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COURAGEOUSMovie Reviews
Drama about four young law enforcement officers faced with a tragedy that draws them closer to God and to their children. Cast:Alex Kendrick, Ken Bevel, Kevin Downes, Rusty Martin Sr.Director:Alex KendrickRelease Date:September 30, 2011DVD Release:January 17, 2012From:Sony PicturesRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 40 min
Courageous played to weak reviews. • Keith Staskiewicz wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "...eventually devolves into over-the-top drama and a suffocating heavy-handedness.... for all intents and purposes the theater seats might as well be pews." • And James Ward wrote in the Arizona Republic, "...frequently hectoring and (worse) plodding..." More Reviews Below...
Keith Staskiewicz, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...eventually devolves into over-the-top drama and a suffocating heavy-handedness.... for all intents and purposes the theater seats might as well be pews."(See all of Keith Staskiewicz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 199 words, 10/07/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (3 Reviews)
Paul Brunick, New York Times: WEAK "...a slog... Though the scenes of light comedy are mildly amusing, and the action set pieces are competently directed, they feel tacked on to the main storyline..."(See all of Paul Brunick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 236 words, 10/03/11
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...a particularly clunky, tunnel-visioned vehicle whose overbearing, overlong script nearly smothers the movie's quibble-free message: Fathers must be responsible."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 418 words, 10/03/11
Nick Schager, Village Voice: POOR "...endlessly expounds on the importance of God in men's lives but fails to answer the more pressing question of why religious sagas such as this treat subtlety as a sin."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 10/05/11
KEY CITIES (3 Reviews)
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: WEAK(cg) "...a cut and many, many edits above writer Stephen Kendrick and writer/director/actor Alex Kendrick's first faith-based drama 'Fireproof'... it's often a soapy melodrama..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 583 words, 09/30/11
James Ward, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Its central point is admirable.... But at well over two hours, the film suffers from a frequently hectoring and (worse) plodding quality."(See all of James Ward's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 436 words, 09/30/11
Tom Russo, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...brought to you by Affirm Films, Sony Pictures' religious-demographic division, meaning that a certain amount of the preaching is literal. It's a blunt approach..."(See all of Tom Russo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 356 words, 10/03/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (3 Reviews)
Nick Schager, Village Voice: POOR "...endlessly expounds on the importance of God in men's lives but fails to answer the more pressing question of why religious sagas such as this treat subtlety as a sin."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 10/05/11
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: WEAK(cg) "...literally preaches to the converted... deifies fatherhood and fathers when it would be better off treating its central striver like a flawed human being instead of a paper saint."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 406 words, 09/28/11
Ed Gonzalez, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "Praise be to 'Courageous' for being upfront.... the film is a lesson plan for God's wayward sheep.... doesn't even pretend to be anything other than a crusade."(See all of Ed Gonzalez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 442 words, 09/30/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Paul Brunick, New York Times: WEAK "...a slog... Though the scenes of light comedy are mildly amusing, and the action set pieces are competently directed, they feel tacked on to the main storyline..."(See all of Paul Brunick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 236 words, 10/03/11
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...a particularly clunky, tunnel-visioned vehicle whose overbearing, overlong script nearly smothers the movie's quibble-free message: Fathers must be responsible."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 418 words, 10/03/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Joe Leydon, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...convincingly sincere but entirely too long-winded.... Alex Kendrick handles a few action setpieces with impressive dexterity... performances are credible and creditable."(See all of Joe Leydon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 439 words, 10/01/11
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "The characters are complex... But the episodic and frequently melodramatic storyline contains enough incidents and subplots to fill an entire television season."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 307 words, 09/30/11
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...a particularly clunky, tunnel-visioned vehicle whose overbearing, overlong script nearly smothers the movie's quibble-free message: Fathers must be responsible."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 418 words, 10/03/11
Paul Brunick, New York Times: WEAK "...a slog... Though the scenes of light comedy are mildly amusing, and the action set pieces are competently directed, they feel tacked on to the main storyline..."(See all of Paul Brunick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 236 words, 10/03/11
13.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Courageous's reviews are separated by an average 13.5 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.
Courageous (11 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Courageous's reviews cover 16.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 4,024 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 366 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 4 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Courageous's reviews on average broke 4 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 Courageous's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Courageous (11 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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