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FREE STYLEMovie Reviews
Drama about a young man who yearns to break free from his economic constraints and make it big in motocross racing. Cast:Corbin Bleu, Penelope Ann Miller, Madison Pettis, Sandra Echeverria, Jesse MossDirector:William DearRelease Date:October 9, 2009DVD Release:February 9, 2010From:Samuel GoldwynRating:PGLength:1 hr 34 min
Free Style played in national release to weak reviews. • Bill Goodykoontz wrote in the Arizona Republic, "...has its heart in the right place, but it's crippled by an outlandishly sappy story." • And Cary Darling wrote in the Dallas Morning News, "...as predictable and cliché as 'Free Style' is, it moves along briskly enough and Corbin Bleu is compelling enough that it doesn't wear out its welcome." More Reviews Below...
Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly: WEAK(cg) "The plot, lifted wholesale from any number of kid-with-a-dream movies, unfolds just the way you think it will... until the climax turns out to be even cheesier than you feared."(See all of Adam Markovitz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 117 words, 10/09/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: FAIR "There's also a racial subtext (Cale's absent father is black) that's clearly meant to be present but is weirdly disconnected from what actually happens on screen..."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 301 words, 10/09/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...formulaic, with every character and plot point playing its assigned role. That it works is primarily because of the charisma of Corbin Bleu and Sandra Echeverria..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 10/08/09
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: MODERATE "...squeaky-clean... trades heavily on Bleu's natural appeal and its unerring belief in sportsmanship, loyalty and the fact that girls with permed hair are not to be trusted."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 273 words, 10/09/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "Insistent, numbing niceness combines with sloppily edited motocross footage in 'Free Style,' Corbin Bleu's low-impact debut as a leading man."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 154 words, 10/09/09
Frank Lovece, New York Newsday: WEAK(cg) "Shot in uniformly dull tones and soft focus, with flat line readings, barely competent direction and sports-movie slo-mo cliches... as misguided as its title..."(See all of Frank Lovece's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 334 words, 10/09/09
Vadim Rizov, Village Voice: FAIR "...pandering and formulaic... also surprisingly sensitive to the plight of Cole, a kid forced to abandon his shot at college in favor of working two jobs to support his family."(See all of Vadim Rizov's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 10/07/09
KEY CITIES (4 Reviews)
Cary Darling, Dallas Morning News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...as predictable and cliché as 'Free Style' is, it moves along briskly enough and Corbin Bleu is compelling enough that it doesn't wear out its welcome."(See all of Cary Darling's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 336 words, 10/09/09
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If the world truly needs a family-friendly drama built around motocross racing, it might as well be this, a wholly competent film from journeyman director William Dear..."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 10/09/09
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...you needn't be a motocross fan to dig the noisy action in this winning sports drama about a kid with a dream, a talent and a few obstacles..."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 10/09/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (2 Reviews)
Vadim Rizov, Village Voice: FAIR "...pandering and formulaic... also surprisingly sensitive to the plight of Cole, a kid forced to abandon his shot at college in favor of working two jobs to support his family."(See all of Vadim Rizov's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 10/07/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: FAIR "There's also a racial subtext (Cale's absent father is black) that's clearly meant to be present but is weirdly disconnected from what actually happens on screen..."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 301 words, 10/09/09
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...squeaky-clean... trades heavily on Bleu's natural appeal and its unerring belief in sportsmanship, loyalty and the fact that girls with permed hair are not to be trusted."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 273 words, 10/09/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
John Anderson, Daily Variety: WEAK "Sputteringly generic... employs every treadless cliche on the track while failing to take advantage of either Corbin Bleu's considerable charm or the motocross milieu..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 807 words, 07/31/09
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...anemic, would-be inspirational vehicle that manages to make even motocross racing seem deadly dull.... Corbin Bleu lacks the charisma necessary to carry the film."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 390 words, 10/14/09
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...squeaky-clean... trades heavily on Bleu's natural appeal and its unerring belief in sportsmanship, loyalty and the fact that girls with permed hair are not to be trusted."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 273 words, 10/09/09
Mike Hale, New York Times: FAIR "There's also a racial subtext (Cale's absent father is black) that's clearly meant to be present but is weirdly disconnected from what actually happens on screen..."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 301 words, 10/09/09
12.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Free Style's reviews are separated by an average 12.6 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.
Free Style (18 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Free Style's reviews cover 42.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 5,588 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 310 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 17.4 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Free Style's reviews on average broke 17.4 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 Free Style's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Free Style (18 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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