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LIFE IN A DAY (2011)Movie Reviews
Documentary compiled from YouTube submissions from 192 countries presents a microcosmic view of our daily experiences as a global society. Cast:Kevin Macdonald, Ridley ScottDirector:Kevin MacdonaldRelease Date:July 29, 2011DVD Release:November 8, 2011From:National GeographicRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 30 min
NOVEMBER 8, 2011
Life in a Day (2011), Good (Not Great) Reviews, Mixed (Doc) Key Cities
Life in a Day (2011) played in key cities to good not great reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Michael O'Sullivan wrote in the Washington Post, "...without exaggeration, a profound achievement. Alternately funny, scary, boring, moving, amateurish and gorgeous, it is a pretty spectacular thing..." • And Scott Tobias wrote for NPR, "...narcissism on a global scale..." More Reviews Below...
Life in a Day (2011) Positive Reviews (25 Reviews, reviews below)
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...so intimate and ultimately optimistic, it'll leave you with the inescapable feeling that you've just made hundreds of new friends you've never actually met."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 432 words, 07/28/11
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...so free of the usual YouTube Stupid Human Tricks coyness, that it's easy to get addicted to its clear-eyed celebration of the rituals and dislocating comedy of life..."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 84 words, 07/29/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: WEAK "There's nothing that the movie business can't get wrong.... a hard movie to engage with or even sit through, despite the fact that much of the material is interesting..."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 362 words, 07/29/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "There are dull spots, as with any other day, yet 'Life' aims to be, and occasionally is, like a YouTube-y 'Our Town,' giving a sense of what it is to be alive on planet Earth."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 132 words, 07/29/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...an extraordinary range of cultures, terrain and styles... a stirring reminder of how ordinary and yet eclectic humanity can be."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 732 words, 07/29/11
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "It's a clever concept that should play well on TV and the Internet. But as a big-screen movie, 'Life in a Day' elicits a shrug and a question: Who cares?"(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 146 words, 07/29/11
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...less about the world than about itself.... only helps perpetuate the insidious proposition that what's on the Web is what's in the world."(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 271 words, 07/27/11
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Director Kevin Macdonald is a skilled filmmaker, but when he doesn't have control over what gets shot, he has trouble finding the story."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 193 words, 07/28/11
KEY CITIES (6 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...without exaggeration, a profound achievement. Alternately funny, scary, boring, moving, amateurish and gorgeous, it is a pretty spectacular thing..."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 07/29/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...less than the sum of its parts.... feels like a 95-minute Flickr photo stream. Pretty pictures, scant continuity, none too edifying."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 282 words, 09/02/11
Tom Russo, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...more lush than you'd expect from YouTube fare... some contributors have clearly brought in ringers to help with the filming."(See all of Tom Russo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 495 words, 08/05/11
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...at once ambitious in its global reach and modest in its simplicity.... a time capsule of life on planet Earth on July 24, 2010, as told by people around the world."(See all of G. Allen Johnson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 170 words, 07/29/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...takes an ingenious concept and fulfills it with energy and flair.... It's not profound, exactly, and it's certainly arbitrary, but it has the potential to touch you profoundly..."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 338 words, 08/05/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...less about the world than about itself.... only helps perpetuate the insidious proposition that what's on the Web is what's in the world."(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 271 words, 07/27/11
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Results of 500 contributing entries, as might be expected, vary in quality from the sentimental to the astounding..."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 269 words, 08/04/11
Noel Murray, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "Macdonald brings in moments of real emotional power and subtle dignity, which justifies the whole endeavor.... serves as a fine time capsule..."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 334 words, 07/28/11
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Director Kevin Macdonald is a skilled filmmaker, but when he doesn't have control over what gets shot, he has trouble finding the story."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 193 words, 07/28/11
Mike Hale, New York Times: WEAK "There's nothing that the movie business can't get wrong.... a hard movie to engage with or even sit through, despite the fact that much of the material is interesting..."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 362 words, 07/29/11
Scott Tobias, NPR: WEAK "...narcissism on a global scale... In a world without books or magazines, this is the movie people would watch in the waiting room at the dentist's office."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 07/29/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...an extraordinary range of cultures, terrain and styles... a stirring reminder of how ordinary and yet eclectic humanity can be."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 732 words, 07/29/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Robert Koehler, Daily Variety: MODERATE "...emotional and problematically assembled... Macdonald's aesthetic backs away from drawing out any big ideas just as it retreats from a more radical collage approach."(See all of Robert Koehler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 616 words, 01/26/11
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...amazing... one for the ages.... an experimental project driven by the Internet at its best, where connectivity among the planet's population has become a reality."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 940 words, 01/28/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...an extraordinary range of cultures, terrain and styles... a stirring reminder of how ordinary and yet eclectic humanity can be."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 732 words, 07/29/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...by turns ordinary, beautiful, funny, sad, touching, revelatory and even shocking.... a risky, mesmerizing experiment that has paid off in many different ways."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 481 words, 07/24/11
Mike Hale, New York Times: WEAK "There's nothing that the movie business can't get wrong.... a hard movie to engage with or even sit through, despite the fact that much of the material is interesting..."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 362 words, 07/29/11
24.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Life in a Day (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 24.4 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.
Life in a Day (2011) (25 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Life in a Day (2011)'s reviews cover 37.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 10,477 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 419 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Life in a Day (2011) Coverage, Volume & Length (25 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 4 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Life in a Day (2011)'s reviews on average broke 4 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 Life in a Day (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Life in a Day (2011) (25 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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