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INVICTUSMovie Reviews
Drama about how newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela seized upon the 1995 Rugby World Cup event, and the South African team's pursuit of that championship, as an opportunity to unite his countrymen. Cast:Morgan Freeman, Matt DamonDirector:Clint EastwoodRelease Date:December 11, 2009DVD Release:May 18, 2010From:Warner Bros.Rating:PG-13Length:2 hr 14 min
Invictus played to very good reviews. • Peter Keough wrote in the Boston Phoenix, "...rendered with particular subtlety.... True, the schmaltz is there... But even those unacquainted with rugby will be moved by the match itself..." • And Clint O'Connor wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "Freeman strolls through 'Invictus' with a graceful sense of purpose, and delivers his usual five-star performance." More Reviews Below...
Leah Rozen, People: VERY GOOD(cg) "...starts slowly but builds to reach a rousing and moving ending. Freeman is fun once he loosens up, while Damon is a natural on the rugby field..."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 129 words, 12/10/09
Richard Corliss, Time: VERY GOOD "Who'd have thought that old Dirty Harry would, with 'Letters from Iwo Jima' and 'Invictus,' become America's prime director of international trauma and triumph?"(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 330 words, 11/27/09
David Ansen, Newsweek: GOOD "...can be a bit on the nose (and the message songs Eastwood adds are overkill). Yet the lapses fade in the face of such a soul-stirring story..."(See all of David Ansen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 332 words, 11/30/09
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...more fascinating -- and intelligent, and moving -- than it sounds.... its lump-in-the-throat climax is predictable, but that doesn't mean it's less than earned."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 12/11/09
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...dripping with inspiration -- how to summon it, how to communicate it. Late in his career, Eastwood seems to be finding it everywhere."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 12/10/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...cleverly fuses a political tale and a sports story and serves fact-based inspiration... two stellar performances and a story that stirs hearts and intrigues minds."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 419 words, 12/10/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...an exciting sports movie, an inspiring tale of prejudice overcome and, above all, a fascinating study of political leadership.... some potent, intelligent filmmaking..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,208 words, 12/11/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: VERY GOOD(cg) "Freeman's performance as Nelson Mandela is, like the film as a whole, constructed of deliberate decisions and never feels false.... you can't take your eyes off him."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 422 words, 12/11/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Clint Eastwood, a master director, orchestrates all of the notes and has us loving Mandela, proud of Francois and cheering for the plucky Springboks."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 840 words, 12/10/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a stirring drama... recalls such decades-old films as 'The Story of Louis Pasteur,' 'The Life of Emile Zola' and 'Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet.' "(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 905 words, 12/11/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...depicts an unlikely intersection of sports and leadership in ways that manage to be inspiring and insightful without ever becoming schmaltzy or preachy."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 556 words, 12/11/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "Eastwood, a wildly uneven director (his resumé includes the flat-out masterpiece 'Unforgiven,' the lamebrained thriller 'Blood Work'), hits solid middle ground with 'Invictus.' "(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 306 words, 12/11/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...impressive is the way that Eastwood uses the game as a metaphor for political struggle... the sports-movie cliché 'more than a game' has some real resonance."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 755 words, 12/11/09
Ella Taylor, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...stately, handsomely mounted, attentive to detail right down to the Marmite adorning the team's breakfast buffet, and relentlessly conventional."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 824 words, 12/09/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Everything is dead-on, in that stiff, message-movie way.... didactic to the point of silliness... so lazily assembled that it's impossible to invest emotionally..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 12/10/09
KEY CITIES (15 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...succeeds wonderfully on its simplest level, as a portrait of political genius. Freeman's Mandela, like Penn's Harvey Milk, emerges as a canny, expansive man..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 364 words, 12/11/09
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a worthy subject, an important director, and a major actor swinging for the fences... But it falls short of its clear intention (just a little too clear) to be inspirational."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 771 words, 12/11/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "...has stirring moments. And Freeman is fantastic. But Eastwood too often veers into trite territory, undercutting some of the story's power..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 710 words, 12/11/09
