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FOR ELLENMovie Reviews
Drama about an aspiring rock star in the midst of a divorce that will cause him to forfeit custody of his six-year-old daughter. Cast:Paul Dano, Jon Heder, Jena Malone, Margarita Leveiva, Shaylena MandigoDirector:So Yong KimRelease Date:September 5, 2012DVD Release:February 19, 2013From:Tribeca FilmsLength:1 hr. 33 min.
For Ellen played in limited release to good reviews. • Michael Phillips wrote in the Chicago Tribune, "The film owns up to only so much of the main character's narcissism, but it's an interesting tussle. Dano, as ever, remains a talented and exasperating solo artist." • And Emanuel Levy wrote for Cinema 24/7, "...sharply uneven and too literal." More Reviews Below...
For Ellen Positive Reviews (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...full of choppy visuals and punishing silences, a vaguely Euro style that says: 'Life's a bummer'.... so minimalist that it's hard to glimpse the man behind the woe."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 81 words, 09/07/12
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Paul Dano's performance must have required some courage. It requires an actor to cast aside all conceits of performance, presence, charisma and even timing."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 631 words, 10/19/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a remarkably quiet film.... simple, closely observed... Ms. Kim and Mr. Dano settle for a kind of suggestive vagueness, losing the thread of their character..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 09/05/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a chilly, often silent little chamber piece... In a film that deliberately recalls 1970's 'Five Easy Pieces,' Dano's performance as a lost dreamer resonates beautifully."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 176 words, 09/07/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a small but exquisite film, beautifully observed and impeccably executed... Paul Dano does some of the best, most nuanced work of his career..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 741 words, 10/19/12
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...seems to assume that we'll find Paul Dano's lost-boy shtick interesting. But he never comes across as complicated, just tiresome, insipid and self-absorbed."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 133 words, 09/07/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The film owns up to only so much of the main character's narcissism, but it's an interesting tussle. Dano, as ever, remains a talented and exasperating solo artist."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 417 words, 10/19/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Paul Dano's performance must have required some courage. It requires an actor to cast aside all conceits of performance, presence, charisma and even timing."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 631 words, 10/19/12
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "A lean character study of a classic, if hardly articulate, modern lost-boy archetype... Paul Dano, with his remarkably guileless meta-teen puss, is thoroughly convincing..."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 205 words, 09/05/12
KEY CITIES (3 Reviews)
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...has a sense of drift that both vexes and beguiles... the film tries one's patience, but what works, works for keeps."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 09/21/12
Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...despite Dano's riveting, deeply internalized performance, the film falls short... there's not enough substance to support So Yong Kim's languid style..."(See all of Jeff Shannon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 269 words, 09/14/12
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "A lean character study of a classic, if hardly articulate, modern lost-boy archetype... Paul Dano, with his remarkably guileless meta-teen puss, is thoroughly convincing..."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 205 words, 09/05/12
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Kim elicits a naturalistic performance out of the non-professional actress Shaylena Mandingo... it's a shame that Paul Dano is his typically mannered self."(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 09/20/12
Alison Willmore, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a micro-portrait, less a story than an intimate observation.... seems more driven by its basic concept than by credible characters."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 09/06/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The fact that Ellen's view is as vital to 'For Ellen' as Joby's recalls director So Yong Kim's previous feature, the astounding 'Treeless Mountain'.... terrific..."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,114 words, 09/06/12
Chris Cabin, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Kim's direction remains ruminative, even poetic, in its pacing, its sense of place, and its approach to intimacy, but this is by some measure his most unsuitable script."(See all of Chris Cabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 794 words, 08/30/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a remarkably quiet film.... simple, closely observed... Ms. Kim and Mr. Dano settle for a kind of suggestive vagueness, losing the thread of their character..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 09/05/12
Mark Jenkins, NPR: GOOD "...reflects real-life anxieties. It's certainly not one of those movies in which moppets are preternaturally wise, with transcendentally simple emotions..."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 503 words, 09/06/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a small but exquisite film, beautifully observed and impeccably executed... Paul Dano does some of the best, most nuanced work of his career..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 741 words, 10/19/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Robert Koehler, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "...deeply sad and touching... Paul Dano delivers a beautifully wrought performance... So Yong Kim keeps the pacing slow and steady..."(See all of Robert Koehler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 643 words, 01/22/12
Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...deliberately paced.... even a fractional character arc represents progress and Joby's struggle toward self-realization is admirable to the extent that it's actually persuasive."(See all of Justin Lowe's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 01/23/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a small but exquisite film, beautifully observed and impeccably executed... Paul Dano does some of the best, most nuanced work of his career..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 741 words, 10/19/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...sharply uneven and too literal.... The film suffers from slow, deliberate pacing and from an underdeveloped scenario, which largely revolves around one main persona."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 08/30/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a remarkably quiet film.... simple, closely observed... Ms. Kim and Mr. Dano settle for a kind of suggestive vagueness, losing the thread of their character..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 09/05/12
16.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
For Ellen's reviews are separated by an average 16.5 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.
For Ellen (20 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:For Ellen's reviews cover 27.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,460 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 423 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
For Ellen Coverage, Volume & Length (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 5 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
For Ellen'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 For Ellen's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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