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LARRY CROWNEMovie Reviews
Comedy drama about a man who, after losing his job, tries to start over by enrolling in college, where he develops a crush on his teacher, a woman whose own life is less than ideal. Cast:Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Bryan Cranston, Cedric the EntertainerDirector:Tom HanksRelease Date:July 1, 2011DVD Release:November 15, 2011From:UniversalRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 39 min.
Larry Crowne played to fair reviews. • Tom Long wrote in the Detroit News, "...comfort food, and even if it has very little nutritional value, its pleasantly bland texture will help keep you occupied until your next job interview or layoff notice." • And Thelma Adams wrote in Us Weekly, "...uneven... tries to juggle serious and silly, yet never finds the right balance between the two." More Reviews Below...
Larry Crowne Positive Reviews (50 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: MODERATE(cg) "...when two megastars aren't allowed to be the most interesting people in their own film, they're not the only ones getting cheated."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 147 words, 06/30/11
Mary Pols, Time: FAIR "...harmless... a reinvention tale, at times cloying, but not without small charms. It's about as substantial as a pep rally and serves the same function."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 689 words, 07/01/11
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's always nice to get a visit from Tom and Julia... But just like the generic name of the title character, they are too easily forgotten here."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 726 words, 06/30/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...both a dated, lackluster comedy and a genial, old-fashioned romance.... its lack of raunch and violence is commendable, and there is a relaxed warmth to some scenes..."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 415 words, 07/01/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "I watched the movie with all the pleasure I bring to watching bread rise. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy watching bread rise, but it lacks a certain degree of interest."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 614 words, 07/01/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...light, frothy... it has a heart, offers winning performances from two genuine luminaries, and (thank god!) isn't available anywhere in 3-D."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 895 words, 06/30/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (14 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: WEAK "...it feels like being stuck in traffic... a rarity nowadays: a putatively adult Hollywood film featuring certified grown-ups... a syrupy pile of French toast."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 740 words, 07/01/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: POOR "...acceptable around the edges but hollow and shockingly unconvincing at its core.... If this is the best Hollywood can muster for adult audiences..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 692 words, 07/01/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...if you're looking for a movie you can take your parents or young children to without fear of embarrassment or the need for endless explanations, this is the one."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 489 words, 07/01/11
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "...not only occupies a comfort zone, it pops out the leg-rest on the Barcalounger and takes a nap.... free of passion, drama or anything that might boost a heart-rate."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 271 words, 07/01/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...sometimes gentle to the point of blandness, but it's never flimsy. It's actually one of the subtler portraits I've seen of middle-class life in the age of corporate capitalism..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 07/04/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "I watched the movie with all the pleasure I bring to watching bread rise. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy watching bread rise, but it lacks a certain degree of interest."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 614 words, 07/01/11
Mark Olsen, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "There is never a strong enough sense of what was missing from Larry's previous life to really appreciate who he is changing into."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 669 words, 06/29/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: WEAK(cg) "...a movie of unbelievable characters, fake emotions and unearned resolutions, cynically pitched as a summer feel-good flick about coping with unemployment."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 817 words, 07/01/11
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "Tom Hanks has a lot of clout... It takes tons of the stuff, and an equal measure of arrogance, to make a movie as formless and benignly vacuous as 'Larry Crowne.' "(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 07/01/11
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...as romantic comedies go, the film is neither swooningly romantic nor howlingly funny.... It gets you where it wants you to go, but with a minimum of oomph."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 527 words, 07/01/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It may not be grounded in reality, exactly, but Hanks' and Nia Vardalos' screenplay is still identifiable as emanating from a real place."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 07/01/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It plays to the leads' trademark strengths -- Hanks' American Everyman decency and pluck, Roberts' romantic longing punctuated by that million megawatt smile..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 641 words, 07/01/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: MODERATE(cg) "These are characters with real problems... Yet Hanks the director casts a warm glow over everything, muting the impact of the characters' trials."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 508 words, 07/01/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "Movies rarely come squarer... an earnest attempt at modesty that feels a tad false. Hanks keeps rearing his regality then apologizing for it."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 873 words, 07/01/11
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "I had a migraine when I started watching, and by the end, it went away. None of this quite adds up to a recommendation, but it's close. Very close."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 712 words, 07/01/11
