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JULIAMovie Reviews
Drama about a forty year-old alcoholic who, in a rare moment of sobriety, sees where her life is headed and makes one last ditch attempt to save herself. Cast:Tilda Swinton, Aidan Gould, Saul Rubinek, Kate del Castillo, Jude CiccolellaDirector:Erick ZoncaRelease Date:May 8, 2009DVD Release:August 18, 2009From:MagnoliaRating:RLength:2 hr 24 min
Julia played in key cities to good reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "Tilda Swinton is fearless.... She hasn't often been more fascinating than in 'Julia,' a nerve-wracking thriller with a twisty plot and startling realism." • And Ty Burr wrote in the Boston Globe, "The movie's electrifying without being completely satisfying." More Reviews Below...
Julia Positive Reviews (17 Reviews, reviews below)
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "...overlong, lurchy homage to John Cassavetes' 1980 film 'Gloria' is a mess, but a fascinating one, given Swinton's desperately avid performance in the title role."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 113 words, 05/08/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "Tilda Swinton gives a brash and unflinching performance as a lonely, self-destructive alcoholic... Erick Zonca takes Julia, and 'Julia,' to places you'd never expect..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 608 words, 05/07/09
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Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "Saul Rubinek is an agreeable, disheveled recovering addict, but the end result is like Quentin Tarantino reworking a Charles Bukowski story."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 108 words, 05/08/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Tilda Swinton is fearless.... She hasn't often been more fascinating than in 'Julia,' a nerve-wracking thriller with a twisty plot and startling realism."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 803 words, 07/02/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: WEAK "...the film struggles to survive Julia. We never get a good look at her demons, just the havoc they wreak.... her stab at sobriety and accountability comes too late."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 635 words, 05/08/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "Picture 'Fargo' played with no sense of comedy, and you'll get some idea of the absurdity of this drunken floozy, clicking and wobbling on high heels..."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 186 words, 05/08/09
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...messy, nervy, and frequently exhilarating... operates on instinct rather than plot... features richly pulpy dialogue by Zonca and co-screenwriter Aude Py. Jeered..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 318 words, 05/06/09
KEY CITIES (3 Reviews)
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...goes to all the places a sensitive character study might have gone, but more dramatically, convincingly and vividly."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 07/10/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "The movie's electrifying without being completely satisfying. Erick Zonca and his star don't play by Hollywood rules, which is both good (keeps us off-balance) and less so..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 557 words, 12/09/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the first genuinely accessible movie with mainstream appeal in which Swinton has starred... a particularly fearless piece of acting..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 594 words, 08/28/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...messy, nervy, and frequently exhilarating... operates on instinct rather than plot... features richly pulpy dialogue by Zonca and co-screenwriter Aude Py. Jeered..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 318 words, 05/06/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "Tilda Swinton plays the title role with a crusty panache matched only by her matted, flaming-red thatch of hair (a character in its own right)."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 168 words, 12/03/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...the film struggles to survive Julia. We never get a good look at her demons, just the havoc they wreak.... her stab at sobriety and accountability comes too late."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 635 words, 05/08/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Eddie Cockrell, Daily Variety: WEAK "...defeated by a tin ear for the kind of slangy, musical English dialogue that made Cassavetes' films what they are.... devolves into a series of screaming matches..."(See all of Eddie Cockrell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 493 words, 02/25/08
Gregory Valens, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...in 140 minutes, which move faster than many 90-minute movies, Zonca manages to change genres, change styles and make his character evolve."(See all of Gregory Valens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 510 words, 02/10/08
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...the film struggles to survive Julia. We never get a good look at her demons, just the havoc they wreak.... her stab at sobriety and accountability comes too late."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 635 words, 05/08/09
27.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Julia's reviews are separated by an average 27.2 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.
Coverage:Julia's reviews cover 27.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 7,532 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 443 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Julia Coverage, Volume & Length (17 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 22 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Julia's reviews on average broke 22 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 Julia's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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