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MERCY (2010)Movie Reviews
Romantic drama about a successful playboy novelist who woos and wins, falls hard for and then loses a woman who happens to be a literary critic who dislikes his work. Cast:Scott Caan, Wendy Glenn, Erika Christensen, John Boyd, Troy GarityDirector:Patrick HoelckRelease Date:April 30, 2010DVD Release:September 28, 2010From:IFCLength:1 hr. 27 min.
Mercy (2010) played in limited release to moderate reviews. • Michael Ordoña wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "...a romantic drama with some good qualities — among them earnestness and strong performances — but not enough to completely overcome the strain of its clichés." • And Nathan Rabin wrote for the AV Club, "...feels like the cinematic equivalent of a bad first novel..." More Reviews Below...
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: MODERATE(cg) "This story arc is predictable and not very satisfying, and the film's strengths are in the performances. Scott Caan is effective as a heartless creep..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 747 words, 07/22/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Had Cassavetes directed 'Love Story,' it might have turned out looking and sounding something like 'Mercy'... Odd as that juxtaposition may seem, it's not a bad mix."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 715 words, 04/30/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: MODERATE(cg) "In a certain kind of indie movie, the only thing sweeter than a bad boy transformed is slow, sad tragedy. 'Mercy' has both, which isn't good."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 132 words, 04/30/10
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: MODERATE "...a romantic drama with some good qualities -- among them earnestness and strong performances -- but not enough to completely overcome the strain of its clichés."(See all of Michael Ordoña's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 265 words, 05/07/10
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "Despite risible dialogue, 'Mercy' is watchable because of Scott Caan's physical presence -- and a couple of scenes with his real-life father, James Caan..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 180 words, 04/30/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "This story arc is predictable and not very satisfying, and the film's strengths are in the performances. Scott Caan is effective as a heartless creep..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 747 words, 07/22/10
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...plays like A Very Special Episode of 'Entourage,' only sporadically convincing that it's taking such form to mobilize a critique of the same."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 279 words, 04/28/10
KEY CITIES (0 Reviews)
Mercy (2010) has not been reviewed in Key Cities
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (3 Reviews)
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...plays like A Very Special Episode of 'Entourage,' only sporadically convincing that it's taking such form to mobilize a critique of the same."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 279 words, 04/28/10
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...devolves into yet another navel-gazing drama about a glib cad redeemed by the love of a good woman.... feels like the cinematic equivalent of a bad first novel..."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 330 words, 04/29/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Had Cassavetes directed 'Love Story,' it might have turned out looking and sounding something like 'Mercy'... Odd as that juxtaposition may seem, it's not a bad mix."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 715 words, 04/30/10
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a romantic drama with some good qualities -- among them earnestness and strong performances -- but not enough to completely overcome the strain of its clichés."(See all of Michael Ordoña's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 265 words, 05/07/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...a tart, literate script, an adroit balance of humor and pathos, a memorable onscreen collaboration between star-scribe Scott Caan and his father James... impressive."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 799 words, 06/14/09
Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...ambitious and sporadically powerful... neither as deep nor as complex as it wants to be. When it hits its marks, though, it delivers well-observed moments that pack a punch."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 596 words, 04/13/10
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a romantic drama with some good qualities -- among them earnestness and strong performances -- but not enough to completely overcome the strain of its clichés."(See all of Michael Ordoña's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 265 words, 05/07/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Had Cassavetes directed 'Love Story,' it might have turned out looking and sounding something like 'Mercy'... Odd as that juxtaposition may seem, it's not a bad mix."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 715 words, 04/30/10
14.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Mercy (2010)'s reviews are separated by an average 14.5 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.
Mercy (2010) (11 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Mercy (2010)'s reviews cover 14.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 4,557 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 414 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 13 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Mercy (2010)'s reviews on average broke 13 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 Mercy (2010)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Mercy (2010) (11 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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