Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will discontinue
publishing this website at the end of May (more...)
Search a Movie:
PASSING STRANGE: THE MOVIEMovie Reviews
Documentary filming of the Broadway musical of the same name about a young black man from Los Angeles who decides to follow in the footsteps of James Baldwin and Josephine Baker by traveling to Europe and exploring the world. Cast:De'Adre Aziza, Daniel Breaker, Colman Domingo, Chad Goodridge, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Eisa DavisDirector:Spike LeeRelease Date:August 21, 2009DVD Release:January 12, 2010From:40 Acres and a Mule FilmworksLength:2 hr. 15 min.
JANUARY 12, 2010
Passing Strange: The Movie, Sensational Reviews (Doc) National
Passing Strange: The Movie played in national release to sensational reviews. • Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "...one of the best musicals I've seen.... moving and exciting... filmed by Spike Lee, whose work is the very model of how to record a live performance." • And Lou Lumenick wrote in the New York Post, "...one Tony-winning Broadway show that's well worth preserving and seeing." More Reviews Below...
Passing Strange: The Movie Positive Reviews (14 Reviews, reviews below)
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...so crisp and intimate, it makes you feel as if you're right on the minimalist stage with Stew (who also narrates), the rest of his formidable cast and the band."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 593 words, 08/20/09
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "I was blown away... moving, thrilling, new... A show not simply preserved by Mr. Lee's camera, but brought, somehow, to its fullest, strangest, most electrifying realization."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,037 words, 08/21/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...earned at least ten major awards last year.... you'll probably have to resist the urge to stand up and cheer with the onscreen audience during the emotional curtain call."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 132 words, 08/21/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...one of the best musicals I've seen.... moving and exciting... filmed by Spike Lee, whose work is the very model of how to record a live performance."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 840 words, 08/20/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...one Tony-winning Broadway show that's well worth preserving and seeing.... has a terrific rock score by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, who is part of the onstage band."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 160 words, 08/21/09
Scott Foundas, Village Voice: EXCELLENT "...richly satisfying... conjures a rare kind of theatrical magic with its emotionally raw, frequently euphoric portrait of the artist as a young man."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 250 words, 08/19/09
KEY CITIES (3 Reviews)
Peter Marks, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "The ease with which the film navigates the musical's moods and stylings may, in fact, do some greater good for Broadway."(See all of Peter Marks's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,100 words, 08/26/09
Robert Hurwitt, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "There's never been a musical quite like 'Passing Strange'.... If it alters the future of musical theater, Lee has raised the bar for filming live performances."(See all of Robert Hurwitt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 404 words, 08/28/09
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...one of the best films of the year.... camera angles and mix of close and long shots add intimacy and minimize the sparseness of the set... both dramatic and cinematic."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 260 words, 09/04/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (2 Reviews)
Scott Foundas, Village Voice: EXCELLENT "...richly satisfying... conjures a rare kind of theatrical magic with its emotionally raw, frequently euphoric portrait of the artist as a young man."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 250 words, 08/19/09
Bob Mondello, NPR All Things Considered: OUTSTANDING "The cast is knocking itself out... theater magnified, amplified, brought to a kind of life that doesn't usually happen with filmed performances."(See all of Bob Mondello's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 205 seconds, 08/30/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "I was blown away... moving, thrilling, new... A show not simply preserved by Mr. Lee's camera, but brought, somehow, to its fullest, strangest, most electrifying realization."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,037 words, 08/21/09
Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "A rousing music doc that's virtually as entertaining as being there.... marks a winning tribute to the diversity of the black musical experience."(See all of Justin Lowe's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 485 words, 01/17/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "I was blown away... moving, thrilling, new... A show not simply preserved by Mr. Lee's camera, but brought, somehow, to its fullest, strangest, most electrifying realization."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,037 words, 08/21/09
14.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Passing Strange: The Movie's reviews are separated by an average 14.9 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.
Passing Strange: The Movie (14 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Passing Strange: The Movie's reviews cover 24.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 6,715 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 480 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Passing Strange: The Movie Coverage, Volume & Length (14 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 4.5 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Passing Strange: The Movie's reviews on average broke 4.5 hours 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 Passing Strange: The Movie's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Passing Strange: The Movie (14 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
