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ORANGES AND SUNSHINEMovie Reviews
Drama about a social worker from Nottingham, England who uncovered the scandal of the mass deportation of children from the United Kingdom to Australia. Cast:Hugo Weaving, David Wenham, Emily Watson, Tara Morice, Helen Grayson, Molly WindsorDirector:Jim LoachRelease Date:October 21, 2011DVD Release:July 25, 2011From:Independent PicturesRating:RLength:1 hr. 45 min.
JULY 25, 2011
Oranges and Sunshine, Good (Not Great) Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
Oranges and Sunshine played in key cities to good not great reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Leba Hertz wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...a fictionalized and well-done account.... Emily Watson, who always brings a special grace to the screen, gives a multilayered performance..." • And Mark Feeney wrote in the Boston Globe, "Admirable as earnestness is in life, it's death to art." More Reviews Below...
Oranges and Sunshine Positive Reviews (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: VERY GOOD(cg) "Emily Watson, a delicate English rose, has never seemed more sturdy than here.... she doesn't play a fiery, charismatic heroine, but a quietly stubborn force of nature..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 616 words, 10/28/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...quietly wrenching... keeps its eye on the long view and maintains a steady, melancholic tone that conveys a resolute moral outrage."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 744 words, 10/21/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: MODERATE "...sometimes the facts can get in the way of the drama, and that's the central problem here.... needing to be true to the record is reflected in an overwhelmed screenplay..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 10/21/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "Making a true story of social injustice into a gripping narrative requires more imagination than is contained in this well-intentioned but uninspired effort."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 223 words, 10/21/11
John Anderson, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "Much of this ironically titled movie is just too predictable.... But it's the force of the fact-based story that matters here, as well as Emily Watson's performance..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 257 words, 12/16/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Emily Watson, a delicate English rose, has never seemed more sturdy than here.... she doesn't play a fiery, charismatic heroine, but a quietly stubborn force of nature..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 616 words, 10/28/11
Ernest Hardy, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "Jim Loach has crafted a film that breaks your heart and milks more than a few tears.... Watson hits all the right emotional and intellectual notes..."(See all of Ernest Hardy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 252 words, 10/19/11
KEY CITIES (5 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...based on the true story of Margaret Humphreys - a British social worker... powerful, gut-wrenching stuff... an amazing, yet dark, little movie."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 10/21/11
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "Admirable as earnestness is in life, it's death to art. 'Oranges and Sunshine' is like a Mike Leigh movie drained of all its bodily fluids."(See all of Mark Feeney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 527 words, 11/04/11
Leba Hertz, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a fictionalized and well-done account.... Emily Watson, who always brings a special grace to the screen, gives a multilayered performance..."(See all of Leba Hertz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 156 words, 10/28/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Ernest Hardy, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "Jim Loach has crafted a film that breaks your heart and milks more than a few tears.... Watson hits all the right emotional and intellectual notes..."(See all of Ernest Hardy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 252 words, 10/19/11
Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "A chilling tale? Not when made into a maudlin, completely predictable, mainstream narrative movie by filmmaker Jim Loach (son of Ken Loach)."(See all of Gerald Peary's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 101 words, 11/03/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...deeply enraging.... reminds us that for all the evil individuals of our species can do, there's a whole helluva lot of good that others manage to eek out, too."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,019 words, 04/11/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...quietly wrenching... keeps its eye on the long view and maintains a steady, melancholic tone that conveys a resolute moral outrage."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 744 words, 10/21/11
Jeannette Catsoulis, NPR: MODERATE "Earnest to a fault... Relying on businesslike framing and the minimum of camera movement, director Jim Loach downplays the drama that would have drawn us in."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 10/20/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...sometimes the facts can get in the way of the drama, and that's the central problem here.... needing to be true to the record is reflected in an overwhelmed screenplay..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 10/21/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Richard Kuipers, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "...a deeply moving study of emotionally scarred adults who were illegally deported as children to Australia from Britain... a standout debut by British helmer Jim Loach..."(See all of Richard Kuipers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 691 words, 10/10/10
Natasha Senjanovic, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...a plodding script and muted staging strangely strip away the emotional punch... Weaving is brilliant in the nearly impossible role as the emotionally displaced Jack."(See all of Natasha Senjanovic's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 576 words, 11/01/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...sometimes the facts can get in the way of the drama, and that's the central problem here.... needing to be true to the record is reflected in an overwhelmed screenplay..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 10/21/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...quietly wrenching... keeps its eye on the long view and maintains a steady, melancholic tone that conveys a resolute moral outrage."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 744 words, 10/21/11
23.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Oranges and Sunshine's reviews are separated by an average 23.7 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.
Oranges and Sunshine (20 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Oranges and Sunshine's reviews cover 23.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 9,338 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 467 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 13 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Oranges and Sunshine's reviews on average broke 13 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 Oranges and Sunshine's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Oranges and Sunshine (20 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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