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GULLIVER'S TRAVELS (2010) Movie Reviews
Story: Adventure comedy based on the novel of the same name, about a man who travels to an undiscovered land where he towers over its diminutive citizens. Cast: Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Jason Segel, Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet Director: Rob Letterman Opened: December 25, 2010 On DVD: April 12, 2011 From: 20th Century Fox Rating: PG Length: 1 hr. 25 min.
Out On DVD
APRIL 12, 2011
Gulliver's Travels (2010), Weak Reviews, Mixed
Updated: Sat, May 12 2012, 05:07pm
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Gulliver's Travels (2010) played to weak reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today, "...a rehashed mishmash.... there are a few moments that recall Jack Black's engaging persona in 'School of Rock' and 'High Fidelity,' but not enough..." • And Nathan Rabin wrote for the AV Club, "...big, dumb, and slow-moving, a lumbering oaf of a movie..."   More Reviews Below...

Gulliver's Travels (2010)
Positive Reviews
(36 Reviews,  reviews below)
 Compare This Movie... 
TotalBroad
National
Press
Local
News-
papers
Alter–
native/
Indie
High-
Brow
Press
Movie
Industry
NY/LA
Chicago
Toronto
Key
Cities
Total
B.O.
38.7% 42.3% 45.2% 29.5% 24.3% 30.4% 49.9% 38.3% $42.8M
Averages: 51.8% 54.1% 52.3% 46.9% 45.8% 48.7% 49.9% 54.7%
Reviews & Quotes (36)

BROAD NATIONAL PRESS (6 Reviews)
David Germain, Associated Press: WEAK (cg)
"...the movie sullies a piece of literature that has endured for nearly 300 years for the sake of a cheap kiddie flick that'll be forgotten in a month." (Read the full review...)
682 words, 12/23/10

Keith Staskiewicz, Entertainment Weekly: FAIR (cg)
"...strips the source material down to its recognizable parts and then builds something completely new out of them. Unfortunately, the result is entirely Lilliputian in ambition..." (Read the full review...)
285 words, 12/24/10

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: POOR (cg)
"The 3D effects are beyond cheesy when they exist at all. At one point, Black puts out a fire by pissing on it. It's my job as a critic to piss on this dumb excuse for a movie." (Read the full review...)
72 words, 01/06/11

Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE (cg)
"...a rehashed mishmash.... there are a few moments that recall Jack Black's engaging persona in 'School of Rock' and 'High Fidelity,' but not enough..." (Read the full review...)
512 words, 12/24/10

Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: VERY GOOD (cg)
"...sorta old-fashioned, not that that's a bad thing.... I wouldn't describe the special effects as seamless. Far from it." (Read the full review...)
807 words, 12/23/10

James Berardinelli, Reel Views: WEAK (cg)
"...the chief sin committed by 'Gulliver's Travels' is not that it's a poor adaptation but that its entertainment value is almost nonexistent." (Read the full review...)
716 words, 12/23/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: FAIR
"I did relish that part when Mr. Black, confronting a fire raging in the Palace of Lilliput, douses the blaze through heroic use of such means as Nature has provided him." (Read the full review...)
995 words, 12/24/10

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: MODERATE (cg)
"...while Black ably carries the movie on his super-size shoulders, Rob Letterman's slacker take on the Jonathan Swift classic is easier to like than respect." (Read the full review...)
360 words, 12/24/10

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR
"Black's brio is off -- too much here, too little there... one of those movies that falls between complete disaster and loads of fun. Mild amusement is probably about right." (Read the full review...)
741 words, 12/24/10

Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD (cg)
"...has elments of 'Shrek' and 'Night at the Museum,' but it has a much more childlike bounce to it than the latter, zinging from one silly situation to the next without a care." (Read the full review...)
575 words, 12/24/10

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"Agreeably slapdash... My son, 10, didn't love it but he liked it and that, friends, pretty much says it for me too." (Read the full review...)
390 words, 12/24/10

