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GRASSROOTS (2012)Movie Reviews
Comedy drama about an unemployed music critic who challenges a city councilman in the hopes of fulfilling his dream of building a monorail above the streets of Seattle. Cast:Joel David Moore, Jason Biggs, Cobie Smulders, Cedric the Entertainer, Lauren Ambrose, Christopher McDonald, Tom Arnold, Emily Bergl, Todd Stashwick, Basil HarrisDirector:Stephen GyllenhaalRelease Date:June 22, 2012DVD Release:October 2, 2012From:Samuel GoldwynRating:RLength:1 hr 37 min
Grassroots (2012) played in limited release to mixed reviews. • John Hartl wrote in the Seattle Times, "...a witty, well-cast, sometimes ingeniously paced political comedy.... eventually becomes a plea for civility and bipartisanship... Something's really at stake..." • And Chris Cabin wrote for Slant, "...a deeply confused, blindly aggressive political comedy." More Reviews Below...
Grassroots (2012) has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...feels more like a countercultural comedy than a sober civics lesson. Although it only glosses the mechanics of local politics, it exudes an endearingly scruffy charm."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 509 words, 07/13/12
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "Cogswell is considered a colorful character in Seattle... Yet the movie's efforts at whimsy are uniformly dire. In the end, Cogswell either wins or loses. Do you care?"(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 177 words, 07/13/12
Nick Schager, Village Voice: FAIR "...hews to a rather standard us-versus-them template.... reduces politics first to a David-versus-Goliath adventure, and then to an everyone-is-cool bowl of mush."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 07/11/12
KEY CITIES (2 Reviews)
John Hartl, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a witty, well-cast, sometimes ingeniously paced political comedy.... eventually becomes a plea for civility and bipartisanship... Something's really at stake..."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 376 words, 06/22/12
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...if the real Grant Cogswell was this mercurial and monomaniacal then its both surprising and troubling that he came so close to acquiring real political power."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 256 words, 06/29/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (2 Reviews)
Nick Schager, Village Voice: FAIR "...hews to a rather standard us-versus-them template.... reduces politics first to a David-versus-Goliath adventure, and then to an everyone-is-cool bowl of mush."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 07/11/12
Chris Cabin, Slant: POOR(cg) "...seems interested in nothing so much as the struggles of Phil Campbell in finding his middle-class self.... a deeply confused, blindly aggressive political comedy."(See all of Chris Cabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 497 words, 07/09/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...feels more like a countercultural comedy than a sober civics lesson. Although it only glosses the mechanics of local politics, it exudes an endearingly scruffy charm."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 509 words, 07/13/12
Ronnie Scheib, Daily Variety: GOOD "...a highly improbable laffer... it's Cedric, as the incumbent councilman, who truly impresses... Stephen Gyllenhaal captures election-night frenzy with panache..."(See all of Ronnie Scheib's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 07/12/12
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "A campaign movie for viewers who, if they care about politics at all, certainly don't require the full Aaron Sorkin treatment... has a broad-strokes appeal..."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 06/11/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...feels more like a countercultural comedy than a sober civics lesson. Although it only glosses the mechanics of local politics, it exudes an endearingly scruffy charm."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 509 words, 07/13/12
24.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Grassroots (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 24.6 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.
Grassroots (2012) (9 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Grassroots (2012)'s reviews cover 10.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 3,550 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 394 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 19 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Grassroots (2012)'s reviews on average broke 19 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 Grassroots (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Grassroots (2012) (9 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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