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STARLET (2012)Movie Reviews
Drama about the friendship between a bored 21-year-old and an elderly widowed neighbor, whose worlds collide in California's San Fernando Valley. Cast:Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, James Ransone, Asa Akira, Dean Andre, Dave Bean, Liz Beebe, Chris Bergoch, Eric Eckstein, Manuel Ferrara, Cesar Garcia, Tess Hunt, Amin Joseph, Karren Karagulian, Paul H. KimDirector:Sean BakerRelease Date:November 9, 2012DVD Release:May 7, 2013From:Music Box FilmsLength:1 hr 45 min
Starlet (2012) played in key cities to very good reviews. • Marc Mohan wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "Convincing performances from Hemingway and the charmingly crabby Johnson and an unhurried pace ensure that Baker's film achieves its modest goals." • And Robert Abele called the film in the Los Angeles Times, "...arresting, heartfelt..." More Reviews Below...
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...strikingly unsentimental... unfolds with a matter-of-fact integrity that accepts all personal quirks, weaknesses, and sorrows as human and worthy of love."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 69 words, 11/23/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the story is all the movie is about: That, and performances so effective they're enough all by themselves, even while we know next to nothing about the characters."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 710 words, 12/07/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "The acuity of Sean Baker's visual style is complemented by his sensitive work with his actresses, whose unforced performances deepen the movie's emotional realism."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 857 words, 11/09/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Sean Baker effectively juxtaposes two vastly different worlds, though he never makes the case that either is as significant as the gauzy visuals suggest."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 191 words, 11/09/12
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...arresting, heartfelt... a character study about faith in connectedness, with an unforced love for cross-generational companionship that's special indeed."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 11/09/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a slender, sensitive drama that happens to be set partially within the pornography industry.... The sex in the film ends up being brief, explicit and irrelevant."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 11/23/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the story is all the movie is about: That, and performances so effective they're enough all by themselves, even while we know next to nothing about the characters."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 710 words, 12/07/12
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "An empathic, absorbing tale of the old and the beautiful... tracks an unlikely intergenerational friendship in the San Fernando Valley."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 210 words, 11/07/12
KEY CITIES (5 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "The relationship between the two women is the best thing about the film, which otherwise feels hopelessly sad and tawdry... the second best thing is the dog..."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 11/16/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...what begins as a nice little idea for a short story (Raymond Carver-esque, if Carver had been around for the era of digital porn) turns into something deeper..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 353 words, 12/07/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...at times a rough ride. But it's one worth taking. It's the kind of film not often seen, one that is honest about the dishonesty in relationships... powerful..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 510 words, 11/30/12
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Sean Baker sidesteps simplistic answers as to what the two women see in each other -- what stays with you is the genuineness and complexity of their relationship."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 62 words, 11/30/12
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "Convincing performances from Hemingway and the charmingly crabby Johnson and an unhurried pace ensure that Baker's film achieves its modest goals."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 207 words, 11/23/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "An empathic, absorbing tale of the old and the beautiful... tracks an unlikely intergenerational friendship in the San Fernando Valley."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 210 words, 11/07/12
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...feels like boilerplate Sundance fodder... but Sean Baker affords potential caricatures time to breathe and live and grow in ways that feel both organic and earned."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 11/08/12
Diego Costa, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "There's a limit to its understatedness... the film keeps going back to more predictable American tropes of narrative twists and revealed secrets."(See all of Diego Costa's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 547 words, 11/06/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "The acuity of Sean Baker's visual style is complemented by his sensitive work with his actresses, whose unforced performances deepen the movie's emotional realism."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 857 words, 11/09/12
Scott Tobias, NPR: VERY GOOD "...a welcome throwback to the smoggy West Coast character studies of the 1970s... Sean Baker takes pains to get the incidental details right..."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 638 words, 11/08/12
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...arresting, heartfelt... a character study about faith in connectedness, with an unforced love for cross-generational companionship that's special indeed."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 11/09/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "...could just as easily describe the two exceptional first-timers making their debuts in this brittle, beautifully understated San Fernando Valley character study..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 768 words, 03/13/12
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...pairs story and setting perfectly... Dree Hemingway finds soul in a vacant-looking character... the movie keeps armchair psychology to a minimum..."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 396 words, 03/17/12
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...arresting, heartfelt... a character study about faith in connectedness, with an unforced love for cross-generational companionship that's special indeed."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 11/09/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "The acuity of Sean Baker's visual style is complemented by his sensitive work with his actresses, whose unforced performances deepen the movie's emotional realism."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 857 words, 11/09/12
9.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Starlet (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 9.0 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.
Starlet (2012) (20 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Starlet (2012)'s reviews cover 29.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 7,566 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 378 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 29.5 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Starlet (2012)'s reviews on average broke 29.5 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 Starlet (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Starlet (2012) (20 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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