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PLAY THE GAMEMovie Reviews
Comedy about a handsome young ladies' man who attempts to teach his widowed grandfather the finer points of dating in the new millennium. Cast:Paul Campbell, Andy Griffith, Doris Roberts, Liz Sheridan, Marla SokoloffDirector:Marc FienbergRelease Date:August 28, 2009DVD Release:May 4, 2010From:Play the GameRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 45 min
Play The Game played in key cities to weak reviews. • Connie Ogle wrote in the Miami Herald, "...as painfully obvious as movies get, a well-worn story that seems cobbled together from every romantic cliché known to film or sitcom." • And Michael Sragow wrote in the Baltimore Sun, "...there's almost no fun to be had from watching an octogenarian endure every teen affliction except pimples." More Reviews Below...
Play The Game Positive Reviews (22 Reviews, reviews below)
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...shows Andy Griffith is not too old to star in a sex comedy, I guess.... A comedy of errors about sex and the single septuagenarian... silly..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 407 words, 08/27/09
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "Joe pops Viagra and humps half the retirement home. We're thankfully only treated to a chaste close-up of Griffith's doughy puppet face as he's getting head..."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 210 words, 08/26/09
KEY CITIES (11 Reviews)
John Anderson, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "A sex romp starring Andy Griffith? Holy AARP! The good news is that the seemingly perennial TV fixture is still funny and sharp and folksy."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 438 words, 08/28/09
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "That's the problem with making a movie where Andy Griffith's character receives oral sex: People aren't going to remember much of anything else about your film."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 417 words, 08/28/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "...thinks it's funny to send Andy Griffith a-courting player-style, in a powder-blue track suit and backwards ball cap. If that doesn't warn you away..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 144 words, 10/02/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "Could we please have a moratorium on movies where some two-bit Tom Cruise sees the light after a lifetime of lying to get laid?"(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 265 words, 08/28/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: WEAK(cg) "Griffith hams it up, and Marla Sokoloff makes a dreamy romantic 'goal' for her bland leading man. But this 'Game' feels more like practice. Every play's run at half speed."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 334 words, 04/02/09
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "...as painfully obvious as movies get, a well-worn story that seems cobbled together from every romantic cliché known to film or sitcom."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 403 words, 02/27/09
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun: POOR(cg) "...there's almost no fun to be had from watching an octogenarian endure every teen affliction except pimples. Griffith gets a laugh or two bobbing on the dance floor..."(See all of Michael Sragow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 326 words, 09/11/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "Joe pops Viagra and humps half the retirement home. We're thankfully only treated to a chaste close-up of Griffith's doughy puppet face as he's getting head..."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 210 words, 08/26/09
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: FAIR "...plays it very safe... blandly crafted... broad perfs, predictable story beats and pro but characterless packaging have a smallscreen feel."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 212 words, 08/19/09
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: POOR "Veers wildly from ribald slapstick to failed attempts at sophisticated romantic comedy... only succeeds in stripping its younger and older characters of any dignity."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 339 words, 08/27/09
15.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Play The Game's reviews are separated by an average 15.3 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.
Play The Game (22 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Play The Game's reviews cover 18.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 6,534 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 297 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Play The Game Coverage, Volume & Length (22 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 9 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Play The Game's reviews on average broke 9 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 Play The Game's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Play The Game (22 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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