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EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOPMovie Reviews
Comedic documentary ostensibly about some of the world's most well-known graffiti artists, but really about the filmmaker's relationship to filmmaking and art. Cast:Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Thierry Guetta, Rhys Ifans, Space InvaderDirector:Banksy, Shepard FaireyRelease Date:April 16, 2010DVD Release:December 14, 2010From:Producers Distribution AgencyRating:RLength:1 hr 27 min
DECEMBER 14, 2010
Exit Through the Gift Shop, Outstanding Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
Exit Through the Gift Shop played in key cities to outstanding reviews. • Alynda Wheat wrote in People, "...isn't just that it's the best documentary so far this year, but that it's as insightful as it is funny." • And Joe Morgenstern wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "...droll, aerosol-thin and ultrameta... 'The joke's on... I don't know who the joke's on, really. I don't know if there is a joke.' Exactly." More Reviews Below...
Exit Through the Gift Shop Positive Reviews (41 Reviews, reviews below)
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...guides you through the world of street art before showing you the door, leaving you -- as all thought-provoking graffiti does -- amused, thrilled, bewildered..."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 04/15/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...riotously entertaining.... also has plenty to say about the power of hype and how renegade art is easily co-opted and corrupted by social and economic forces."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 258 words, 02/24/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "(1) 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' is an admirable and entertaining documentary; (2) I believe it is not a hoax; (3) I would not much want a Thierry Guetta original..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 796 words, 04/29/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "Even as you're laughing, you'll be wondering whether the wickedly mischievous 'Exit' is an instructive documentary or an elaborate hoax."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 04/16/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Subversive, provocative and unexpected... Even when you think you've figured this film out, you can't shake the notion that maybe you haven't."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 939 words, 04/16/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...brilliantly untrustworthy... reminds us that a film can start out in one direction and then change course so radically, it becomes an act of provocation unto itself."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 484 words, 04/30/10
John Anderson, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "...attempts to expand the reach and themes of Banksy's impermanent street art... his curious success punches yet another hole in the concept of celebrity."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 313 words, 05/07/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "(1) 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' is an admirable and entertaining documentary; (2) I believe it is not a hoax; (3) I would not much want a Thierry Guetta original..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 796 words, 04/29/10
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "...not just the definitive portrait of street-art counterculture, but also a hilarious exposé on the gullibility of the masses who embrace manufactured creative personas."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 464 words, 04/14/10
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The truth may be negotiable in 'Exit Through the Gift Shop,' Banksy's directing debut, but to the man's credit, he never wavers from showing us a good time."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 786 words, 05/07/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...enormous fun.... If a guy like Guetta can call something art, then anyone can call anything art. And if someone's willing to buy it, who's to say it isn't? "(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 376 words, 05/06/10
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a beguiling and subversively funny entertainment that considers art's worth from many angles, including that of guerrilla painters, gallerists, and seasoned collectors."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 689 words, 04/23/10
G. Allen Johnson, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "If it is all a put-on, count me tagged. I had too much fun to care.... not only fabulously made, it will probably spark a discussion about what art is and its role in society."(See all of G. Allen Johnson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 283 words, 05/07/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...who is disillusioned? Banksy, who sees his cut-and-paste style stolen? Guetta, who sells out in a heartbeat? Art fans, who don't seem to know when they've been had?"(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 484 words, 10/01/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...poses some bitingly funny questions about the meaning and value of art. Is it in the eye of the beholder? Is it truth plus beauty? Anything you can get away with?"(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 04/30/10
Alan Niester, Arizona Republic: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...it doesn't matter whether the film is true or not. Either way, it's fascinating. Either way, we learn a lot. Either way, it's a great film."(See all of Alan Niester's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 555 words, 06/25/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...one of the best, most karmically satisfying comedies of the year, much to the chagrin of the people who are in it."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 858 words, 04/23/10
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: EXCELLENT(cg) "...an incisive commentary on pop art, modern streetscapes, and the measures people take to achieve faux-celebrity.... Is it art or public pranks? Yes."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 380 words, 06/18/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...as the documentary morphs into a riddle about art in the marketplace, the eyes of the beholder get crossed, and the dizziness is part of the fun."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 349 words, 05/14/10
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: OUTSTANDING(cg) "What makes 'Exit' so fascinating - and it is riveting - is the eloquent and exciting way in which it illustrates how beauty and meaning really are in the eye of the beholder..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 629 words, 06/25/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "...not just the definitive portrait of street-art counterculture, but also a hilarious exposé on the gullibility of the masses who embrace manufactured creative personas."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 464 words, 04/14/10
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "Banksy allows that his protégé's art might be 'a bit of a joke.' Could the tale of Guetta -- now known as Mr. Brainwash -- be an elaborate hoax? I'm happy not to be sure."(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 04/22/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...enormous fun.... If a guy like Guetta can call something art, then anyone can call anything art. And if someone's willing to buy it, who's to say it isn't? "(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 376 words, 05/06/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: EXCELLENT(cg) "...no matter how you gauge its veracity, 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' captures the exhilaration of an underground movement and the gullibility of the arts establishment."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 719 words, 04/30/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "...droll, aerosol-thin and ultrameta... 'The joke's on... I don't know who the joke's on, really. I don't know if there is a joke.' Exactly."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 225 words, 04/16/10
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: FAIR "...feels dangerously close to the promotion of a cult -- almost, dare one say it, of a brand.... all you need is the nerve to exhibit that desire. Then hit Send."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 772 words, 04/19/10
David Edelstein, NPR Fresh Air: EXCELLENT "If Banksy had to manufacture Mr. Brainwash to drive home his points, the satire is too rich to make me cry foul.... he can vandalize our movie screens anytime."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 344 seconds, 04/16/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Subversive, provocative and unexpected... Even when you think you've figured this film out, you can't shake the notion that maybe you haven't."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 939 words, 04/16/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "...a raucously entertaining postmodern survey of guerrilla street art that appears to be one thing only to fold back on itself and examine would-be filmmaker Thierry Guetta..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 01/26/10
Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "Questions of authorship, authenticity and credibility cleave through 'Exit Through the Gift Shop,' a nearly unclassifiable hybrid documentary..."(See all of Justin Lowe's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 01/26/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Subversive, provocative and unexpected... Even when you think you've figured this film out, you can't shake the notion that maybe you haven't."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 939 words, 04/16/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "...droll, aerosol-thin and ultrameta... 'The joke's on... I don't know who the joke's on, really. I don't know if there is a joke.' Exactly."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 225 words, 04/16/10
9.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Exit Through the Gift Shop's reviews are separated by an average 9.8 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.
Exit Through the Gift Shop (41 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Exit Through the Gift Shop's reviews cover 77.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 18,856 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 460 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Exit Through the Gift Shop Coverage, Volume & Length (41 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 25 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Exit Through the Gift Shop's reviews on average broke 25 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 Exit Through the Gift Shop's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Exit Through the Gift Shop (41 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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