Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
IS ANYBODY THERE?Movie Reviews
Drama charts the unlikely friendship that develops between a proud, acerbic old performer and a death-obsessed young boy in an English seaside town circa 1987. Cast:Michael Caine, Anne-Marie Duff, David Morrissey, Rosemary Harris, Elizabeth Spriggs, Bill MilnerDirector:John CrowleyRelease Date:April 17, 2009DVD Release:November 17, 2009From:Big Beach FilmsRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 34 min
Is Anybody There? played in key cities to good reviews. • Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "...flirts with sticky sentimentality but never quite falls into the trap..." • And Bill Goodykoontz wrote in the Arizona Republic, "...offers tremendous performances by old pro Michael Caine and relative newcomer Bill Milner as it patiently works its way into your heart." More Reviews Below...
Is Anybody There? Positive Reviews (26 Reviews, reviews below)
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "What balances the movie is Mr. Caine's exceptional portrayal of old age... In his performance the child, the youthful rogue and the forgetful codger all live at once."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 560 words, 04/17/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...gentle-but-not-sappy... Reminiscent of the quirky, working-class Brit films of the '80s, this engaging movie would work even without Caine."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 117 words, 04/17/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...familiar and schmaltzy territory... includes caricatured turns by the likes of such veterans as Rosemary Harris and Sylvia Syms."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 124 words, 04/17/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "The bravura acting is unsupported by a script that's content to settle for the dramatic equivalent of English comfort food, with moments of pathos and whimsy doled out..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 05/14/09
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a standard teaming of reluctant oldser and troubled youngster -- both residents of a down-at-heels family-run rest home."(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 203 words, 04/15/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...a syrupy tear-jerker about a withdrawn boy who learns card tricks and valuable life lessons from the senile magician his parents have moved into his bedroom."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 175 words, 05/14/09
Walter Addiego, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's remarkable what an old trouper like Michael Caine can do with a soft-centered and lachrymose story."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 411 words, 05/01/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...offers tremendous performances by old pro Michael Caine and relative newcomer Bill Milner as it patiently works its way into your heart."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 631 words, 05/01/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "Caine moves through the less-than-surprising story line, shaking things up not with an actorly flamboyance but with a heartbreaking sense of quiet tragedy and regret."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 312 words, 05/01/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "Caine makes a difficult man's struggle to stay afloat touching and specific... but everything else about the movie feels hazy."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 458 words, 05/01/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...flirts with sticky sentimentality but never quite falls into the trap, thanks to Caine's masterful presence. He makes Clarence amazing indeed."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 328 words, 05/01/09
John Hartl, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...more than merely watchable. Despite all the rough edges and predictable touches, the film becomes quite moving in its final act."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 376 words, 05/01/09
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "David Morrissey gives an impressive, tragicomic performance... but it's the 76-year-old Caine who continues to impress with his own brand of magic."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 179 words, 05/01/09
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...amiable... a bit more restrained than such efforts tend to be.... John Crowley elicits strong performances and conjures a realistic atmosphere. But the story is predictable."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 260 words, 05/07/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: EXCELLENT(cg) "Occasionally wistful, often melancholy but always charming... wise but slight film is best appreciated for another winning Michael Caine turn..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 423 words, 05/01/09
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...counteracts its deficiencies -- predictability, sentimentality -- with a healthy dose of humor. Caine is amusing and affecting... he developes a nice rapport with Milner..."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 310 words, 05/01/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a standard teaming of reluctant oldser and troubled youngster -- both residents of a down-at-heels family-run rest home."(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 203 words, 04/15/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...a syrupy tear-jerker about a withdrawn boy who learns card tricks and valuable life lessons from the senile magician his parents have moved into his bedroom."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 175 words, 05/14/09
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: WEAK "Caine is heartbreaking in as delicate a manner as could be achieved... You may cry for him, though it will likely be in between glances at your watch."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 683 words, 04/30/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "What balances the movie is Mr. Caine's exceptional portrayal of old age... In his performance the child, the youthful rogue and the forgetful codger all live at once."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 560 words, 04/17/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "Life, death, mortality, reincarnation, coming of age, suffering from age, nothing escapes the gaze of a little film that's more flitting than searching."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 130 words, 04/17/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "What balances the movie is Mr. Caine's exceptional portrayal of old age... In his performance the child, the youthful rogue and the forgetful codger all live at once."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 560 words, 04/17/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "Life, death, mortality, reincarnation, coming of age, suffering from age, nothing escapes the gaze of a little film that's more flitting than searching."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 130 words, 04/17/09
16.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Is Anybody There?'s reviews are separated by an average 16.0 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.
Is Anybody There? (26 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Is Anybody There?'s reviews cover 32.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,558 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 329 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 5 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Is Anybody There?'s reviews on average broke 5 days after 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 Is Anybody There?'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Is Anybody There? (26 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
