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HAVA NAGILA (THE MOVIE)Movie Reviews
Documentary about the history of the song Hava Nagila and its symbolic representation of the Jewish journey throughout history. Cast:Harry Belafonte, Glen Campbell, Connie Francis, the Klezmatics, Leonard Nimoy, Regina Spektor, Lila Corwin Berman, Dani Dassa, Rabbi Yisrael Friedman, Ayalah Goren, Josh Kun, James LoefflerDirector:Roberta Grossman, Laura PaullRelease Date:March 1, 2013DVD Release: TBD From:International Film CircuitLength:1 hr. 0 min.
Hava Nagila (The Movie), Good (Not Great) Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
Hava Nagila (The Movie) opened in key cities to good not great reviews. • Ella Taylor wrote for NPR, "...infectiously high-spirited... Roberta Grossman finds lively, often passionate and funny interpreters to guide us through the song's many transformations." More Reviews Below...
Hava Nagila (The Movie) Positive Reviews (18 Reviews, reviews below)
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "While the filmmakers never quite make the case that their chosen melody deserves its own full-length film, they do ensure that you'll leave the theater happily humming it."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 176 words, 03/01/13
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...fun, nostalgic, informative... it's the flashbacks of 'Hava Nagila' in a startling variety of movies and TV shows that truly make this valentine sing."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 181 words, 03/15/13
Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "There's about 30 minutes of actual movie in here.... Otherwise, what you get is an awful lot of filler, including every performer who ever sang 'Hava Nagila'..."(See all of Farran Smith Nehme's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 249 words, 03/01/13
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...springs to life in its assemblage of archival footage accompanying new interview snippets of Belafonte; Glen Campbell; and, delightfully, Connie Francis."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 05/03/13
John Anderson, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the wedding/bar mitzvah/reunion/anniversary band is always faced with a momentous decision: 'When do you drop the H bomb?' "(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 283 words, 03/08/13
Donald Liebenson, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...slight, but very satisfying, and at times, surprisingly moving.... you don't, as the old saying goes, have to be Jewish to enjoy it."(See all of Donald Liebenson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 05/03/13
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...like the doc equivalent of a Yiddish-humor bathroom book.... Patronizing from toe to chin, the film opts continually for self-congratulation and cheesy aphorism..."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 150 words, 02/27/13
KEY CITIES (4 Reviews)
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...flawed, but not enough to undo its infectious joyfulness.... the film feels a little amateurish... but it's a celebration of joy..."(See all of Stephanie Merry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 440 words, 04/26/13
Loren King, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...lively.... Roberta Grossman and writer Sophie Sartain approach their subject in a style that balances the kitschy and the profound."(See all of Loren King's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 444 words, 04/26/13
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: VERY GOOD(cg) "...there's something very serious here about a single simple song that can still inspire generations to come together, link hands, and dance."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 03/01/13
Roger Moore, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...definitely playful.... like the song itself, this film ends just before it turns annoying. Because even the Hokey Pokey wears out its welcome after awhile."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 345 words, 03/08/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (3 Reviews)
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...like the doc equivalent of a Yiddish-humor bathroom book.... Patronizing from toe to chin, the film opts continually for self-congratulation and cheesy aphorism..."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 150 words, 02/27/13
Kalvin Henely, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...can at times feel like you're wasting your time on a subject you might wish you had only accidentally crossed paths with briefly on Wikipedia..."(See all of Kalvin Henely's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 382 words, 02/26/13
Ella Taylor, NPR: GOOD "...infectiously high-spirited... Roberta Grossman finds lively, often passionate and funny interpreters to guide us through the song's many transformations."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 554 words, 02/28/13
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...fun, nostalgic, informative... it's the flashbacks of 'Hava Nagila' in a startling variety of movies and TV shows that truly make this valentine sing."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 181 words, 03/15/13
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...fun... rife with celebrity interviewees and pop-archival errata.... smartly assembled pic is cute, if sometimes cutesy -- an aperitif of a movie rather than a filling meal."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 190 words, 07/25/12
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...richly detailed and entertaining.... the film exhaustively but breezily documents the song's prevalence in Jewish tradition and its role in popular culture."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 02/16/13
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...fun, nostalgic, informative... it's the flashbacks of 'Hava Nagila' in a startling variety of movies and TV shows that truly make this valentine sing."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 181 words, 03/15/13
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "...sentimental in tone and conventional in form.... written and directed with passion... lovingly shows that the song is much more than a tale of Jewish kitsch..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 280 words, 03/12/13
17.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Hava Nagila (The Movie)'s reviews are separated by an average 17.6 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.
Hava Nagila (The Movie) (18 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Hava Nagila (The Movie)'s reviews cover 19.7% of potential readers (average is 68.0%). Volume:The film's reviews total 5,861 words involume (average is 20,220 words). Length:The film's reviews average 326 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Hava Nagila (The Movie) Coverage, Volume & Length (18 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 9 Days After Release (Norm is 1.3 Release)
Hava Nagila (The Movie)'s reviews on average broke 9 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.3 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 Hava Nagila (The Movie)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Hava Nagila (The Movie) (18 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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