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FISH TANKMovie Reviews
Drama about a sullen and rebellious 15 year-old girl, living in a housing project in England with her mother and sister, who begins an ugly rivalry with her mother for the affections of a man. Cast:Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Griffiths, Katie Jarvis, Sydney Mary Nash, Harry TreadawayDirector:Andrea ArnoldRelease Date:January 15, 2010DVD Release:June 8, 2010From:IFCLength:2 hr 3 min
Fish Tank played in key cities to sensational reviews. • Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today, "...a brilliantly acted and achingly bleak coming-of-age story.... hauntingly conveys a genuine sense of adolescence and an environment that seems lacking in hope and promise." • And Cary Darling wrote in the Dallas Morning News, "...as portrayed by Katie Jarvis, Mia is compulsively watchable and unforgettable." More Reviews Below...
Fish Tank Positive Reviews (43 Reviews, reviews below)
David Germain, Associated Press: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...enormously satisfying.... it all feels genuine, even inevitable, thanks to the devoted, fearless cast and writer/director Andrea Arnold's attention to detail..."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 552 words, 01/14/10
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...mostly steers clear of the expected, especially with the remarkable Katie Jarvis in the lead, a non-pro who was 17 when the movie was shot."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 329 words, 01/15/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The characters feel real. They talk like real people. And, most importantly, they do not seem to be acting to conform to the contortions of a script.... compelling drama..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 857 words, 02/09/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Katie Jarvis, 18, hits you like a shot in the heart with her sensational breakout performance. And cheers to Andrea Arnold, who flies on her own unerring instincts."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 219 words, 01/22/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...brilliantly acted and achingly bleak... Jarvis' breakthrough performance and Arnold's talent for evoking such naturalistic portrayals are promising, indeed."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 01/29/10
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Katie Jarvis is a powerful acting presence, flawlessly convincing here. Director Andrea Arnold deserves comparison with a British master director like Ken Loach."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 690 words, 02/04/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...nearly flawless.... the movie is Mia's played by Katie Jarvis... Ms. Jarvis's triumph, and Ms. Arnold's, are hardly in doubt."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,067 words, 01/15/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...not as grim as it sounds. Arnold generally steers clear of cinematic melodrama, and Jarvis infuses the entire film with the sort of kinetic spirit that heralds a new talent."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 141 words, 01/15/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Katie Jarvis so completely captures the innocence, cynicism and rage of a child of poverty and divorce on the edge of adulthood that it feels as if you are spying on Mia..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 860 words, 01/29/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Director Andrea Arnold withheld the script from her actors until only a few days before filming... she wanted raw, present-tense electricity among her actors. She got it."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 468 words, 02/05/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Katie Jarvis is a powerful acting presence, flawlessly convincing here. Director Andrea Arnold deserves comparison with a British master director like Ken Loach."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 690 words, 02/04/10
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Jarvis defines the concept of naturalistic acting.... 'Fish Tank' attains aspects of a thriller as it proceeds towards its unforeseen conclusion."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 600 words, 02/19/10
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "Working a mine of ambiguity, Fassbender does a superb job keeping us guessing.... Jarvis is equally adroit at summoning and maintaining our sympathy."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 669 words, 02/19/10
Rick Warner, Orange County Register: EXCELLENT(cg) "Like Arnold's debut feature, 'Red Road,' 'Fish Tank' is gritty, realistic and riveting. Watching her movies is more like eavesdropping than entertainment."(See all of Rick Warner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 264 words, 01/29/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "Arnold isn't interested in reinventing the coming-of-age story; she's more intent on exploring what drives people to make the choices they do."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 293 words, 02/18/10
KEY CITIES (14 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...lives up to its name as an examination of characters trapped in close quarters, trying to survive choppy emotional waters.... tough, explosive, intimate and bruising."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 902 words, 02/05/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Like the kitchen-sink dramas by Lindsay Anderson, Ken Loach, and Tony Richardson that have clearly influenced Arnold... it's compellingly real."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 02/12/10
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a valuable movie, though it aspires to a social insight it doesn't attain and a psychological penetration it won't maintain."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 03/05/10
