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I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES ITMovie Reviews
Comedy about a working mother desperately trying to juggle marriage, children, and a high-stress job. Cast:Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, Kelsey Grammer, Christina HendricksDirector:Douglas McGrathRelease Date:September 16, 2011DVD Release:January 3, 2012From:The Weinstein CompanyLength:1 hr. 35 min.
I Don't Know How She Does It played to weak reviews. • Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today, "...has nothing remotely new or comical in its arsenal." • And Susan G. Cole wrote in Toronto Now, "...bland comedy about a woman juggling career and family has no edge at all.... A harmless trifle that must have been written in someone's sleep." More Reviews Below...
I Don't Know How She Does It Positive Reviews (44 Reviews, reviews below)
Charlotte Triggs, People: MODERATE(cg) "...fluffy and fun when it's making light of a working mom's juggling act, but gets bogged down taking on more serious issues that only get simplistic solutions."(See all of Charlotte Triggs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 164 words, 09/15/11
Mary Pols, Time: FAIR "...a cautious movie, eager not to offend.... many of its observations and jokes are on point -- it's just that it omits the edge, the desperation of a woman on the verge."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 834 words, 09/16/11
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "Too often, director Douglas McGrath smothers nuggets of insight with a jaunty, sitcommy tone, with gags that are telegraphed from a mile away..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 676 words, 09/15/11
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "At long last, Sarah Jessica Parker has successfully stepped out of Carrie Bradshaw's stilettos.... relatable and easy to digest."(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 76 words, 09/15/11
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: WEAK(cg) "...a bogus chick flick about the amusing travails of a working mother... Pierce Brosnan plays a fairy-tale New York businessman as princely as he is single."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 197 words, 09/16/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...has nothing remotely new or comical in its arsenal.... has nothing original to say about marriage, working parenthood, child-rearing or corporate America."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 318 words, 09/16/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...it comes across as smart and witty, then it throws all that away in its quest for the perfect conclusion. 'Perfect' in this case is synonymous with 'fairy tale.' "(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 750 words, 09/15/11
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Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: FAIR "I think it's trying to acknowledge the real-world pressures shaping millions of women's work/life to-do lists.... the comedy's forced and rather forlorn."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 09/16/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...a meager one-joke comedy peopled by stereotypes.... so bad that it's another ovary-punch to the formula chick flick. Bring on more films like 'Bridesmaids.' "(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 817 words, 09/16/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a grab bag of gimmicks, but a high percentage of them work... In modern faux-documentary fashion, characters talk to the camera as if they're being interviewed..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 09/12/11
Jennie Punter, Toronto Globe & Mail: POOR(cg) "...a going-through-the-motions domestic comedy that makes, say, 'Cheaper By The Dozen' look like a heart-warming, cutting-edge laugh riot."(See all of Jennie Punter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 475 words, 09/16/11
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...bland comedy about a woman juggling career and family has no edge at all.... A harmless trifle that must have been written in someone's sleep."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 184 words, 09/15/11
KEY CITIES (11 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "...insipid, unfunny and cliche-ridden.... boasts a bizarre worldview that seems to simultaneously sympathize with the working mother and to demonize her."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 450 words, 09/16/11
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...breezily entertaining... The brisk (89 minutes!) film maintains speed and snarkastic tone by having its characters speak to the camera..."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 428 words, 09/16/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: MODERATE(cg) "...a movie that no endless voice-over, no cute testimonial and no number of freezeframes where she stops the action to address the camera, can save."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 09/16/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Brosh McKenna wrote the zingy, zippy script. It's not at the level of her delightful work on 'The Devil Wears Prada' or 'Morning Glory,' but three steps up from '27 Dresses.' "(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 450 words, 09/16/11
Hayley Kaufman, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "...manages to make its central character - capable, smart, working mom Kate Reddy - look like a nitwit.... I'm sorry. Did I just doze off and wake up back in the mid-'80s?"(See all of Hayley Kaufman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 09/16/11
Jody Mitori, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "...mildly funny... Like its main character, 'I Don't Know How She Does It' tries to do everything, but it doesn't quite succeed."(See all of Jody Mitori's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 332 words, 09/16/11
Catherine Mallette, Detroit News: POOR(cg) "...a lack of good writing is the missing ingredient... The voiceovers used to move the story along are a sign the writers here were reduced to crutches."(See all of Catherine Mallette's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 491 words, 09/16/11
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...does allow that some people -- women, even! -- are deeply fulfilled by their work and need their jobs for more than financial reasons."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 583 words, 09/16/11
Mack Rawden, Cinema Blend: POOR(cg) "...an incredibly jaded, often biased and consistently judgmental film with no concept of how it or its characters are coming across."(See all of Mack Rawden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 806 words, 09/16/11
Ann Lewinson, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "Kate's hair may be messy and her blouse untucked, but a dashing colleague in New York (Pierce Brosnan) falls for her anyway."(See all of Ann Lewinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 170 words, 09/15/11
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...offers the exact same thing as those NYC ingénue books: cookie-cutter wish-fulfillment and lifestyle porn for easily pleased, lonely romantics."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 525 words, 09/15/11
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...bland comedy about a woman juggling career and family has no edge at all.... A harmless trifle that must have been written in someone's sleep."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 184 words, 09/15/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "...it's not a story. It's a quicky Hallmark card... A story needs conflict; even a comedy, which this nominally is, needs drama. And there isn't any here."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 805 words, 09/15/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (6 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "I was scratching my head about why a 91-minute movie seemed so long.... reframing the question. Why was a string of sitcom problems stretched to 91 minutes?"(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 277 words, 09/16/11
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "I think it's trying to acknowledge the real-world pressures shaping millions of women's work/life to-do lists.... the comedy's forced and rather forlorn."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 09/16/11
Dana Stevens, Slate: WEAK "...purports to be about the difficult choices of modern motherhood, but it's too prim and cautious a movie to dip a pedicured toe into the murky waters of real choice."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 09/16/11
Ronnie Scheib, Daily Variety: FAIR "...feels out of step with contemporary reality and humorless in its adaptation... all the secondary characters suffer from a lack of impact, personality or even specificity."(See all of Ronnie Scheib's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 772 words, 09/11/11
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "I think it's trying to acknowledge the real-world pressures shaping millions of women's work/life to-do lists.... the comedy's forced and rather forlorn."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 09/16/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: POOR(cg) "...awful... Formulaic and utterly predictable... is at least two or three decades behind the zeitgeist in terms of subject, characterization, and message."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 359 words, 09/14/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "I was scratching my head about why a 91-minute movie seemed so long.... reframing the question. Why was a string of sitcom problems stretched to 91 minutes?"(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 277 words, 09/16/11
18.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
I Don't Know How She Does It's reviews are separated by an average 18.3 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.
I Don't Know How She Does It (44 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:I Don't Know How She Does It's reviews cover 86.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 23,453 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 533 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
I Don't Know How She Does It Coverage, Volume & Length (44 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 15.1 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
I Don't Know How She Does It's reviews on average broke 15.1 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 I Don't Know How She Does It's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
I Don't Know How She Does It (44 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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