John Anderson, New York Newsday: POOR (cg)
"Charmless, endless... despite the richness of 'Gulliver's' source material, and its star, the film is desperately in need of a fleshing out." (Read the full review...)
357 words, 12/24/10

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD (cg)
"...sorta old-fashioned, not that that's a bad thing.... I wouldn't describe the special effects as seamless. Far from it." (Read the full review...)
807 words, 12/23/10

Nick Pinkerton, LA Weekly: FAIR
"...features murky effects and afterthought 3-D..." (Read the full review...)
188 words, 12/23/10

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: POOR (cg)
"Kids will enjoy the rock 'em, sock 'em, but parents should not be dismayed if the only lesson they take away from 'Gulliver's Travels' is how to give a wedgie." (Read the full review...)
530 words, 12/24/10

Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"...even with all those sharp satiric teeth completely pulled, reducing it to gummy sentimentality, the tale still has the power to enchant." (Read the full review...)
659 words, 12/24/10

Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"Jack Black goes large, both literally and figuratively... entertaining despite its star's obnoxious, pandering overacting." (Read the full review...)
246 words, 12/23/10
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: POOR (cg)
"...in 3-D. Other than enhancing the bathroom humor, it doesn't help." (Read the full review...)
480 words, 12/25/10

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: WEAK (cg)
"A murderously unfunny rethink of the groundbreaking literary satire... takes the basic big-man-among-wee-people concept AND DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WITH IT." (Read the full review...)
478 words, 12/24/10

Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"...a fairly satisfying and cheerful little movie when buoyed by a packed holiday crowd and the presence of glowing children and happy adults..." (Read the full review...)
668 words, 12/22/10

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: WEAK (cg)
"...when your big laugh is how a big guy with fully functioning kidneys might put out a little bitty fire, well..." (Read the full review...)
624 words, 12/24/10

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR (cg)
"Some films are phoned in. The staggeringly awful 'Gulliver's Travels' was texted." (Read the full review...)
337 words, 12/24/10

Scott Craven, Arizona Republic: WEAK (cg)
"The film stumbles along a predictable path... Don't spring for that third dimension. The flat version is fine. It matches the writing." (Read the full review...)
382 words, 12/24/10

Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"...a diversion, an excuse to take the kids and visiting relatives to a theater where everybody can forget about one another for 90 minutes and have a few laughs." (Read the full review...)
538 words, 12/24/10

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: POOR (cg)
"...a migraine inducement that you'd think Jack Black had gotten out of his system years ago." (Read the full review...)
386 words, 12/24/10

Stephen Whitty, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: POOR (cg)
"...there's a great deal wasted in this movie, including three-fourths of Swift's book... through it all strides the grinning Black, a colossal, colossally unfunny clown." (Read the full review...)
521 words, 12/24/10

Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: WEAK (cg)
"...a film that's too baffling for children and too boring for adults. Segel and Blunt have zero chemistry, and Peet is woefully underused.... Black simply treads water." (Read the full review...)
331 words, 12/24/10

Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: EXCELLENT (cg)
"...has loads of personality, starting with Jack Black... This is what the holidays need: a good, Swift kick in the funny bone." (Read the full review...)
530 words, 12/21/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, LA Weekly: FAIR
"...features murky effects and afterthought 3-D..." (Read the full review...)
188 words, 12/23/10

Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: POOR (cg)
"...seems to start off promising and then spins horrifying off the rails, caught up in a bizarre premise, nonsensical story, and a genuinely unappealing star presence..." (Read the full review...)
578 words, 12/23/10

Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: POOR (cg)
"Rob Letterman's adaptation of the great man's satire might have Jonathan Swift spinning in his grave.... so pitiful, it isn't even worth being indignant." (Read the full review...)
160 words, 12/23/10

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: POOR (cg)
"...big, dumb, and slow-moving, a lumbering oaf of a movie that just barely makes it to feature-length via a groaningly unnecessary production number..." (Read the full review...)
379 words, 12/24/10

Paul Schrodt, Slant: WEAK (cg)
"...feels more like a Christmastime TV special projected in 3D..." (Read the full review...)
370 words, 12/22/10

Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"Jack Black goes large, both literally and figuratively... entertaining despite its star's obnoxious, pandering overacting." (Read the full review...)
246 words, 12/23/10

MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR (cg)
"What's that? You say it's Black's buttcrack you crave the sight of, rendered in three glorious dimensions? This, my friend, is your lucky day." (Read the full review...)
730 words, 12/28/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR
"I've never seen a ruin like this... What were they thinking? What were they smoking? What were they singing on the way to the bank?" (Read the full review...)
110 words, 12/24/10

A.O. Scott, New York Times: FAIR
"I did relish that part when Mr. Black, confronting a fire raging in the Palace of Lilliput, douses the blaze through heroic use of such means as Nature has provided him." (Read the full review...)
995 words, 12/24/10

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR
"Black's brio is off -- too much here, too little there... one of those movies that falls between complete disaster and loads of fun. Mild amusement is probably about right." (Read the full review...)
741 words, 12/24/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: POOR
"...a loose, lowest-common-denominator retelling of Jonathan Swift's mock travelogue... off-putting..." (Read the full review...)
932 words, 12/22/10

Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR
"...more gimmicky than a crackling good yarn.... feels rushed and slight at every point.... the movie works as a moderately entertaining children's movie." (Read the full review...)
858 words, 12/22/10

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR
"Black's brio is off -- too much here, too little there... one of those movies that falls between complete disaster and loads of fun. Mild amusement is probably about right." (Read the full review...)
741 words, 12/24/10

A.O. Scott, New York Times: FAIR
"I did relish that part when Mr. Black, confronting a fire raging in the Palace of Lilliput, douses the blaze through heroic use of such means as Nature has provided him." (Read the full review...)
995 words, 12/24/10

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR
"I've never seen a ruin like this... What were they thinking? What were they smoking? What were they singing on the way to the bank?" (Read the full review...)
110 words, 12/24/10
(cg) = based on the critic's grade

Review Mixture
22.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews
(Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)

Gulliver's Travels (2010)'s reviews are separated by an average 22.8 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.

Gulliver's Travels (2010)
(36 reviews)
Roll over dots for each review
Broad National   Alternative/Indie   Highbrow Press   Key Cities
NY, LA, Chicago, & Toronto Movie Industry  
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Moderate
Weak
Poor
Reviews
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Moderate
Weak
Poor
Reviews
Big
Publications
>Bigger
Publications
>Biggest
Publications
Coverage, Volume & Length

Coverage: Gulliver's Travels (2010)'s reviews cover 54.2% of potential readers (average is 68.2%). Volume: The film's reviews total 18,162 words in volume (average is 19,979 words). Length: The film's reviews average 504 words in length (the norm is 512 words).

Gulliver's Travels (2010)
Coverage, Volume & Length
(36 Reviews,  reviews below)
TotalBroad
National
Press
Local
News-
papers
Alter–
native/
Indie
High-
Brow
Press
Movie
Industry
NY/LA
Chicago
Toronto
Key
Cities
Total
B.O.
Coverage:
Volume:
Length:
54.2%
18,162
505
43.6%
3,074
512
89.8%
11,344
540
78.2%
2,651
379
52.2%
1,846
615
83.3%
3,636
727
86.4%
5,848
532
81.7%
5,930
494
$42.8M
Averages: 68.2%
19,979
512
66.7%
3,178
451
80.2%
10,677
521
80.8%
3,310
430
58.7%
2,374
630
85.2%
3,407
685
83.7%
5,861
500
73.0%
2,885
539
Opening Day Reviews
Reviews Broke 1.4 Hours Before Release (Norm is 0.2 Release)

Gulliver's Travels (2010)'s reviews on average broke 1.4 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 0.2 hours after. 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 Gulliver's Travels (2010)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.

Gulliver's Travels (2010)
(36 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
M O R E    P O S I T I V E    R E V I E W S
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M O R E    N E G A T I V E    R E V I E W S
Movie Review Intelligence Mobile Web App 1.0
Updated: Sat, May 12 2012, 05:07pm
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