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KILLING BONOMovie Reviews
Comedy about two Irish brothers struggling to succeed in music in the 1980s under the shadow of their old school friends, the members of U2. Cast:Ben Barnes, Robert Sheehan, Krysten Ritter, Peter Serafinowicz, Pete PostlethwaiteDirector:Nick HammRelease Date:November 4, 2011DVD Release:January 17, 2012From:Cinedigm EntertainmentRating:RLength:1 hr 54 min
Killing Bono played in limited release to fair reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Michael Atkinson wrote in the Village Voice and LA Weekly, "...unfunny and thick with clichés... the migraine of a story arc needed sharp comedy reflexes or, at least, a live-wire/slummy star turn and got neither." • And Mark Jenkins called the film for NPR, "...amiable, lightweight..." More Reviews Below...
Killing Bono 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: POOR "What could have been a moderately entertaining short film is yanked to intolerable lengths... a shapeless rock-music caper... just doesn't know when to stop."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 281 words, 11/04/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...comically warped... sparky and fun, and full of affectionate pokes at the '80s music scene. It's also, in terms of music biopics, probably better than the real thing."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 94 words, 11/04/11
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...whips up a frenzied mix of musical jealousy, wishful stardom and farcical lucklessness into a movie too slippery to hold onto."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 11/11/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "A charming admixture of 'Goodfellas' and 'Almost Famous'... a fanciful rock tale that is nevertheless based on a true story."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 283 words, 11/04/11
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...unfunny and thick with clichés... the migraine of a story arc needed sharp comedy reflexes or, at least, a live-wire/slummy star turn and got neither."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 190 words, 11/02/11
KEY CITIES (0 Reviews)
Killing Bono has not been reviewed in Key Cities
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...unfunny and thick with clichés... the migraine of a story arc needed sharp comedy reflexes or, at least, a live-wire/slummy star turn and got neither."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 190 words, 11/02/11
Noel Murray, AV Club: FAIR(cg) "...there's a difference between 'funny' and 'comedy,' and this adaptation tries way too hard to be nutty, at the expense of just getting across what Neil McCormick knows."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 417 words, 11/03/11
Alison Willmore, Movieline: VERY GOOD(cg) "...more than the film equivalent of someone's prize bar anecdote about the celebrity he knew (and could have been -- nay, should have been) back in the day."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 842 words, 11/03/11
Jesse Cataldo, Slant: WEAK(cg) "Rather than organically develop its characters, it charts their evolution via silly outfit changes, treating the early '80s as a costume bin for flavor-of-the-week aping gags..."(See all of Jesse Cataldo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 599 words, 11/01/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...one of the most painfully funny movies I've ever seen... I was laughing so hard at a story that plays like a satire on rags-to-riches clichés even though it's mostly true."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 04/06/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: POOR "What could have been a moderately entertaining short film is yanked to intolerable lengths... a shapeless rock-music caper... just doesn't know when to stop."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 281 words, 11/04/11
Mark Jenkins, NPR: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...amiable, lightweight... it would be more actively amusing if it didn't insist on portraying its title character (impersonated by Martin McCann) as such a bloody nice guy."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 628 words, 11/04/11
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...whips up a frenzied mix of musical jealousy, wishful stardom and farcical lucklessness into a movie too slippery to hold onto."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 11/11/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Leslie Felperin, Daily Variety: FAIR "...director Nick Hamm seems undecided as to whether he's making a comedy about betrayal and envy or a straight drama with the odd funny line."(See all of Leslie Felperin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 04/02/11
Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...a rather tame and bittersweet rock 'n' roll dramedy about two brothers trying to climb out of the shadow of Ireland's most famous band.... cleverly conceived..."(See all of Jordan Mintzer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 673 words, 07/01/11
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...whips up a frenzied mix of musical jealousy, wishful stardom and farcical lucklessness into a movie too slippery to hold onto."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 11/11/11
Jeff Farr, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "Without a sympathetic lead, the film -- which is based on the real Neil McCormick's memoir, 'I Was Bono's Doppelganger' -- has a hard time engaging the viewer."(See all of Jeff Farr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 813 words, 10/11/11
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: POOR "What could have been a moderately entertaining short film is yanked to intolerable lengths... a shapeless rock-music caper... just doesn't know when to stop."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 281 words, 11/04/11
25.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Killing Bono's reviews are separated by an average 25.0 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.
Killing Bono (14 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Killing Bono's reviews cover 15.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 6,478 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 463 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 14 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Killing Bono's reviews on average broke 14 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 Killing Bono's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Killing Bono (14 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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