Cary Darling, Dallas Morning News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a frank and powerful glimpse of a dead-end British teenage life... as portrayed by Katie Jarvis, Mia is compulsively watchable and unforgettable."(See all of Cary Darling's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 02/26/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "The director's eye for detail at times seems magical... Andrea Arnold has a knack for making a scene breathe as if you're right there in the middle of it..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 721 words, 01/29/10
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Katie Jarvis is a fascinating presence before the camera -- it's as if she's wary of it, but that wariness perfectly suits a character who's learned to trust no one."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 490 words, 02/26/10
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "...slow-moving and sometimes grueling, but it's more of a chronicle than narrative, a series of slices-of-life rather than an unfolding and increasingly engrossing enigma."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 380 words, 03/05/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "Arnold devises an unbearably tense ending that keeps us guessing. Fortunately, 'Fish Tank' feeds us more than crumbs and leaves us feeling like we've come up for air."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 349 words, 03/05/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "It's hard to watch, but then again it's hard not to watch.... has no easy answers -- we all just swim around and around -- but man, does it have some good questions."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 282 words, 03/05/10
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "The character doesn't say much, so Katie Jarvis is forced -- without a trace of actorly conceit -- to rely on actions and expressions to reflect inner turmoil."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 03/26/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "No one escapes untainted, but thanks to Arnold's lucid, edgy, detached naturalistic style, no one watching can escape feeling both empathy and uneasiness."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 564 words, 04/22/10
Mike D'Angelo, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Arnold often shows a great deal of promise... she's fully alive to small sensual pleasures... At the same time, though, her overall touch can be remarkably coarse..."(See all of Mike D'Angelo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 393 words, 05/14/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "Arnold isn't interested in reinventing the coming-of-age story; she's more intent on exploring what drives people to make the choices they do."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 293 words, 02/18/10
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: EXCELLENT "Though her actions are chilling, it's kind of thrilling to watch the girl get so crazy -- and, more impressive, her behavior, however extreme, always seems realistic."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 359 words, 02/04/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "Ms. Arnold relieves the grittiness with interludes of intense pleasure... It's her creation from the very first commanding shot -- Mia facing the camera -- and it's a fine one."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 812 words, 01/22/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...nearly flawless.... the movie is Mia's played by Katie Jarvis... Ms. Jarvis's triumph, and Ms. Arnold's, are hardly in doubt."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,067 words, 01/15/10
David Denby, New Yorker: OUTSTANDING "...may begin as a patch of lower-class chaos, but it turns into a commanding, emotionally satisfying movie, comparable to such classics as 'The 400 Blows.' "(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 148 words, 01/11/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Katie Jarvis so completely captures the innocence, cynicism and rage of a child of poverty and divorce on the edge of adulthood that it feels as if you are spying on Mia..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 860 words, 01/29/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Leslie Felperin, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...what makes pic feel special is its unflinching honesty and lack of sentimentality or moralizing, along with assured direction and excellent perfs."(See all of Leslie Felperin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 05/15/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Katie Jarvis so completely captures the innocence, cynicism and rage of a child of poverty and divorce on the edge of adulthood that it feels as if you are spying on Mia..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 860 words, 01/29/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD(cg) "...the free form arrangement of scenes that carry an improvisational intensity... at once tender and sharp, but also ungainly and insufficiently shaped."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 852 words, 01/05/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...nearly flawless.... the movie is Mia's played by Katie Jarvis... Ms. Jarvis's triumph, and Ms. Arnold's, are hardly in doubt."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,067 words, 01/15/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "Ms. Arnold relieves the grittiness with interludes of intense pleasure... It's her creation from the very first commanding shot -- Mia facing the camera -- and it's a fine one."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 812 words, 01/22/10
14.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Fish Tank's reviews are separated by an average 14.3 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.
Fish Tank (43 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Fish Tank's reviews cover 64.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 21,651 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 504 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Fish Tank Coverage, Volume & Length (43 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 5 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Fish Tank's reviews on average broke 5 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 Fish Tank's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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