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CHLOEMovie Reviews
Drama about a suspicious wife who hires an escort to attempt to seduce her husband, only to have the experiment spiral out of control. Cast:Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, Max Thieriot, R.H. ThomsonDirector:Atom EgoyanRelease Date:March 26, 2010DVD Release:July 13, 2010From:Sony ClassicsRating:RLength:1 hr 36 min
Chloe played in national release to fair reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Anthony Lane wrote in the New Yorker, "...there were times when I felt that we could be watching one of those soft-core cable dramas..." • And Marc Mohan wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "...the sort of engaging, intellectual stuff we've come to expect from the Canadian art house auteur..." More Reviews Below...
Alynda Wheat, People: POOR(cg) "...the script embroils Moore and Seyfried in such mortifying tawdriness that it exposes 'Chloe' for what it is: soft-core porn without the courage of its convictions."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 95 words, 03/25/10
David Germain, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...dead on arrival from the moment suspicious wife Moore, convinced husband Neeson is cheating on her, hires call girl Seyfried to push the man's buttons..."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 552 words, 03/25/10
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "Moore's character is so chilly she doesn't earn the audience's sympathy, and Neeson (who lost wife Natasha Richardson while shooting) seems utterly checked out."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 134 words, 03/25/10
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "Egoyan simply jettisons the usual thriller boilerplate and then stretches out everything else with arty indulgence.... most of 'Chloe' is plodding and drab."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 221 words, 03/26/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Far be it from me to complain about a surprisingly explicit sex scene between Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried, but what the hell? What was Egoyan thinking?"(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 886 words, 03/23/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: MODERATE(cg) "What happens when a jealous wife hires a hooker to make a play for her husband to see if he'll bite?... I didn't believe a word of it."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 121 words, 04/02/10
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...like Atom Egoyan's great film 'Exotica' (1994), 'Chloe' is about sexual attraction confused by financial arrangements.... It is not blatant but seductive..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 887 words, 03/25/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...the artistry Egoyan brings to the display feels tired and thin this time around.... When it's over, you're left feeling kind of cheap."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 819 words, 03/26/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "...all 'Chloe' really feels like is the whim of a man who was able to order up his wildest fantasy, and charge it straight to his expense account."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 347 words, 03/26/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: FAIR "Atom Egoyan's latest puzzle is just puzzling, little more than a messy affair with mood lighting, sexy lingerie, heavy breathing and swelling, um, music."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 03/26/10
Kyle Smith, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "A Skinemax movie cloaked in art-house fancy dress, the sex thriller 'Chloe' might have worked better as an out-and-out popcorn flick starring, say, Jennifer Lopez."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 329 words, 03/26/10
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: FAIR "Few films go as obviously and bewilderingly wrong, but for the first hour it's a potent little melodrama... contains the theme of unruly obsession like a straitjacket."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 03/29/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...like Atom Egoyan's great film 'Exotica' (1994), 'Chloe' is about sexual attraction confused by financial arrangements.... It is not blatant but seductive..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 887 words, 03/25/10
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...it's all too soigné to be truly risible, but, thanks to Egoyan's trademark mix of detachment and prurience, the fun is more cheesy than queasy."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 03/24/10
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...kudos to the redoubtable Neeson, who loyally returned from the tragic death of his wife Natasha Richardson, which occurred during filming, to finish his scenes."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 644 words, 03/26/10
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...it should be hot and, well, thrilling. But director Atom Egoyan's off-centre style and quirky rhythms subvert both the heat and the narrative."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 03/25/10
KEY CITIES (15 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...descends into a preposterous third act that, by any measure, qualifies as a disaster. But it's proof of Egoyan's skill that the film works for as long as it does."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 03/26/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a softcore variation on 'Fatal Attraction'... It has a cloying eroticism with sex scenes seemingly dictated by prurience alone."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 03/26/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "It stumbles in the end, alas, with a finale whose intensity seems faked, in a movie where every other scene rings true. 'Chloe' is seven-eighths of a strong thriller."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 562 words, 03/26/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: MODERATE(cg) "Unfortunately, everything goes south in the last act, Egoyan and his actors slipping down the 'Fatal Attraction'-like nut-job rabbit hole..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 03/26/10
