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LAY THE FAVORITEMovie Reviews
Comedy about a Las Vegas cocktail waitress whose surprising ability with numbers lands her a job placing wagers for a professional sports bookie. Cast:Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hall, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joshua Jackson, Laura Prepon, Frank Grillo, Joel Murray, Corbin Bernsen, John Carroll Lynch, Andrea Frankle, Dominique DuVernay, Michelle Torres, Lara Grice, Ritchie MontgomeryDirector:Stephen FrearsRelease Date:December 7, 2012DVD Release:March 5, 2013From:The Weinstein CompanyRating:RLength:1 hr. 40 min.
Lay the Favorite played in regional release to weak reviews. • James Rocchi wrote for MSN Movies, "Incoherent, loud and saddled with a lead character far less smart and interesting than the woman whose writings and life we're supposedly watching..." More Reviews Below...
Lay the Favorite Positive Reviews (16 Reviews, reviews below)
James Rocchi, MSN Movies: POOR(cg) "Incoherent, loud and saddled with a lead character far less smart and interesting than the woman whose writings and life we're supposedly watching..."(See all of James Rocchi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 12/03/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The movie's saving grace is Bruce Willis... the epitome of mediocrity -- not a phrase often associated with a director having Stephen Frears' track record."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 689 words, 12/04/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "Mr. Frears, working from a strenuous script by D. V. DeVincentis, maintains a fizzy, farcical tempo without allowing anything especially funny or surprising to transpire."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 12/07/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "There are strong actors flailing around here, including Joshua Jackson as a straight-arrow journalist. He spends most of his time onscreen looking confused..."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 286 words, 12/07/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "Romance and capers exist here, they just aren't played well.... What is missing is that all-important connective tissue that ties everything together."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 502 words, 12/07/12
Kyle Smith, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Frears has a lot of fun with the bad tempers and high spirits of this crew of adrenaline junkies, and though the story falls a little flat, the script is sprinkled with dry wit."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 163 words, 12/07/12
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...a wan comedy... screeches and scrambles from scene to scene with manic sitcom energy, much like the cherished pet hamster of one of its characters."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 12/05/12
KEY CITIES (2 Reviews)
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...bawdy, fun and occasionally touching.... Lovingly directed by Stephen Frears, with a standout performance from Bruce Willis as a gambler."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 52 words, 12/07/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "You can imagine a lively comedy from these elements, but this isn't it... it feels by-the-numbers, a little slow and surprisingly dull."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 257 words, 12/07/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...a wan comedy... screeches and scrambles from scene to scene with manic sitcom energy, much like the cherished pet hamster of one of its characters."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 12/05/12
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Frears' inconsequential film is never better than in early scenes that map out the codes and rituals of its moderately seedy Sin City milieu."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 391 words, 12/06/12
Steve Macfarlane, Slant: POOR(cg) "...the film becomes nigh-classist: Hollywood celebrities romping around in a candy-colored Alexa-shot criminal underworld, pretty much as a means of passing time."(See all of Steve Macfarlane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 344 words, 12/06/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "Mr. Frears, working from a strenuous script by D. V. DeVincentis, maintains a fizzy, farcical tempo without allowing anything especially funny or surprising to transpire."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 12/07/12
Scott Tobias, NPR: FAIR "...a listless comedy built around a vivacious protagonist.... Frears has assembled a cast flush with A-listers, but only Willis makes much of an impression."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 624 words, 12/06/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "Romance and capers exist here, they just aren't played well.... What is missing is that all-important connective tissue that ties everything together."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 502 words, 12/07/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: MODERATE "...superficial light entertainment delivered by professionals.... you can feel Frears' attention wandering when it comes to the technical details."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 01/22/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: WEAK "Frivolous fun at best, archly affected tedium at worst... delivers a disappointing hand... directed on breezy-comedy autopilot by Stephen Frears."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 681 words, 01/22/12
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...the comedy just isn't that funny and the enterprise never finds an exact tone, with Stephen Frears merely turning up the pace and the volume as the climax approaches."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 738 words, 01/23/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "Romance and capers exist here, they just aren't played well.... What is missing is that all-important connective tissue that ties everything together."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 502 words, 12/07/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "Mr. Frears, working from a strenuous script by D. V. DeVincentis, maintains a fizzy, farcical tempo without allowing anything especially funny or surprising to transpire."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 12/07/12
18.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Lay the Favorite's reviews are separated by an average 18.5 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.
Lay the Favorite (16 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Lay the Favorite's reviews cover 19.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 7,549 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 472 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 37 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Lay the Favorite's reviews on average broke 37 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 Lay the Favorite's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Lay the Favorite (16 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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