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FATHER OF INVENTIONMovie Reviews
Comedy drama about a disgraced infomercial guru who is determined to rebuild his life and career after serving a prison sentence for a defective invention that maimed its users. Cast:Kevin Spacey, Camilla Belle, Craig Robinson, Heather Graham, Johnny Knoxville, Virginia MadsenDirector:Trent CooperRelease Date:October 14, 2011DVD Release:October 25, 2011From:Anchor BayRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 34 min
Father of Invention played in New York City and Los Angeles to poor reviews. • Stephen Holden wrote in the New York Times, "You sense that the director Trent Cooper, at a loss as to how to generate laughs, threw up his hands and instructed the actors to kick and scream instead of act." • And Kirk Honeycutt wrote in the Hollywood Reporter, "...the acting is at the level of a bad TV sitcom..." More Reviews Below...
Father of Invention Positive Reviews (10 Reviews, reviews below)
Father of Invention has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "You sense that the director Trent Cooper, at a loss as to how to generate laughs, threw up his hands and instructed the actors to kick and scream instead of act."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 10/14/11
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Kevin Spacey works heroically to overcome the flaws, but Trent Cooper's flaky indie does depressingly little to earn its star's commitment."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 167 words, 10/14/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: POOR "Cooper made his feature debut with 'Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector' (allow that to sink in), and here he never finds the way to reconcile the film's conflicting tones."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 249 words, 10/14/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...worth a look on DVD... Cooper's highly predictable script provides Spacey with plenty of room to show his snarky stuff as a formerly wildly successful huckster..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 168 words, 10/14/11
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "The rather unappealing character of Axel is indulged with every opportunity for redemption, as Kevin Spacey is indulged with every opportunity to showboat."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 209 words, 10/12/11
KEY CITIES (1 Review)
Anthony Venutolo, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "...a supposedly edgy comedy... But it never reels us in.... promises a nasty little satire for a while but finally goes soft and self-pitying."(See all of Anthony Venutolo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 440 words, 10/14/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (3 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "The rather unappealing character of Axel is indulged with every opportunity for redemption, as Kevin Spacey is indulged with every opportunity to showboat."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 209 words, 10/12/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "You sense that the director Trent Cooper, at a loss as to how to generate laughs, threw up his hands and instructed the actors to kick and scream instead of act."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 10/14/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: POOR "Cooper made his feature debut with 'Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector' (allow that to sink in), and here he never finds the way to reconcile the film's conflicting tones."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 249 words, 10/14/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Ronnie Scheib, Daily Variety: WEAK "Colorless exposition and a lack of imagination or wit stall 'Father of Invention' at the starting gate.... Heather Graham sparks some welcome flashes of humor..."(See all of Ronnie Scheib's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 568 words, 10/11/11
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: POOR "...a lame and somewhat preachy comic take on a father trying to get back into his daughter's good graces.... the acting is at the level of a bad TV sitcom..."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 10/14/10
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: POOR "Cooper made his feature debut with 'Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector' (allow that to sink in), and here he never finds the way to reconcile the film's conflicting tones."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 249 words, 10/14/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "You sense that the director Trent Cooper, at a loss as to how to generate laughs, threw up his hands and instructed the actors to kick and scream instead of act."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 10/14/11
13.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Father of Invention's reviews are separated by an average 13.3 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.
Father of Invention (10 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Father of Invention's reviews cover 11.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 3,436 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 344 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Father of Invention Coverage, Volume & Length (10 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 18 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Father of Invention's reviews on average broke 18 days 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 Father of Invention's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Father of Invention (10 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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