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "It may look like a movie-of-the-week and it certainly has some wincingly bad musical passages, but it is an entertaining movie about a masterful piece of political theater..."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 505 words, 12/11/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "He's Clint Eastwood, dammit, and if he wants to make a film about Nelson Mandela's love affair with rugby, that's his business. At this stage of his career, it's ours too."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,108 words, 12/11/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "Freeman gives a performance of triumphant intelligence.... one of Eastwood's most uplifting and inspirational films."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 596 words, 12/11/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Rugby and post-apartheid politics don't seem the likeliest ingredients for a feel-good movie... pulls off the combination winningly."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 486 words, 12/11/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...impresses as a showcase for an extraordinary directorial talent and a titanic actor equal to him at every step.... It's not a great film, but parts of it are outstanding."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 916 words, 12/11/09
Joe Holleman, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "What makes it special is Eastwood's ability to artfully and concisely tell a story, and Freeman's wonderfully understated turn as South African President Nelson Mandela."(See all of Joe Holleman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 359 words, 12/11/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...feels misplaced from TV... Usually no frills from Eastwood will signal a surprise is coming, something richer than the material suggests. Not this time."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 12/10/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Morgan Freeman takes on Mandela and Mandela's charm, showing Lincolnesque dignity... Matt Damon, with a rugby player's build, ennobles this star athlete..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 12/11/09
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an unabashedly inspiring (even amusing) movie.... we don't have to understand the rules of the game to grasp the ambitions of the undertaking."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 638 words, 12/11/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Ella Taylor, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...stately, handsomely mounted, attentive to detail right down to the Marmite adorning the team's breakfast buffet, and relentlessly conventional."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 824 words, 12/09/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Eastwood's modest approach to these momentous events shames the usual Hollywood showboating.... he's made a fiilm that truly is good for the soul."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 356 words, 12/11/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...rendered with particular subtlety.... True, the schmaltz is there... But even those unacquainted with rugby will be moved by the match itself..."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 610 words, 12/10/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Everything is dead-on, in that stiff, message-movie way.... didactic to the point of silliness... so lazily assembled that it's impossible to invest emotionally..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 12/10/09
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: MODERATE "...an unusually pedestrian project for Eastwood.... it's just another sports flick... often visually heavy-handed... Damon is serviceable... Freeman is perfectly cast..."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 12/10/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...an exciting sports movie, an inspiring tale of prejudice overcome and, above all, a fascinating study of political leadership.... some potent, intelligent filmmaking..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,208 words, 12/11/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "Morgan Freeman playing Nelson Mandela is like a virtuoso playing Bach on a Stradivarius... Matt Damon acquits himself honorably too..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 644 words, 12/11/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a stirring drama... recalls such decades-old films as 'The Story of Louis Pasteur,' 'The Life of Emile Zola' and 'Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet.' "(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 905 words, 12/11/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "...a very good story very well told.... every scene brims with surprising details that accumulate into a rich fabric of history, cultural impressions and emotion."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,167 words, 11/30/09
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "For once a sports victory is something more than just another win. What's missing though is a human relationship to carry you through to this end."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,016 words, 11/30/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a stirring drama... recalls such decades-old films as 'The Story of Louis Pasteur,' 'The Life of Emile Zola' and 'Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet.' "(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 905 words, 12/11/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...an exciting sports movie, an inspiring tale of prejudice overcome and, above all, a fascinating study of political leadership.... some potent, intelligent filmmaking..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,208 words, 12/11/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "Morgan Freeman playing Nelson Mandela is like a virtuoso playing Bach on a Stradivarius... Matt Damon acquits himself honorably too..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 644 words, 12/11/09
14.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Invictus's reviews are separated by an average 14.4 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.
Invictus (41 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Invictus's reviews cover 88.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 24,661 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 602 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 3 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Invictus's reviews on average broke 3 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 Invictus's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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