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NORMAN (2011)Movie Reviews
Comedy drama about a depressed and angry high-school loner who unintentionally gets caught up in a lie that he has cancer. Cast:Dan Byrd, Emily VanCamp, Richard Jenkins, Adam GoldbergDirector:Jonathan SegalRelease Date:October 21, 2011DVD Release: TBD From:Independent PicturesRating:RLength:1 hr 37 min
Norman (2011) played in limited release to good not great reviews. • John Hartl wrote in the Seattle Times, "Richard Jenkins and Dan Byrd are heartbreakingly believable as father and son... Adam Goldberg turns Norman's teacher into a walking provocation." • And Roger Moore wrote in the Orlando Sentinel, "...take us in some too-obvious, but also a few surprising directions — you never know where this is going." More Reviews Below...
Norman (2011) Positive Reviews (14 Reviews, reviews below)
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: VERY GOOD(cg) "For me, Richard Jenkins is the heart of 'Norman.' How often I've admired him; even in unworthy roles, he has such strength, he never seems to need to try."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 10/21/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
Andy Webster, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There's something sweet about Jonathan Segal's modest high school drama, despite the contrivances of its protagonist's predicament and its stacking of the emotional deck."(See all of Andy Webster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 348 words, 10/21/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Jonathan Segal wrings every bit of emotional purity and ironic humor that he can out of this teen coming-of-age... dialogue is smart... The humor is sly and not overplayed..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 586 words, 10/21/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...well-acted... there's a winning emotional truth in the father-son scenes in this Spokane-shot sleeper, directed with skill and sensitivity by Jonathan Segal."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 157 words, 10/21/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "For me, Richard Jenkins is the heart of 'Norman.' How often I've admired him; even in unworthy roles, he has such strength, he never seems to need to try."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 10/21/11
Ben Mercer, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...succeeds in fleshing out its troubled main character; [however,] the actions of his peers are consistently harder to accept."(See all of Ben Mercer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 252 words, 10/19/11
KEY CITIES (3 Reviews)
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Director Jonathan Segal and screenwriter Talton Wingate take us in some too-obvious, but also a few surprising directions -- you never know where this is going."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 267 words, 04/02/11
Joel Brown, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...gets most of its punch from two terrific performances -- Dan Byrd and Richard Jenkins... you can't help feeling that there's an even better, tougher movie inside 'Norman'..."(See all of Joel Brown's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 10/28/11
John Hartl, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Richard Jenkins and Dan Byrd are heartbreakingly believable as father and son... Adam Goldberg turns Norman's teacher into a walking provocation."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 286 words, 10/21/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Ben Mercer, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...succeeds in fleshing out its troubled main character; [however,] the actions of his peers are consistently harder to accept."(See all of Ben Mercer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 252 words, 10/19/11
Nina Mashurova, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "Byrd is simultaneously macabre and vulnerable in the lead role, to the point where he seems less like a troubled teenager and more like a young Philip Seymour Hoffman."(See all of Nina Mashurova's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 10/20/11
Sam Adams, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "By the time 'Norman' nose-dives into outright tearjerkery, it's yanked the audience in so many different directions, it's hard to know which way is up."(See all of Sam Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 368 words, 10/20/11
Bill Weber, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...lacks the will and know-how to push at audience's boundaries with either transgressive laughter or an honest engagement with its themes..."(See all of Bill Weber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 364 words, 10/19/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Andy Webster, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There's something sweet about Jonathan Segal's modest high school drama, despite the contrivances of its protagonist's predicament and its stacking of the emotional deck."(See all of Andy Webster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 348 words, 10/21/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Jonathan Segal wrings every bit of emotional purity and ironic humor that he can out of this teen coming-of-age... dialogue is smart... The humor is sly and not overplayed..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 586 words, 10/21/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: GOOD "Jonathan Segal's polished sophomore feature effectively grows more serious as it confronts the already grieving hero with the imminent loss of a second parent."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 563 words, 09/17/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Jonathan Segal wrings every bit of emotional purity and ironic humor that he can out of this teen coming-of-age... dialogue is smart... The humor is sly and not overplayed..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 586 words, 10/21/11
Andy Webster, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There's something sweet about Jonathan Segal's modest high school drama, despite the contrivances of its protagonist's predicament and its stacking of the emotional deck."(See all of Andy Webster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 348 words, 10/21/11
13.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Norman (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 13.3 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.
Norman (2011) (14 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Norman (2011)'s reviews cover 15.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 5,520 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 394 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Norman (2011) Coverage, Volume & Length (14 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 34 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Norman (2011)'s reviews on average broke 34 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 Norman (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Norman (2011) (14 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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