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PARIAH (2011)Movie Reviews
Drama about a 17-year-old African-American girl in Brooklyn coming to terms with her identity as a lesbian amid family tension at home. Cast:Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Aasha Davis, Charles Parnell, Sahra Mellesse, Kim Wayans, Shamika Cotton, Ray Anthony ThomasDirector:Dee ReesRelease Date:December 28, 2011DVD Release:April 24, 2012From:Focus FeaturesRating:RLength:1 hr 24 min
Pariah (2011) played in key cities to outstanding reviews. • Joe Morgenstern wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "The originality lies in the details, and the dramatic energy that sustains almost every scene." • And Mary Pols wrote in Time, "The year's best coming-of-age film.... Dee Rees' voice is already powerful and gracefully confident... Actress Adepero Oduye is wonderful, the movie inspiring." More Reviews Below...
Mary Pols, Time: OUTSTANDING "The year's best coming-of-age film.... Dee Rees' voice is already powerful and gracefully confident... Actress Adepero Oduye is wonderful, the movie inspiring."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,161 words, 12/28/11
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...at once raw and dreamlike, specific to a particular, personal rite of passage yet relatable in its message of being true to oneself.... inspiring..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 01/05/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "This vibrantly alive debut feature from Dee Rees, drawn from her own life, introduces an original voice.... Adepero Oduye is unforgettable. A star is born."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 133 words, 01/06/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "...has a fresh and distinctly urban take, anchored by an affable lead performance.... Director Dee Rees tackles the subject with honesty and understanding."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 341 words, 12/30/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...what we're seeing here is the emergence of a promising writer-director, an actor and a cinematographer who are all exciting... a film that seeks helpful truths."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 572 words, 01/06/12
James Rocchi, MSN Movies: EXCELLENT(cg) "...somehow moves above and beyond the mere bones and sinew of the essential plotline to be fully fleshed as something new and different."(See all of James Rocchi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 756 words, 12/20/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...boasts intensity and passion but lacks narrative coherence.... Adepero Oduye's performance is great, but the movie as a whole is ordinary."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 749 words, 01/02/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...a familiar story. What lifts it above a majority of coming-out movies is its specificity, not only about its characters but also about its location."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 706 words, 12/28/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "There have only been a few movies since the late-'80s heyday of from-the-gut indies that have felt like this... you're instantly drawn in to its feelings and sense of place."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 12/30/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a stinging street-smart story of an African American teen's struggle to come of age and come out... Dee Rees gives 'Pariah' a surprising and empowering maturity."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 611 words, 12/28/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...has a rough spot or two, but it's an exciting journey of discovery -- both for the audience and for a feisty heroine determined to learn how to be true to herself."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 347 words, 12/28/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The payoffs here begin and end with Adepero Oduye... we see this character confront her obstacles with bravery, grace and resolve..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 490 words, 01/06/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...what we're seeing here is the emergence of a promising writer-director, an actor and a cinematographer who are all exciting... a film that seeks helpful truths."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 572 words, 01/06/12
Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Dee Rees' script, peppered with colourful hip-hop argot, is smart and economical, with well-drawn characters, dialogue and situations that echo with authenticity."(See all of Bruce DeMara's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 456 words, 01/13/12
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...has three things going for it: great performances, an exhilarating soundtrack of girl-powered hip-hop, metal and soul, and director Dee Rees's savvy script."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 160 words, 01/12/12
KEY CITIES (11 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...invigoratingly fresh... both tough and tender, vivid and grim, drenched in poetry and music and pain and discovery. In other words, 'Pariah' feels a lot like life..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 582 words, 01/06/12
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...exhilarating... feels like cinema verite.... Rees tells Alike's story in vignettes that are sometimes slapstick, sometimes heartbreaking, always tender."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 421 words, 01/13/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...the film's ingredients aren't the freshest. Black, gay, prejudice, disapproving family, coming out, coming of age, Brooklyn -- it's like indie-film bingo."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 354 words, 01/20/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "Oduye's performance, like Rees' writing and direction, is grounded in genuine feeling, with hardly a false note.... it's thrilling to watch Oduye..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 01/13/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...rare.... a movie about the grunt work of identity politics... This is a 17-year-old girl trying to figure out what kind of black woman and lesbian to be."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 882 words, 01/06/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the acting is all easy and natural. The score is moody and often beautiful. And the message - that prejudice exists in every community - is one worth listening to."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 421 words, 12/28/11