Janice Page, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "...a stylish but silly erotic thriller... The characters in 'Chloe' are mostly well acted even though they're incompletely written."(See all of Janice Page's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 498 words, 03/26/10
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: EXCELLENT(cg) "It is alternately silly and stupid, not to mention implausible. But it is also an entertaining hoot of a movie, filled with steamy moments..."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 347 words, 03/26/10
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...intriguing... One leaves feeling not so much part of an audience's collective, cinematic dream, but disoriented by so much that remained unspoken."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 03/26/10
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "The first hour or so of Atom Egoyan's film is the sort of engaging, intellectual stuff we've come to expect from the Canadian art house auteur..."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 185 words, 03/26/10
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "Egoyan doesn't flinch from exploring the dark side of curiosity. That includes dealing with sexuality in a way that might make some moviegoers uncomfortable."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 314 words, 03/26/10
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: GOOD(cg) "The movie maintains its posture of mystery long after the solution is evident, and the best suggestion is to just smirk with the flow."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 03/25/10
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "...the sort of risibly naughty picture you'd normally find on late-night Cinemax - complete with a gratuitous girl-on-girl sex scene - only infinitely better acted."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 471 words, 03/26/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...it's all too soigné to be truly risible, but, thanks to Egoyan's trademark mix of detachment and prurience, the fun is more cheesy than queasy."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 03/24/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...voyeurism, fetishization, quasi-incest, and beyond.... succumbs to its conventions and devolves into a rehash of 'Fatal Attraction' and 'Basic Instinct.' "(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 144 words, 03/25/10
Keith Phipps, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...for a good stretch, 'Chloe' neatly fixes Egoyan's career-long obsessions with identity and communication to the familiar framework of the erotic thriller."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 479 words, 03/25/10
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...it should be hot and, well, thrilling. But director Atom Egoyan's off-centre style and quirky rhythms subvert both the heat and the narrative."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 03/25/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: EXCELLENT(cg) "The film's finale makes a few too many concessions to genre formula... [but] 'Chloe' turns out to be much too clever to be merely a guilty pleasure."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 654 words, 03/24/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...the artistry Egoyan brings to the display feels tired and thin this time around.... When it's over, you're left feeling kind of cheap."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 819 words, 03/26/10
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: POOR "...directed by Atom Egoyan, who should know better... there were times when I felt that we could be watching one of those soft-core cable dramas..."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 297 words, 03/22/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "Atom Egoyan's latest puzzle is just puzzling, little more than a messy affair with mood lighting, sexy lingerie, heavy breathing and swelling, um, music."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 03/26/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: FAIR "Director Atom Egoyan holds viewer interest for a while in this tale of marital stress, but then allows the plot to spin way over the top and, literally, out the window."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 09/16/09
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "Moore and Neeson beautifully underplay their roles, lending screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson's ('Secretary') dialogue an unexpected, palpable poignancy."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 512 words, 09/14/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "Atom Egoyan's latest puzzle is just puzzling, little more than a messy affair with mood lighting, sexy lingerie, heavy breathing and swelling, um, music."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 03/26/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "...suffers from identity crisis, unable to decide what kind of approach to take to its central issues, the nature of intimacy and trust..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,028 words, 03/10/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...the artistry Egoyan brings to the display feels tired and thin this time around.... When it's over, you're left feeling kind of cheap."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 819 words, 03/26/10
20.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Chloe's reviews are separated by an average 20.4 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.
Coverage:Chloe's reviews cover 73.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 18,409 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 449 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 61.1 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Chloe's reviews on average broke 61.1 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 Chloe's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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