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NEVER LET ME GOMovie Reviews
Drama about three students living at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school, unaware of the true purpose of their lives. Cast:Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan, Nathalie RichardDirector:Mark RomanekRelease Date:September 15, 2010DVD Release:February 1, 2011From:Fox SearchlightRating:RLength:1 hr 43 min
FEBRUARY 1, 2011
Never Let Me Go, Very Good Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
Never Let Me Go played in key cities to very good reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Peter Howell wrote in the Toronto Star, "...a beautifully cast and artfully rendered allegory..." • And Curt Holman wrote in Atlanta Creative Loafing, "...deeply felt... [but] the film contrives to deliver the viewers to a desolate emotional place, and then strands us there without much justification." More Reviews Below...
Never Let Me Go Positive Reviews (48 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: OUTSTANDING "...so subtle, with so many emotional cataclysms conveyed through a glance or a few tears, that the film might have been made by the Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 2,085 words, 09/03/10
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...manages to touch the mind and the heart... filled with sterling performances.... demands much of its audience emotionally. It's worth the investment."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 745 words, 09/14/10
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...while it's well-acted, the drama is as muted as tasteful wallpaper. What could have been moving and tragic is instead fairly forgettable."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 76 words, 09/23/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "A movie you can't get out of your head, a sci-fi horror story with the seductiveallure of a classic romance.... haunting and hypnotic."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 236 words, 09/17/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "This is such a meditative, delicate film. I heard some snuffling about me in the darkness.... This is a good movie, from a masterful novel."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 808 words, 09/23/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...moody... the slowness at which it progresses and the way in which the emotions are dampened to create an introspective feeling can lull the viewer almost to sleep."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,031 words, 09/21/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...cruelty is done so prettily and with such caution that the sting remains light... what's missing is the spark of life, the jolt of the unexpected..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 993 words, 09/15/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "Going defiantly against the grain of a hyperbolic movie culture... a moving and provocative film that initially unsettles, then disturbs and finally haunts you..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 827 words, 09/15/10
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "Science fiction movies don't come much more ponderous... the main asset is the acting, not only by the leads, but by Charlotte Rampling..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 502 words, 09/15/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "Greatness eludes it, yes. But greatness eludes almost every film adaptation of a major novel, which we must remember when confronted by a good one."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 552 words, 09/24/10
John Anderson, New York Newsday: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...disturbing, haunting... The characters' realization... and how they can live with it (or not), is what Romanek and his cast articulate so artfully."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 361 words, 10/08/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "This is such a meditative, delicate film. I heard some snuffling about me in the darkness.... This is a good movie, from a masterful novel."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 808 words, 09/23/10
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...might be described as a chilling anti-thriller, where the tension is more implied than shown.... a beautifully cast and artfully rendered allegory..."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 712 words, 09/24/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...about people trying to figure out the purpose of their lives and come to terms with their limited time - which, of course, means it's about everyone."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 247 words, 09/23/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "A beautifully mopey adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's much-praised novel... offers a meditation on identity, repressed longing, existential dread, and organ farming..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 09/24/10
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...romantic, profound and superbly crafted, shot with the self-contained radiance of a snow globe. And it's depressing."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 551 words, 10/08/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "Lovely and melancholy... an old school sci-fi dystopia with lovely, wistful performances that never quite overcome the fatalism that hangs over the whole affair."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 10/08/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "Romanek is patient in his storytelling... The movie moves slowly, if steadily. But its pace suits its theme, encouraging us to savor every moment."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 581 words, 10/08/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The problem with stillness here is that it's both the antithesis of youth and a signifier of wisdom.... The film feels like a J. Crew catalog from 1985."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 849 words, 09/24/10
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...certainly has its poignant moments. But it's also frustrating. We never fully connect with the characters because they are never fully invested in a sense of self."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 10/08/10
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "...among the more beautiful dystopias in film history.... This nightmarish scenario is, oddly, accepted without too much angst by our three protagonists..."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 10/08/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The actors -- especially Carey Mulligan -- are fine, and there's a nice English countryside look to all of it.... [but] the lack of fire just doesn't feel real."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 295 words, 10/08/10
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a work of subtle beauty... The film is sad in a beautiful, peaceful manner, and its exploration of mortality is different from most others..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 596 words, 10/08/10
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...it's puzzling to find the three boarding-school graduates in Romanek's dreamily photographed, oddly muted movie so accepting of their fates as organ 'donors.' "(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 146 words, 09/23/10
Noel Murray, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "The movie is uneven, largely because it's trying something unusual and ambitious. But that unusual ambition also makes it deeply moving."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 302 words, 09/16/10
David Ehrlich, Cinematical: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...gorgeous but deeply frustrating... at a scant and transitory 103 minutes 'Never Let Me Go' doesn't take the time to have you in the first place."(See all of David Ehrlich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,114 words, 09/10/10
Ed Gonzalez, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "If you don't completely scoff at the filmmaker's vision it's because its ambivalence isn't exactly far from Ishiguro's own stiff upper lip."(See all of Ed Gonzalez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,024 words, 09/12/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...about people trying to figure out the purpose of their lives and come to terms with their limited time - which, of course, means it's about everyone."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 247 words, 09/23/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...deeply felt... [but] the film contrives to deliver the viewers to a desolate emotional place, and then strands us there without much justification."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 09/22/10
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...extraordinarily moving and deeply unsettling... so gorgeously delicate and lovely a film that it's almost impossible to convey how (appropriately) horrific it is."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,035 words, 10/06/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "...delicate tone, provocative themes, impeccable craftsmanship and superb performances... I wish I'd been affected in equal measure, but I wasn't..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 09/17/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...cruelty is done so prettily and with such caution that the sting remains light... what's missing is the spark of life, the jolt of the unexpected..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 993 words, 09/15/10
David Denby, New Yorker: WEAK "...a stiff.... You can easily draw banalities about prizing every minute of life and appreciating your friends and so on, but who needs science fiction for that?"(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 720 words, 09/20/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "Going defiantly against the grain of a hyperbolic movie culture... a moving and provocative film that initially unsettles, then disturbs and finally haunts you..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 827 words, 09/15/10
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "...that rare find, a fragile little four-leaf clover of a movie that's emotionally devastating, yet all too easily trampled by cynics.... an ambitious thought experiment."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,008 words, 09/04/10
Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "Expertly acted, impeccably photographed, intelligently written, even intermittently touching... also too parched and ponderous... only comes alive in fits and starts."(See all of Stephen Farber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 652 words, 09/06/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "Going defiantly against the grain of a hyperbolic movie culture... a moving and provocative film that initially unsettles, then disturbs and finally haunts you..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 827 words, 09/15/10
Patrick Z. McGavin, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "Problem is, the images have no pull or reach of their own. The movie is fussy and embalmed, lacking anything resembling realistic or honest emotional interaction."(See all of Patrick Z. McGavin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,023 words, 09/13/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...cruelty is done so prettily and with such caution that the sting remains light... what's missing is the spark of life, the jolt of the unexpected..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 993 words, 09/15/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "...delicate tone, provocative themes, impeccable craftsmanship and superb performances... I wish I'd been affected in equal measure, but I wasn't..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 09/17/10
19.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Never Let Me Go's reviews are separated by an average 19.2 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.
Never Let Me Go (48 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Never Let Me Go's reviews cover 93.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 28,598 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 596 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Never Let Me Go Coverage, Volume & Length (48 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 42.4 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Never Let Me Go's reviews on average broke 42.4 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 Never Let Me Go's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Never Let Me Go (48 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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