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SHORTSMovie Reviews
Comedy about the mayhem that ensues when a young boy, "Toe" Thompson, discovers a rainbow-colored rock that can grant wishes to anyone who holds it. Cast:Jon Cryer, William H. Macy, Leslie Mann, James SpaderDirector:Robert RodriguezRelease Date:August 21, 2009DVD Release:November 24, 2009From:Warner Bros.Rating:PGLength:1 hr 29 min
Shorts played to fair reviews. • Nell Minow wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "...not as imaginative or heartwarming as 'Spy Kids,' but it is refreshingly unglamorous, and it has a warmth and sense of fun..." • And Ann Hornaday wrote in the Washington Post, "...ideally suited to young viewers with the collective attention span of a gnat." More Reviews Below...
Leah Rozen, People: WEAK(cg) "Director-writer Robert Rodriguez ('Spy Kids') stumbles with a not especially funny, special-effects-heavy comedy about kids who find a magic rock."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 20 words, 08/20/09
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...too cartoonish, too scattered to register much. Somewhere around the time a giant booger runs riot through the town, one wishes for a bit more adult supervision."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 590 words, 08/20/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Fast-paced, imaginative and often cute... enjoyable family fare.... a snappy series of shorts that create freshness and spontaneity."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 08/21/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: MODERATE "...surges forward and rewinds, pauses and skips around as if controlled by a remote-wielding toddler.... emblematic of a film that is dancing as fast as it can to entertain."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 609 words, 08/21/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Granted, the film isn't likely to linger in anyone's memory. But it'll certainly do the trick as a short break on a long summer day."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 297 words, 08/21/09
Nell Minow, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...not as imaginative or heartwarming as 'Spy Kids,' but it is refreshingly unglamorous, and it has a warmth and sense of fun..."(See all of Nell Minow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 677 words, 08/21/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "It might be time for Robert Rodriguez to fire his story-development execs -- his sons Racer and Rebel.... a jumble of sci-fi comedy bits..."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 364 words, 08/21/09
Jennie Punter, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "With its fractured storytelling and non-preachy 'be careful what you wish for' message, 'Shorts' is this summer's hip family flick."(See all of Jennie Punter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 08/21/09
Matt Semansky, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Grown-ups will enjoy watching James Spader, William H. Macy, Jon Cryer and Leslie Mann put a campy spin on their usual film personas..."(See all of Matt Semansky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 146 words, 08/20/09
KEY CITIES (10 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...frantic, zip-zappy action, monsters, robots and look-at-this-shiny-object narrative... seems ideally suited to young viewers with the collective attention span of a gnat."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 699 words, 08/21/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...more of a burst piñata than a story, a wild kinetic jumble of images, ideas and flying-candy-bar product placement that would offend if it weren't so forthright."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 581 words, 08/21/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "You might want to avoid topping the kids off with high-fructose corn syrup before going to see 'Shorts'... This is the multiplex equivalent of ADD."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 08/21/09
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "I'm guessing 8-year-olds will absolutely love it, because Rodriguez isn't talking down to them or using pop-culture references in place of actual gags..."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 328 words, 08/21/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a whizzy, wish-fulfillment fantasy with limber special effects and plenty of gross-out gags for troublemaking 'tweens."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 235 words, 08/21/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: GOOD(cg) "...goofy juvenile fun, made on the cheap and unashamed of it, with a twisted sense of humor prepping children for Rodriguez and Tarantino's adult movies someday."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 08/21/09
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...a movie that's long on Saturday-morning screwiness but lacks comic payoff. Rodriguez should have turned to Tarantino for a few pointers on non-linear narrative."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 144 words, 08/20/09
Matt Semansky, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Grown-ups will enjoy watching James Spader, William H. Macy, Jon Cryer and Leslie Mann put a campy spin on their usual film personas..."(See all of Matt Semansky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 146 words, 08/20/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (1 Review)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: MODERATE "...surges forward and rewinds, pauses and skips around as if controlled by a remote-wielding toddler.... emblematic of a film that is dancing as fast as it can to entertain."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 609 words, 08/21/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (3 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: GOOD "...delivers a shopworn moral lesson for kids and adults (be careful what you wish for!) with a more pointed contempo spin (technology is ruining human communication!)."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 792 words, 08/10/09
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: MODERATE "...surges forward and rewinds, pauses and skips around as if controlled by a remote-wielding toddler.... emblematic of a film that is dancing as fast as it can to entertain."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 609 words, 08/21/09
14.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Shorts's reviews are separated by an average 14.3 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.
Shorts (28 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Shorts's reviews cover 54.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 10,270 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 367 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 1.4 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Shorts's reviews on average broke 1.4 hours 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 Shorts's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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