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DECLARATION OF WAR (LA GUERRE EST DÉCLARÉE)Movie Reviews
French language comedy drama about a young couple who learn that their infant son is critically ill and face the ordeal as a form of warfare. Cast:Valerie Donzelli, Jeremie Elkaim, Cesar Desseix, Gabriel Elkaim, Brigitte Sy, Elina Lowensohn, Michelle Moretti, Philippe Laudenbach, Bastien Bouillon, Philippe BarrassatDirector:Valérie DonzelliRelease Date:January 27, 2012DVD Release:June 5, 2012From:IFCLength:1 hr. 40 min.
JUNE 5, 2012
Declaration of War (La guerre est déclarée), Very Good Reviews Key Cities
Declaration of War (La guerre est déclarée) played in key cities to very good reviews. • Amy Biancolli wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...what a treat to find a movie so bright-eyed and true - without a trace of bathos - in its depiction of such a harrowing subject." • And Kyle Smith wrote in the New York Post, "...has it all: comedy, romance, fantasy, musical interludes and a child with a brain tumor. Wait — what?" More Reviews Below...
Declaration of War (La guerre est déclarée) Positive Reviews (27 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: VERY GOOD "...what makes this all not just bearable, but moving, is the emotional sincerity. Having lived through this in real life informed the performances..."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 853 words, 01/27/12
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "An adventurous song selection and stylish narrative techniques put a strangely romantic face on a harrowing story that's a parental nightmare."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 85 words, 01/27/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "The film may be too upbeat, especially the ending, which is too easy and contrived. Yet there's real emotion here, especially in the first half..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 640 words, 02/17/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...an exhilarating race against time.... For all its quirks and tangents, the film feels entirely alive. This story of two people who transform fear into action is inspiring."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 626 words, 01/27/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...visually stark, lively, organically engrossing... with a very real handle on the mental processes, and interpersonal demands, that come with issues of life and death."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 353 words, 01/27/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: EXCELLENT "...vibrant and heartfelt.... a very personal story for the very personal filmmaker Valérie Donzelli, who directs, co-writes and costars with Jérémie Elkaïm."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 652 words, 01/27/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "The film may be too upbeat, especially the ending, which is too easy and contrived. Yet there's real emotion here, especially in the first half..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 640 words, 02/17/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The actors project an ease and affinity on screen, and clearly some of that comes from the fact that Valérie Donzelli and Jérémie Elkaïm have ownership of the story..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 02/03/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The film was a huge hit in its home country and France's official 2012 Oscars submission. Puzzlingly, it did not make the shortlist. It belongs on yours."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 272 words, 02/17/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "These aren't people living inside a sad moment. They've already lived it and survived. Now they're performing it. They're posing."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 02/17/12
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...what a treat to find a movie so bright-eyed and true - without a trace of bathos - in its depiction of such a harrowing subject."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 329 words, 01/27/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...movingly chronicles a unique and terrible fight... It's a long-fought war, and a grim one; you watch aching for them and hoping all will be right."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 347 words, 02/17/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...teeters uneasily between the story of a sexy pair who want to have fun and a child in dire peril, and too often the fidgety technique wars with the grave subject matter."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 02/10/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The tonal shifts, 'Amelie'-style voiceover and the punk-retro soundtrack may jar some viewers who expect uninterrupted violins, but it's alternative therapy that really works."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 260 words, 03/09/12
Alicia Potter, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...cinematic oddities (and one terrific toddler actor) lift the film above easy tears, and the outcome is never boring.... involving, and ultimately thought-provoking..."(See all of Alicia Potter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 145 words, 02/16/12
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: GOOD(cg) "There's so much of everything -- so many unruly emotions... so many stylistic doodads and curlicues... that at any given moment, you almost don't know where to look."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 926 words, 01/26/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...an exhilarating race against time.... For all its quirks and tangents, the film feels entirely alive. This story of two people who transform fear into action is inspiring."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 626 words, 01/27/12
Ella Taylor, NPR: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...though it's certainly moving, it suffers from a frantically overproduced desperation to hold what the filmmakers seem to fear will be our wavering attention."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 584 words, 01/26/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...vibrant and heartfelt.... a very personal story for the very personal filmmaker Valérie Donzelli, who directs, co-writes and costars with Jérémie Elkaïm."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 652 words, 01/27/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: EXCELLENT "...bittersweet... profoundly affecting... a story about two pampered young Parisians who had to grow up in one hell of a hurry and deal with something dreadful..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 944 words, 01/27/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Boyd Van Hoeij, Daily Variety: GOOD "What sets 'War' apart from other countless disease-of-the-week movies is that it tells its heartfelt story in a lively and energetic style."(See all of Boyd Van Hoeij's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 674 words, 05/14/11
Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Flawed yet alluring... an engaging though not entirely convincing portrayal of a battle that began when the filmmaker's infant son was diagnosed with brain cancer."(See all of Jordan Mintzer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 599 words, 05/14/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...vibrant and heartfelt.... a very personal story for the very personal filmmaker Valérie Donzelli, who directs, co-writes and costars with Jérémie Elkaïm."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 652 words, 01/27/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...an exhilarating race against time.... For all its quirks and tangents, the film feels entirely alive. This story of two people who transform fear into action is inspiring."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 626 words, 01/27/12
13.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Declaration of War (La guerre est déclarée)'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.
Declaration of War (La guerre est déclarée) (27 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Declaration of War (La guerre est déclarée)'s reviews cover 44.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 12,325 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 456 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Declaration of War (La guerre est déclarée) Coverage, Volume & Length (27 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 12.8 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Declaration of War (La guerre est déclarée)'s reviews on average broke 12.8 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 Declaration of War (La guerre est déclarée)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Declaration of War (La guerre est déclarée) (27 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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