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SERBISMovie Reviews
Philippine drama about a struggling family from the provinces who operate a ramshackle movie house specializing in second run sex flicks. Cast:Gina Pareño, Jaclyn José, Julio Diaz, Coco Martin, Kristoffer KingDirector:Brillante MendozaRelease Date:January 30, 2009DVD Release:March 9, 2010From:Regent ReleasingRating:RLength:1 hr 30 min
Serbis played in limited release to very good reviews. • Wesley Morris wrote in the Boston Globe, "...evokes Almodóvar, Tennessee Williams, and 1940s and '50s Hollywood but is guided by a prevailing mix of the flagrantly carnal, sincerely emotional, and inarguably gross..." • And Norman Wilner wrote in Toronto Now, "...a gloriously unclassifiable picture set in a seedy old Philippines grindhouse..." More Reviews Below...
Serbis has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Gentle, bawdy and at times rambunctiously, ticklishly rude... talented director Brillante Ma. Mendoza is after something slyer and more thoughtful than easy nudity..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 01/30/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...even as the drama threatens to tear the clan apart, it winds up bringing them together. This isn't a family -- or a film -- you'll easily forget."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 132 words, 01/30/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "This is not a film most people will enjoy.... I enjoyed it because I got into Mendoza's visual use of the corridors and staircases and their life rhythms."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 565 words, 03/19/09
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...superb... teems with vitality, humor and anguish. Mendoza reveals how poverty erodes values, making morality a complex issue."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 253 words, 01/30/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a stimulating affair. It follows a day in the life of a large, unruly extended family working, and living, in a run-down, soft-core movie house."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 03/20/09
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...it could be a porn-based sitcom. But is that porn or meta porn? 'Serbis' may be a raunch-fest, but it's also a mind-trip -- a raunch-fest with ideas."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 704 words, 01/28/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a gloriously unclassifiable picture set in a seedy old Philippines grindhouse where things are falling apart in every possible way."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 113 words, 05/21/09
KEY CITIES (3 Reviews)
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...has the feel of a documentary, but a documentary can't accomplish what this does: Take us to a corner of the world where sex and regret are so intimately entwined."(See all of Jonathan Curiel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 440 words, 02/20/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...evokes Almodóvar, Tennessee Williams, and 1940s and '50s Hollywood... guided by a prevailing mix of the flagrantly carnal, sincerely emotional, and inarguably gross..."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 514 words, 02/27/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "It's rated R, but is eye-openingly explicit; the film's ghastly money shot concerns an infected boil on one character's bottom. You have been advised; proceed accordingly."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 04/10/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...it could be a porn-based sitcom. But is that porn or meta porn? 'Serbis' may be a raunch-fest, but it's also a mind-trip -- a raunch-fest with ideas."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 704 words, 01/28/09
Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...despite some rowdy hardcore moments, 'Serbis' is rarely wild enough, and certainly never funny enough, to do justice to the Almodovarian premise."(See all of Gerald Peary's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 123 words, 02/26/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a gloriously unclassifiable picture set in a seedy old Philippines grindhouse where things are falling apart in every possible way."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 113 words, 05/21/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Gentle, bawdy and at times rambunctiously, ticklishly rude... talented director Brillante Ma. Mendoza is after something slyer and more thoughtful than easy nudity..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 01/30/09
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...superb... teems with vitality, humor and anguish. Mendoza reveals how poverty erodes values, making morality a complex issue."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 253 words, 01/30/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Jay Weissberg, Daily Variety: MODERATE "With so many characters floating about, there's little opportunity for real exploration... the constant influx of patrons and 'service providers' breaks up sustainable sympathy..."(See all of Jay Weissberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 654 words, 05/18/08
Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "An engaging domestic drama and stylishly seamy homage to the gay cinema rendezvous.... the theater itself may be the film's real star."(See all of Maggie Lee's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 369 words, 05/18/08
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...superb... teems with vitality, humor and anguish. Mendoza reveals how poverty erodes values, making morality a complex issue."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 253 words, 01/30/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Gentle, bawdy and at times rambunctiously, ticklishly rude... talented director Brillante Ma. Mendoza is after something slyer and more thoughtful than easy nudity..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 01/30/09
20.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Serbis's reviews are separated by an average 20.6 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.
Serbis (15 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Serbis's reviews cover 16.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 6,641 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 443 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 15 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Serbis's reviews on average broke 15 days after 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 Serbis's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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