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...has just enough funny lines and amusing casting choices to make it all go down pleasantly... Hanks' sweetly brash charisma could fill an entire multiplex of movies..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 07/01/11
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...likable and often hilarious... proves that it's possible to be funny without being crude... as easygoing as the character for which it's named."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 07/01/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...comfort food, and even if it has very little nutritional value, its pleasantly bland texture will help keep you occupied until your next job interview or layoff notice."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 572 words, 07/01/11
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...modestly charming, featherweight... seems simple and facile at a glance, but these characters and their dilemmas stay with you."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 07/01/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (9 Reviews)
Mark Olsen, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "There is never a strong enough sense of what was missing from Larry's previous life to really appreciate who he is changing into."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 669 words, 06/29/11
Josh Tyler, Cinema Blend: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a simple little story more interested in pushing you out the door with a smile than leaving you with anything substantive or genuine."(See all of Josh Tyler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 827 words, 07/01/11
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: FAIR(cg) "When I learned, from the opening credits that the script had been co-written by Nia Vardalos, I suddenly remembered that I had a root canal scheduled... If only."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 921 words, 06/30/11
Nick Schager, Slant: POOR(cg) "It's hard to remember a film with less actual conflict... it draws a straight line from unhappiness to happiness, super-happiness, and all-out triumphant bliss..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 636 words, 06/28/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: MODERATE(cg) "...aggressively meh... It's not a bad movie. It's not a particularly good one, either. It feels calculated for cute: mild, feel-good, none-too-challenging cute."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 817 words, 06/30/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (6 Reviews)
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: POOR "You wonder who thought any of this was funny.... the burden of charm is placed squarely on Mr. Hanks' well-intentioned but sagging shoulders."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 625 words, 07/01/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: WEAK "...it feels like being stuck in traffic... a rarity nowadays: a putatively adult Hollywood film featuring certified grown-ups... a syrupy pile of French toast."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 740 words, 07/01/11
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: WEAK "...never dares to worry too much about the plight of its central figure, and its solution to unemployment is to get by with a little help from your friends..."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,061 words, 07/04/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: POOR "...acceptable around the edges but hollow and shockingly unconvincing at its core.... If this is the best Hollywood can muster for adult audiences..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 692 words, 07/01/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...there's a wisp of a generous and interesting idea here: If the Great Depression produced a certain variety of comic escape, maybe its 21st-century reboot will also."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 914 words, 06/29/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: POOR "...flat-footed and tone deaf... Striving to touch on current economic woes in a warmly humorous vein, the film strikes the wrong note from its first scene..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 860 words, 06/28/11
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "Sure, the film is a romantic comedy starring Hanks and Roberts, but every scene is on the prowl for laughs at the expense of the inherent drama..."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,048 words, 06/28/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: POOR "...acceptable around the edges but hollow and shockingly unconvincing at its core.... If this is the best Hollywood can muster for adult audiences..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 692 words, 07/01/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: FAIR(cg) "...every element is obvious, over-explicit, and squeaky-clean, from the writing to the direction to the acting to the production design and even music and soundtrack."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 907 words, 06/29/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: WEAK "...it feels like being stuck in traffic... a rarity nowadays: a putatively adult Hollywood film featuring certified grown-ups... a syrupy pile of French toast."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 740 words, 07/01/11
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: POOR "You wonder who thought any of this was funny.... the burden of charm is placed squarely on Mr. Hanks' well-intentioned but sagging shoulders."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 625 words, 07/01/11
17.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Larry Crowne's reviews are separated by an average 17.3 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.
Larry Crowne (50 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Larry Crowne's reviews cover 99.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 30,878 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 618 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Larry Crowne Coverage, Volume & Length (50 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 1.2 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Larry Crowne's reviews on average broke 1.2 hours 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 Larry Crowne's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Larry Crowne (50 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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