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HELEN (2010)Movie Reviews
Drama about a woman whose comfortable existence, as a music theory professor with a husband and 12 year-old daughter, is undone by her clinical depression. Cast:Ashley Judd, Goran Visnjic, Lauren Lee Smith, Alexia Fast, Alberta WatsonDirector:Sandra NettelbeckRelease Date:July 30, 2010DVD Release:August 10, 2010From:E1 EntertainmentRating:RLength:2 hr 0 min
Helen (2010) played in limited release to moderate reviews. • Jason Anderson wrote in the Toronto Star, "Judd has been open about her own struggles with depression and the role resonates with her personally. Unfortunately, the movie around her rarely rises to her level." • And James Greenberg wrote in the Hollywood Reporter, "...the film lacks a certain reality..." More Reviews Below...
Helen (2010) Positive Reviews (9 Reviews, reviews below)
Helen (2010) has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: GOOD "...keenly conveys the profound isolation of mental illness and the futility of searching for someone, or something, to blame.... has a cool, unsettling beauty."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 352 words, 07/30/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Ashley Judd wails, crumples, flails and rages. While it's affecting at first, by the time her title character tries out a new, rootless life as a solution, it becomes tiresome."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 111 words, 07/30/10
Jason Anderson, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "Judd has been open about her own struggles with depression and the role resonates with her personally. Unfortunately, the movie around her rarely rises to her level."(See all of Jason Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 458 words, 03/05/10
Andrew Schenker, Village Voice: POOR "Judd is given free reign to go hysterical -- screaming, holding a knife to her chest -- while the world treats her with dull-minded non-comprehension.... an excruciating wallow."(See all of Andrew Schenker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 191 words, 07/28/10
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...too often feels like you are sitting in a hospital waiting room instead of a theatre. The film is agonizingly slow. And there is no storyline to enliven Helen's troubles."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 03/05/10
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Movies about depression don't exactly have huge appeal - downer material and all - but an electrifying performance by Ashley Judd in the title role makes 'Helen' a real draw."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 188 words, 03/04/10
KEY CITIES (0 Reviews)
Helen (2010) has not been reviewed in Key Cities
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (3 Reviews)
Andrew Schenker, Village Voice: POOR "Judd is given free reign to go hysterical -- screaming, holding a knife to her chest -- while the world treats her with dull-minded non-comprehension.... an excruciating wallow."(See all of Andrew Schenker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 191 words, 07/28/10
Nick Schager, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...takes great pains to depict severe depression as not an emotional condition, but an illness, yet somewhere along the way forgets to articulate said thesis in a compelling way."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 07/26/10
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Movies about depression don't exactly have huge appeal - downer material and all - but an electrifying performance by Ashley Judd in the title role makes 'Helen' a real draw."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 188 words, 03/04/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (1 Review)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: GOOD "...keenly conveys the profound isolation of mental illness and the futility of searching for someone, or something, to blame.... has a cool, unsettling beauty."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 352 words, 07/30/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (3 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: MODERATE "A brave, affecting turn by Ashley Judd... [but] it can't overcome its own self-imposed limitations -- namely, catatonic pacing and a dramatically narrow outsider's view of mental illness."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 01/18/09
James Greenberg, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "Ashley Judd's powerful performance as a woman losing her mind can't make up for methodical pace and flawed storytelling.... the film lacks a certain reality..."(See all of James Greenberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 540 words, 01/26/10
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: GOOD "...keenly conveys the profound isolation of mental illness and the futility of searching for someone, or something, to blame.... has a cool, unsettling beauty."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 352 words, 07/30/10
14.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Helen (2010)'s reviews are separated by an average 14.5 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.
Helen (2010) (9 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Helen (2010)'s reviews cover 8.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 3,323 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 369 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Helen (2010) Coverage, Volume & Length (9 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 67 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Helen (2010)'s reviews on average broke 67 days 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 Helen (2010)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Helen (2010) (9 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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