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ELLES (2012)Movie Reviews
French language drama about a Parisian journalist who is drawn into the lives of two student prostitutes she is writing about. Cast:Juliette Binoche, Anaïs Demoustier, Joanna KuligDirector:Malgoska SzumowskaRelease Date:April 27, 2012DVD Release:September 11, 2012From:Kino LorberRating:NC-17Length:1 hr 36 min
Elles (2012) played in key cities to moderate reviews. • Alison Willmore wrote for the AV Club, "...racy and often sexy, but underneath that simmers an old-school feminist anger." • And Joe Williams wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "...the notion that a worldly Parisian is so estranged from the erotic universe is hard to swallow... 'Elles' is provocative company, but it leaves us feeling hustled." More Reviews Below...
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Binoche makes a strong impression, but 'Elles' seems inadequate to her character and forces simplistic conclusions when more complex ones are needed."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 06/08/12
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Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Binoche proves why she is such a world-renowned actress with the way she conveys ideas... the film provides many questions with no easy answers."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 229 words, 04/27/12
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...offers no new insight into the sordid world of prostitution and the dangers sex workers face.... a superficial and voyeuristic film."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 226 words, 04/27/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...has the courage of its convictions to lead the audience to a truthfully open-ended conclusion, allowing us to draw a conclusion or two of our own."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 281 words, 06/08/12
John Anderson, New York Newsday: WEAK(cg) "Juliette Binoche is always intelligent and engaging, but the lazy parallels drawn between hookers and middle-class mothers seem, at best, a little offensive."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 340 words, 05/04/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Binoche makes a strong impression, but 'Elles' seems inadequate to her character and forces simplistic conclusions when more complex ones are needed."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 06/08/12
Benjamin Mercer, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "It's entirely too much for Malgoska Szumowska to coherently flesh out in an hour and a half, especially with so much time dedicated just to the state of arousal."(See all of Benjamin Mercer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 275 words, 04/25/12
KEY CITIES (6 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "...provocative but frustrating... Sex, the filmmaker argues, is a commodity that women have, that men want and that women will exchange for what they really want..."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 461 words, 04/27/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "Every elegant camera angle in 'Elles' suggests something painstakingly belabored -- but it's less accomplished in filling in details about the characters."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 368 words, 06/22/12
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "Both provocative and muddled... a moody, passive-aggressive tract that's buoyed by superior performances and sunk by its own uncertainties."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 505 words, 05/11/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...has about half of a story stretched to feature length, and it manages to end just as a good story might have been kicking in."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 390 words, 05/18/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the notion that a worldly Parisian is so estranged from the erotic universe is hard to swallow... 'Elles' is provocative company, but it leaves us feeling hustled."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 264 words, 04/27/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Benjamin Mercer, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "It's entirely too much for Malgoska Szumowska to coherently flesh out in an hour and a half, especially with so much time dedicated just to the state of arousal."(See all of Benjamin Mercer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 275 words, 04/25/12
Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...a thin excuse for a series of distasteful soft-core sex scenes. For the audience, the sooner these voyeuristic interludes are over, the better. Ditto, this unpleasant movie."(See all of Gerald Peary's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 91 words, 05/10/12
Alison Willmore, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...racy and often sexy, but underneath that simmers an old-school feminist anger.... it overcomes its schematic and outdated approach to female sexuality..."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 397 words, 04/26/12
Alyssa Pelish, Pop Matters: MODERATE(cg) "...uses prostitution to suggest the very old idea that beneath the surface of the bourgeoisie lies emotion as perverse and menacing as any."(See all of Alyssa Pelish's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 770 words, 05/17/12
Jesse Cataldo, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "Like that opening sex scene, presented just muddily enough to seem both slightly lurid and tastefully grave, 'Elles' comes off as equally simplistic and indistinct."(See all of Jesse Cataldo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 04/18/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Binoche proves why she is such a world-renowned actress with the way she conveys ideas... the film provides many questions with no easy answers."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 229 words, 04/27/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Rob Nelson, Daily Variety: POOR "A typically smart performance by Juliette Binoche isn't enough to keep 'Elles' from drowning in pseudo-intellectual pretension and general banality."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 644 words, 09/26/11
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: WEAK "Everything is too easy. Selling one's body for money is little more than a lark. The portrayal of bourgeois life in all its glorious emptiness is facile..."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 833 words, 09/13/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Binoche proves why she is such a world-renowned actress with the way she conveys ideas... the film provides many questions with no easy answers."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 229 words, 04/27/12
14.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Elles (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 14.4 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.
Elles (2012) (21 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Elles (2012)'s reviews cover 23.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,854 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 422 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 41.4 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Elles (2012)'s reviews on average broke 41.4 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 Elles (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Elles (2012) (21 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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