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FRANCINE (2012)Movie Reviews
Drama about a woman struggling to adjust to life after prison, who finds more comfort in the animals she cares for than the people she meets. Cast:Melissa Leo, Victoria Charkut, Keith Leonard, Mike HalsteadDirector:Brian M. Cassidy, Melanie ShatzkyRelease Date:September 12, 2012DVD Release: TBD From:Washington Square FilmsLength:1 hr 14 min
Francine (2012) played in limited release to good reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Mark Olsen wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "The film achieves unexpected moments of grace when Francine slips outside of herself... a small, detailed character study that never evolves into anything more." More Reviews Below...
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an example of the kind of film I'm likely to respond strongly to... Gene Siskel often told me lots of his favorite films were about how realistic characters live their lives. Yes."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 496 words, 11/09/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (7 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...a small gem of bleak, neorealist portraiture.... With no back story, few narrative and psychological clues, 'Francine' is an unsparing study of profound isolation."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 503 words, 09/12/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "The film achieves unexpected moments of grace when Francine slips outside of herself... a small, detailed character study that never evolves into anything more."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 171 words, 10/24/12
Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "What with the unexciting hand-held camerawork, and the off-putting script and lead performance, 'Francine' remains as frustrating as its inscrutable title character."(See all of Farran Smith Nehme's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 189 words, 09/14/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...this examination of a fogged-in soul, whose truest connections are made with animals, not humans, has a flinty integrity... Leo does wonders without saying much..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 280 words, 11/09/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an example of the kind of film I'm likely to respond strongly to... Gene Siskel often told me lots of his favorite films were about how realistic characters live their lives. Yes."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 496 words, 11/09/12
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "Simultaneously withholding and smothering.... reveals itself to be a project of few interesting ideas.... 'Francine' abandons its opacity for queasy-making cruelty."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 171 words, 09/12/12
KEY CITIES (1 Review)
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "...meandering.... Thanks to Melissa Leo's performance, we believe every moment of this sad, marginalized character, but we're not sorry to see her go."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 01/04/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "Simultaneously withholding and smothering.... reveals itself to be a project of few interesting ideas.... 'Francine' abandons its opacity for queasy-making cruelty."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 171 words, 09/12/12
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Melissa Leo alone is practically enough for a movie, but 'Francine' is such a small, short, incomplete one that it's easy to want more -- or less of this, and more of her..."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 09/13/12
Bill Weber, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "...encouragingly ambitious, but 'Francine' ultimately suffers from keeping its anti-heroine's stunted emotional capacities at arm's length."(See all of Bill Weber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 09/10/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...a small gem of bleak, neorealist portraiture.... With no back story, few narrative and psychological clues, 'Francine' is an unsparing study of profound isolation."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 503 words, 09/12/12
Ian Buckwalter, NPR: GOOD "...intimate... can sometimes feel aimless... [but] the immersive, quiet desperation of Leo's performance more than compensates, as does the directors' keen eye for detail."(See all of Ian Buckwalter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 610 words, 09/13/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "The film achieves unexpected moments of grace when Francine slips outside of herself... a small, detailed character study that never evolves into anything more."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 171 words, 10/24/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...this sad, offbeat character study is often willfully ambiguous but gets at something true and stirring, even unsettling, about its protagonist's stunted emotional growth."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 619 words, 02/13/12
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "The stealth impact is tremendous given the film's simplicity and strangeness.... same goes for Melissa Leo's performance, an exceptional demonstration of power in silence."(See all of David Rooney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 883 words, 02/13/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "The film achieves unexpected moments of grace when Francine slips outside of herself... a small, detailed character study that never evolves into anything more."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 171 words, 10/24/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...a small gem of bleak, neorealist portraiture.... With no back story, few narrative and psychological clues, 'Francine' is an unsparing study of profound isolation."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 503 words, 09/12/12
20.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Francine (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 20.6 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.
Francine (2012) (13 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Francine (2012)'s reviews cover 17.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 5,310 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 408 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 11 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Francine (2012)'s reviews on average broke 11 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 Francine (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Francine (2012) (13 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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