 71.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 19,615 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 478 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Charlie St. Cloud Coverage, Volume & Length (41 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 3.3 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Charlie St. Cloud's reviews on average broke 3.3 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 Charlie St. Cloud's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Charlie St. Cloud (41 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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