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RETURN (2012)Movie Reviews
Drama about a woman's struggle to readjust to everyday life whens she returns home from military deployment. Cast:Linda Cardellini, Michael Shannon, John Slattery, Talia BalsamDirector:Liza JohnsonRelease Date:February 10, 2012DVD Release:April 24, 2012From:Dada FilmsLength:1 hr. 37 min.
Return (2012) played in New York City and Los Angeles to very good reviews. • Joe Neumaier wrote in the New York Daily News, "Linda Cardellini gives a beautifully understated performance as a young Army vet back stateside... an affecting, somber drama." • And Emanuel Levy wrote for Cinema 24/7, "Intimate in scale and characters, and occasionally poignant..." More Reviews Below...
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "Plainspoken realism enhances the power... a notable addition to the growing catalog of dramas about American soldiers who have difficulty readjusting to home life..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 103 words, 02/10/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (7 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "The film's emotional and physical components play into each other as Kelli's mood of stoic hopelessness shades into stifled desperation."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 619 words, 02/10/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Linda Cardellini gives a beautifully understated performance as a young Army vet back stateside... an affecting, somber drama."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 126 words, 02/10/12
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a tough and nuanced piece of Midwestern kitchen-sink realism, closely following a soldier's uneasy readjustment to civilian life.... has the quiet impact of a short story."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 02/10/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...comes briefly to life when John Slattery turns up as an acerbic yet sympathetic reclusive drunk whom Kelli meets during court-mandated rehab. But it's not enough..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 02/10/12
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: EXCELLENT "Linda Cardellini is confident enough to give an almost entirely inward performance.... This quiet, naturalistic film has a classical arc and a lingering sting."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 374 words, 02/13/12
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "The avoidance of stereotypes keeps 'Return' away from the most tired sort of PTSD histrionics... but the film runs into the clichés of low-key indie naturalism..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 427 words, 02/08/12
KEY CITIES (0 Reviews)
Return (2012) has not been reviewed in Key Cities
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "The avoidance of stereotypes keeps 'Return' away from the most tired sort of PTSD histrionics... but the film runs into the clichés of low-key indie naturalism..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 427 words, 02/08/12
Noel Murray, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...unusually attuned to its protagonist's alienation... its source isn't some horrendous event she witnessed, but the hundreds of annoying aspects of everyday life."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 384 words, 02/09/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: EXCELLENT(cg) "What are the best, most effective, most flexible ways to help veterans return? Trained for one life, they must come back to another, wholly other one."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 793 words, 02/10/12
Andrew Schenker, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...unassuming, detail-rich... the film settles into the sort of forced plotting that threatens to undo the sharp, seemingly effortless observations that came before."(See all of Andrew Schenker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 02/05/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "The film's emotional and physical components play into each other as Kelli's mood of stoic hopelessness shades into stifled desperation."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 619 words, 02/10/12
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a tough and nuanced piece of Midwestern kitchen-sink realism, closely following a soldier's uneasy readjustment to civilian life.... has the quiet impact of a short story."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 02/10/12
Dana Stevens, Slate: VERY GOOD "...someone has written a really good role for Linda Cardellini -- a big, prickly, demanding role that puts her onscreen in literally every scene..."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 781 words, 02/10/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Unattributed, Daily Variety: GOOD "...amiable, stylish, low-key picture should strike chords with fans of filmmaking where performances are restrained, information is withheld and catharsis is avoided."(See all of Unattributed's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 550 words, 05/14/11
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...has quiet virtues and the distinction of focusing closely on one particular woman's difficulty readjusting to being a wife and mother.... a film of modest ambition..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 740 words, 05/14/11
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a tough and nuanced piece of Midwestern kitchen-sink realism, closely following a soldier's uneasy readjustment to civilian life.... has the quiet impact of a short story."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 02/10/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD(cg) "Intimate in scale and characters, and occasionally poignant... [but] 'Return' gives the impression of a first, undernourished, almost unfinished film."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 424 words, 08/12/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "The film's emotional and physical components play into each other as Kelli's mood of stoic hopelessness shades into stifled desperation."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 619 words, 02/10/12
13.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Return (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 13.8 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.
Return (2012) (15 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Return (2012)'s reviews cover 21.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 6,596 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 440 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 14 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Return (2012)'s reviews on average broke 14 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 Return (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Return (2012) (15 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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