Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
PROJECT NIMMovie Reviews
Documentary about the chimpanzee who was the focus of a landmark experiment designed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. Cast:Herbert Terrace, Stephanie LaFarge, Jenny Lee, Laura-Ann Petitto, Joyce ButlerDirector:James MarshRelease Date:July 8, 2011DVD Release:February 7, 2012From:Roadside AttractionsRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 33 min
Project Nim played in key cities to outstanding reviews. • Dana Stevens wrote for Slate, "...gripping... at times unbearably sad... so powerful and suggestive that it functions as a myth about the ever-mysterious relationship between human beings and animals." • And Joe Morgenstern called the film in the Wall Street Journal, "...enthralling and appalling..." More Reviews Below...
Project Nim Positive Reviews (36 Reviews, reviews below)
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...takes us back to one of the high-water marks of the apes-are-people-too era.... shows you why the ape/human romance, vibrant as it seemed, was also doomed."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 228 words, 06/30/11
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...sometimes we are seeing actual documentary footage, and at other times, we're seeing actors or even (although you won't notice it) animatronics."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 589 words, 07/08/11
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 (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...probing, unsettling... the subject of 'Project Nim' is so rich and strange that it might have benefited from the hand of a wilder, bolder filmmaker."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,073 words, 07/08/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...extraordinary... so cinematic, it's chilling to realize that most of the men and women who crossed paths with a chimp named Nim were all too human."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 07/08/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Brilliant, provocative, clear of eye and heavy of heart... about nature versus nurture, arrogance and, more broadly, the mythmaking that beclouds the progressive mindset."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 663 words, 07/08/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...irresistible.... One transgression further, and it all could've ended up like Werner Herzog's 'Grizzly Man' -- a cautionary tale of the limits of interspecies friendship."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 493 words, 07/08/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: EXCELLENT "...brilliant, traumatizing... The reenactments are so convincing it's a shock to see actors' names in the credits -- not to mention names of animatronic designers!"(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 359 words, 07/04/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...sometimes we are seeing actual documentary footage, and at other times, we're seeing actors or even (although you won't notice it) animatronics."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 589 words, 07/08/11
Rob Nelson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...pulls human heartstrings as wrenchingly as any creature feature in the 45 years since 'Au hasard Balthazar'.... a deeply haunting portrait..."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 698 words, 07/06/11
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Some may argue that he is betraying the documentary form. But in art there are no rules, just stuff that works.... a movie we can't keep our eyes off."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 597 words, 07/22/11
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...about ambition, lust and anthropomorphism at their most heedless, records suffering and manipulation so extreme that description can barely do them justice."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 475 words, 07/22/11
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...to project human emotions on nonhuman creatures says a lot about the narcissism of people and nothing about understanding the other species."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 406 words, 07/22/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a fascinating and even moving film as we start to fret over the fate of this indulged, aggressive and sometimes violent chimpanzee..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 293 words, 04/04/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...brilliant... a great chronicle of the 1970s and all the nutty ideas that implies; academia in particular comes in for a hard reckoning."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 614 words, 07/15/11
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a distressing portrait of a misguided 1970s language experiment... you might want to revoke your membership in the human race."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 260 words, 07/15/11
John Hartl, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a fascinating, surprisingly ambiguous documentary.... James Marsh carefully captures the ultimately tragic side of Nim's story..."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 350 words, 08/12/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...presents the deeds of both humans and animals and leaves you wondering which is the more civilized.... at once astounding and infuriating."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 314 words, 07/22/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...this many-faceted time capsule sheds little light, but buried inside it are vexing questions and the still-beating heart of a special creature."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 361 words, 08/12/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Rob Nelson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...pulls human heartstrings as wrenchingly as any creature feature in the 45 years since 'Au hasard Balthazar'.... a deeply haunting portrait..."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 698 words, 07/06/11
Andrew Schenker, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "Marsh frequently makes questionable use of the creature's apparent similarity to human beings, trading complex analysis for easy sentiment."(See all of Andrew Schenker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 07/03/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...probing, unsettling... the subject of 'Project Nim' is so rich and strange that it might have benefited from the hand of a wilder, bolder filmmaker."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,073 words, 07/08/11
Dana Stevens, Slate: EXCELLENT "...gripping... at times unbearably sad... so powerful and suggestive that it functions as a myth about the ever-mysterious relationship between human beings and animals."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 953 words, 07/08/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: EXCELLENT "...a darkly hilarious social portrait of the bizarre alternate universe of 1970s academia and an extraordinary biography of a non-human individual..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,415 words, 07/07/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...provocative and surprisingly emotional... from wrenching to downright hilarious... reaches far beyond mere scientific curiosity to become compelling human drama."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 01/21/11
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "...non-fiction filmmaking as full-bodied, emotionally complex drama.... James Marsh again proves himself a storyteller of impeccable craftsmanship and delicacy..."(See all of David Rooney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 724 words, 01/21/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: EXCELLENT(cg) "...you'll find yourself provoked to think about biological versus cultural determinism, moral problems involved in such experiments, and other relevant issues."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 666 words, 06/22/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...probing, unsettling... the subject of 'Project Nim' is so rich and strange that it might have benefited from the hand of a wilder, bolder filmmaker."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,073 words, 07/08/11
9.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Project Nim's reviews are separated by an average 9.1 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.
Project Nim (36 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Project Nim's reviews cover 61.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 19,100 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 531 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Project Nim Coverage, Volume & Length (36 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 19.3 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Project Nim's reviews on average broke 19.3 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 Project Nim's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Project Nim (36 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...