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...benefits from solid performances... and most of all from Rees' careful screenplay, which dances that shifting line between fear and emergent hope."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 12/28/11
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the joy of 'Pariah' is watching both Alike's tentative, heartfelt emergence as an independent woman, and Oduye's performance, understated yet deeply moving."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 440 words, 01/06/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the sort of delicate little movie that rescues the Sundance Film Festival from its occasional excesses and misfires."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 300 words, 01/13/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "You don't have to be black or lesbian or even know someone who's gay... you just have to have gone through or be going through the process of growing up."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 311 words, 01/20/12
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Rees has an intimate feel for setting... Her characters, convincingly played, avoid stereotype, with the exception of mom, the film's ultimate pariah."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 160 words, 01/05/12
Scott Tobias, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...sensitively captures the added difficulties of a teenager pursuing love for the first time while having to keep that pursuit a secret."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 384 words, 12/29/11
Alison Willmore, Movieline: EXCELLENT(cg) "...uncommonly aware of just how heartbreakingly important the trappings of fashion, of music choices, of hobbies are when you're young..."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 757 words, 12/28/11
Ed Gonzalez, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...two nuance-sucking articulations of how tough it still is to be gay -- not to mention gay and nonwhite -- in America today."(See all of Ed Gonzalez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 946 words, 03/24/11
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...has three things going for it: great performances, an exhilarating soundtrack of girl-powered hip-hop, metal and soul, and director Dee Rees's savvy script."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 160 words, 01/12/12
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: EXCELLENT(cg) "Fortunately, Rees presents more rounded characters than you find in the urban dramas of Tyler Perry or the more manipulative movies of Spike Lee."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 01/12/12
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: OUTSTANDING(cg) "For all the tough places it goes, 'Pariah' is a lovely film about a young woman learning how to blossom into her own loveliness."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 268 words, 02/01/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...a remarkable debut... genuinely original.... The originality lies in the details, and the dramatic energy that sustains almost every scene."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 320 words, 01/06/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...a familiar story. What lifts it above a majority of coming-out movies is its specificity, not only about its characters but also about its location."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 706 words, 12/28/11
Ella Taylor, NPR: OUTSTANDING "...a vital first feature... a tender, sporadically goofy, yet candid examination of emergent identity.... the finest coming-of-age movie I've seen in years..."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 597 words, 12/29/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a stinging street-smart story of an African American teen's struggle to come of age and come out... Dee Rees gives 'Pariah' a surprising and empowering maturity."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 611 words, 12/28/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Andrew Barker, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "Vivid photography, true-to-life moments and a wonderful lead performance compensate for some first-timer missteps in writer-director Dee Rees' 'Pariah'..."(See all of Andrew Barker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 460 words, 01/21/11
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "Adepero Oduye captures the spirit of an adolescent with no doubt about what she wants but a deep ambivalence about how to pursue it."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 01/21/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a stinging street-smart story of an African American teen's struggle to come of age and come out... Dee Rees gives 'Pariah' a surprising and empowering maturity."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 611 words, 12/28/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: EXCELLENT(cg) "...premiered at the 2011 Sundance Fest, winning the Jury's Best Cinematography Award.... Spike Lee is one of the film's executive producers."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 844 words, 02/02/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...a familiar story. What lifts it above a majority of coming-out movies is its specificity, not only about its characters but also about its location."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 706 words, 12/28/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...a remarkable debut... genuinely original.... The originality lies in the details, and the dramatic energy that sustains almost every scene."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 320 words, 01/06/12
12.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Pariah (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 12.4 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.
Pariah (2011) (42 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Pariah (2011)'s reviews cover 84.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 19,805 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 472 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 1.9 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Pariah (2011)'s reviews on average broke 1.9 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 Pariah (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Pariah (2011) (42 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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