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FREAKONOMICSMovie Reviews
Documentary based on the book of the same name, that examines human behavior through the lens of statistics and incentives, rather than morals and ethics. Cast:Jade Viggiano, Zoe Sloane, Alyssa Wheeldon, Alisha Nagarsheth, Amancaya Aguilar, Sammuel SoiferDirector:Alex Gibney, Heidi Ewing, Seth GordonRelease Date:October 1, 2010DVD Release:January 18, 2011From:MagnoliaRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 25 min.
JANUARY 18, 2011
Freakonomics, Good (Not Great) Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
Freakonomics played in key cities to good not great reviews. • Christy Lemire wrote for the Associated Press, "Several acclaimed, award-winning documentarians take on various sections of the New York Times best-seller... there's simultaneously a lot of it and not enough." • And Shawn Levy called the film in the Portland Oregonian, "...diverting if superficial...." More Reviews Below...
Richard Corliss, Time: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a mixed bag, but well worth dipping into.... Levitt and Dubner can come on as engaging or super-smug but are certainly camera-friendly..."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,270 words, 10/02/10
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "Several acclaimed, award-winning documentarians take on various sections of the New York Times best-seller... there's simultaneously a lot of it and not enough."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 848 words, 09/30/10
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...most of what Dubner and Levitt say sounds not so much brain-tickling as obvious.... like Jujubes for the brain -- it starts to get cloying halfway through the box."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 168 words, 10/01/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...most atypical... at a time when the documentary format has become infected with Reality Show-itis, it's refreshing to find one that employs a more traditional approach."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 953 words, 10/01/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (7 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "...like leafing through a glossy magazine. At times it also suggests a contemporary, intellectualized descendant of the 'Mondo Cane' travelogues from the 1960s and '70s..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 713 words, 10/01/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Take six acclaimed filmmakers, with five Oscar nominations between them. Add a best-selling book, and you get... well, not much, as it turns out."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 169 words, 10/01/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "First came the bestselling book, then the sequel, and now comes 'Freakonomics' the movie... a documentary that too often sounds like an infomercial."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 10/01/10
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Seldom do documentaries set out in honest pursuit of hidden truths, but this film, based on the delightful best seller, is an invigorating and surprising journey."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 648 words, 10/01/10
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) " 'When you cannot measure, your knowledge is meager and unsatisfactory'... That one-liner sums up the satisfying lesson..."(See all of Bill Stamets's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 10/01/10
Dan Kois, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE " 'Pure Corruption,' Alex Gibney's meditation on sumo wrestling and corporate malfeasance, is the most artful and thoughtful of the four segments."(See all of Dan Kois's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 616 words, 09/29/10
KEY CITIES (9 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "Even if you've never read the book, why does the new documentary feel so familiar? Maybe it's because of all those cocktail-party conversations the book inspired."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 599 words, 10/01/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...examines social, cultural, and financial issues with an eye to getting people to think differently.... uneven, and even a little cloying, but its sum effect isn't bad..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 288 words, 10/01/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an uneven but often entertaining second-look at self-evident truths that, the numbers prove, aren't so self-evident at all."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 422 words, 01/24/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...assembles a supergroup of acclaimed documentary filmmakers to adapt the controversial blockbuster book... Each tackles a fascinating topic."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 484 words, 10/15/10
Dan Kois, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE " 'Pure Corruption,' Alex Gibney's meditation on sumo wrestling and corporate malfeasance, is the most artful and thoughtful of the four segments."(See all of Dan Kois's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 616 words, 09/29/10
Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: EXCELLENT(cg) "...it would be impossible for any casual movie-goer to be bored... interesting, engaging, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, and, simply, a fantastic documentary."(See all of Eric Eisenberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 610 words, 09/29/10
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...an enjoyably light and lively pop artifact aimed at bringing some unusual economic theories to the masses.... also a mishmash of poorly synched visions."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 527 words, 09/30/10
Lauren Wissot, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "Each segment is a standalone piece, divided by Seth Gordon's clunky and inorganic interludes and only tangentially related to the larger whole."(See all of Lauren Wissot's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 770 words, 09/26/10
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: MODERATE(cg) "There's an appealing sort of crazy, on the surface, to 'Freakonomics' -- the theory, the book, and now the documentary: It sounds so reasonable at first glance..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 723 words, 10/01/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "...like leafing through a glossy magazine. At times it also suggests a contemporary, intellectualized descendant of the 'Mondo Cane' travelogues from the 1960s and '70s..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 713 words, 10/01/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "First came the bestselling book, then the sequel, and now comes 'Freakonomics' the movie... a documentary that too often sounds like an infomercial."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 10/01/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
John Anderson, Daily Variety: GOOD "...a frisky adaptation of the Steven Levitt-Stephen Dubner bestseller... a revelatory trip into complex, innovative ideas and altered perspectives on how people think."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,027 words, 05/02/10
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...ultimately less than the sum of its parts -- an assemblage of moderately interesting human interest stories that don't carry much weight on the big screen."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 512 words, 05/01/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "First came the bestselling book, then the sequel, and now comes 'Freakonomics' the movie... a documentary that too often sounds like an infomercial."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 10/01/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "...like leafing through a glossy magazine. At times it also suggests a contemporary, intellectualized descendant of the 'Mondo Cane' travelogues from the 1960s and '70s..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 713 words, 10/01/10
16.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Freakonomics's reviews are separated by an average 16.0 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.
Freakonomics (27 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Freakonomics's reviews cover 45.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 15,034 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 557 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 18.4 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Freakonomics's reviews on average broke 18.4 hours 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 Freakonomics's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Freakonomics (27 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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