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RAMONA AND BEEZUSMovie Reviews
Family comedy based on the book of the same name by Beverly Cleary, about a girl who is tormented by her mischievous little sister. Cast:Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Ginnifer GoodwinDirector:Elizabeth AllenRelease Date:July 23, 2010DVD Release:November 9, 2010From:20th Century FoxRating:GLength:1 hr 43 min
Ramona and Beezus played to good not great reviews. • Dan Kois wrote in the Washington Post, "...a sweet and funny, if slightly overlong, portrait of life on a modern-day Klickitat Street." • And Ted Fry wrote in the Seattle Times, "...a sunny series of charming escapades and subtle flights of fancy that capture the safe fusion of imagination and reality where all little girls should grow up." More Reviews Below...
Ramona and Beezus Positive Reviews (39 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...charming... you wish the filmmakers had adhered to Mr. Quimby's no-nonsense point of view and found a way to make this family slightly less squeaky-clean."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 796 words, 07/23/10
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...feels like a series of individual episodes -- both madcap and heartrending -- rather than a cohesive story with any real drive.... opts for cliches."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 702 words, 07/22/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...for a story about tapping your creative potential, it lacks an innovative sparkle. Ramona is an irrepressible dynamo who deserves a more lively movie."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 440 words, 07/23/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "This is a featherweight G-rated comedy of no consequence, except undoubtedly to kids about Ramona's age.... 'Ramona and Beezus' is a sweet salute."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 07/22/10
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Allen coaxes fine performances from her cast young and old, stumbling only when relying too heavily on musical cues and in awkward CGI flights of imaginative fancy."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 07/23/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Know how to give mild G-rated fare a little something special? Cast Sandra Oh as an elementary school teacher who enjoys her orderly ways..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 503 words, 07/23/10
John Anderson, New York Newsday: POOR(cg) "...mirthless, pointless and endless... operates on the principle that children will watch anything that features other children and inflicts a sufficient amount of pain on adults."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 384 words, 07/23/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "This is a featherweight G-rated comedy of no consequence, except undoubtedly to kids about Ramona's age.... 'Ramona and Beezus' is a sweet salute."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 07/22/10
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...wholesome to the point of being dull.... the plethora of pressing adult concerns eventually becomes so pronounced that any trace of comedic verve dissipates..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 07/21/10
Jason Anderson, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "Breezy, engaging and surprisingly perceptive despite its largely generic packaging, it shows how much a family film can benefit from a dose of reality."(See all of Jason Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 07/23/10
Katie Hewitt, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "10-year-old Joey King won't disappoint diehard fans. She is never anything short of adorable, yet brings a range of believable 9-year-old emotions to her character..."(See all of Katie Hewitt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 739 words, 07/23/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...really, really good. It doesn't just honour the world of Beverly Cleary's books; it develops that world into a smart, winning and engaging movie..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 07/22/10
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...captivating... shows what the world looks like from the perspective of a scrappy 9-year-old who is neither as fearless as she thinks nor as hopeless as others peg her."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 344 words, 07/23/10
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...another innocuous film about another unusual girl, but this time, Ramona's a mistreated imp with an irresistible grin. I'm siding with her."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 07/23/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: MODERATE(cg) "...so sentimental and sweet that you can almost forgive the kids' comedy 'Ramona and Beezus' for not being nearly funny enough."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 425 words, 07/23/10
Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "It's been 55 years since Cleary wrote 'Beezus and Ramona' and 26 since she wrote 'Ramona Forever,' but this film was well worth waiting for."(See all of Nancy Churnin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 07/23/10
Janice Page, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...a narrative that rings familiar but will be hard for purists to place or warm to... This new Ramona prefers mischief without real edge."(See all of Janice Page's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 685 words, 07/23/10
Ted Fry, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a sunny series of charming escapades and subtle flights of fancy that capture the safe fusion of imagination and reality where all little girls should grow up."(See all of Ted Fry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 368 words, 07/23/10
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: MODERATE(cg) "...low-key and episodic and occasionally clunky... But it does have some modest charm -- mostly due to the strong child performance at its center."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 404 words, 07/23/10
Adam Graham, Detroit News: GOOD(cg) "Elizabeth Allen does a decent job of moving things along... Sure, the film's reality may be saccharine, but for a non-computer animated, non-3D kid's film, we'll take it."(See all of Adam Graham's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 283 words, 07/23/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (8 Reviews)
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...wholesome to the point of being dull.... the plethora of pressing adult concerns eventually becomes so pronounced that any trace of comedic verve dissipates..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 07/21/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "...plays like a contemporary 'Leave It to Beaver' without irony or ingenuousness.... To the film's credit, there are no fart, poop, or pee gags (okay, some off-screen puking)..."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 153 words, 07/22/10
Keith Phipps, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...has the undeniably nice, pleasantly uninspired feel of film designed to kill time with the kids on a rainy weekend. As such, there's nothing really wrong with it."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 387 words, 07/22/10
Ed Gonzalez, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...a hefty cinematic effort to get through, especially considering how audience-surveyed and clichéd the film proves... comes off cluttered and episodic..."(See all of Ed Gonzalez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 422 words, 07/22/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...really, really good. It doesn't just honour the world of Beverly Cleary's books; it develops that world into a smart, winning and engaging movie..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 07/22/10
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: OUTSTANDING(cg) "I can't think of another movie that captures rambunctious, freespirited modern little-girlness the way that this one does, and in a way that isn't dumbed down..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 979 words, 07/23/10
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Allen coaxes fine performances from her cast young and old, stumbling only when relying too heavily on musical cues and in awkward CGI flights of imaginative fancy."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 07/23/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: MODERATE "...sprightly, generic... a family sitcom, cramming a childhood's worth of formative moments into 103 busy minutes, slathered with pop tunes and predictable slapstick."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 891 words, 07/18/10
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Allen coaxes fine performances from her cast young and old, stumbling only when relying too heavily on musical cues and in awkward CGI flights of imaginative fancy."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 07/23/10
19.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Ramona and Beezus's reviews are separated by an average 19.5 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.
Ramona and Beezus (39 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Ramona and Beezus's reviews cover 78.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 16,947 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 434 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 10.4 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Ramona and Beezus's reviews on average broke 10.4 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 Ramona and Beezus's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Ramona and Beezus (39 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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