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STORIES WE TELLMovie Reviews
Documentary about filmmaker Sarah Polley's family, including interviews with her father and siblings as they look back on decades-old events. Cast:Michael Polley, Sarah Polley, Mark Polley, John Buchan, Susy Buchan, Harry Gulkin, Geoff Bowes, Cathy Gulkin, Anne Tait, Rebecca JenkinsDirector:Sarah PolleyRelease Date:May 10, 2013DVD Release: TBD Rating:PG-13Length:1 hr 49 min
Stories We Tell, Exceptional Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
Stories We Tell is opening in additional cities this weekend to exceptional reviews. • Norman Wilner wrote in Toronto Now, "...it's thrilling to watch Sarah Polley use the documentary as an attempt to process the revelations that led her to make it in the first place.... it works on every level." More Reviews Below...
Stories We Tell Positive Reviews (32 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: OUTSTANDING "Sarah Polley renders her portrait of family love and identity in such a heartfelt, pure way that at the end, I had tears running down my face."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,213 words, 05/10/13
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...it's about every family.... reminds us that the truth is a fleeting thing, constantly changing in the slightest of ways depending on who's telling it."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 601 words, 05/10/13
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Polley deconstructs the story she's telling.... By the end, the rug gets pulled out from under us, showing that even the reality we think we see may be an illusion..."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 235 words, 05/10/13
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Polley has her brilliant way with the elusiveness of truth. The result, with its flashing perspectives and stealthy wit, is unique and unforgettable."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 224 words, 05/09/13
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...brilliant.... Polley may be seeking to know the unknowable, but we're fortunate to be there with her on this turbulent, melancholy and enthralling journey."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 497 words, 05/17/13
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...quietly moving, intelligent... its most admirable quality is the deep sense of personal ethics that frames Ms. Polley's choices... she knows that it is never all about her."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 752 words, 05/10/13
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "The film is a mystery uncovered like a detective story, wrapped in a love letter.... engrossing... Polley points out that truth is subjective."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 05/10/13
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...an invigorating powerhouse of a personal documentary, adventurous and absolutely fascinating. Unexpectedly moving in unanticipated ways..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 743 words, 05/17/13
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...fascinating.... The fact that two of the principals are accomplished actors adds another level of confusion and interest that help make this compelling storytelling."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 353 words, 05/10/13
John Anderson, New York Newsday: OUTSTANDING(cg) "You may wonder if the tale is going to go in a certain direction, but even when it ultimately does, you're still surprised.... stay for the credits and read them..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 269 words, 05/17/13
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: VERY GOOD "...nervous, whimsical.... a rare instance in which multiple perspectives dovetail neatly, in which there's almost no ambiguity whatsoever about what happened and why."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 959 words, 04/29/13
Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Polley manages something quite extraordinary: She tells a story of great sadness and joy that uncovers the intricacies of love, family and commitment."(See all of Mary Houlihan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 550 words, 05/17/13
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an intimate story of truth, memory and reconciliation... You just have to trust in Sarah Polley's steely determination and follow her relentless lens. In a word: Wow."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 630 words, 10/12/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...it's thrilling to watch Sarah Polley use the documentary as an attempt to process the revelations that led her to make it in the first place.... it works on every level."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 179 words, 10/11/12
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...oscillating from intriguing to dull, revealing to repetitious, frank to disingenuous, and moving to manipulative.... Truly resonant stories show us, they don't tell us."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 979 words, 10/12/12
KEY CITIES (4 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...rich, sensitive... a masterful film on technical and aesthetic values alone. But because of the wisdom and compassion of its maker, it rises to another level entirely."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 475 words, 05/17/13
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "I don't want to spoil the surprises, but I will say in retrospect that this film deserves some kind of prizes for cinematography and hairstyling."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 790 words, 05/17/13
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Polley is a good filmmaker but in the end, this feels less like a film than a family album -- and one best appreciated, not by us, but by the Polleys still to come."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 517 words, 05/10/13
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "...a vanity piece that goes out of its way to protect every single person it touches. It would have worked much better as a private home movie."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 70 words, 05/17/13
Kristy Puchko, Cinema Blend: EXCELLENT(cg) "...while in the end it may work too hard to justify its own existence, it is glorious in its expression of difficult personal truths for public consumption."(See all of Kristy Puchko's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 691 words, 05/20/13
A.A. Dowd, AV Club: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Polley has taken a big leap forward by looking inward, and she can now be mentioned in the same breath as the great Agnès Varda."(See all of A.A. Dowd's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 564 words, 05/09/13
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an incredibly smart, concise, and allusive précis. If it doesn't offer answers, it breaks up the questions into illustrative pieces..."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,003 words, 05/17/13
Nick McCarthy, Slant: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...intensely personal.... The film's greatest success is the way it captures the essence of what it means to be a family, despite the fissures in the cracks of its foundation..."(See all of Nick McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,105 words, 03/18/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...it's thrilling to watch Sarah Polley use the documentary as an attempt to process the revelations that led her to make it in the first place.... it works on every level."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 179 words, 10/11/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...quietly moving, intelligent... its most admirable quality is the deep sense of personal ethics that frames Ms. Polley's choices... she knows that it is never all about her."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 752 words, 05/10/13
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: OUTSTANDING "...finds a dazzling and difficult poise, between obfuscation and epiphany.... Seldom has our modern taste for the confessional mode been so smartly explored..."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 432 words, 05/13/13
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...an invigorating powerhouse of a personal documentary, adventurous and absolutely fascinating. Unexpectedly moving in unanticipated ways..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 743 words, 05/17/13
Dana Stevens, Slate: OUTSTANDING "...a formally fascinating work of art, a compassionate portrait of a complex, flawed, and ultimately unknowable woman... one of the best movies I've seen this year."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 05/10/13
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: OUTSTANDING "...transformative, unforgettable.... a work of ingenious and even devious craftsmanship, a haunting triumph of imaginative art... heartfelt and heartbreaking."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 977 words, 05/09/13
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Guy Lodge, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...alternately playful and elegiac... rewarding.... it's another delicate, surprising reflection on intimate relationship politics from the young Canadian Sarah Polley."(See all of Guy Lodge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 586 words, 08/30/12
Neil Young, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...a playfully complex and gently slippery analysis of memory and personal narrative... engages us in what's essentially the private business of total strangers."(See all of Neil Young's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 08/30/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...an invigorating powerhouse of a personal documentary, adventurous and absolutely fascinating. Unexpectedly moving in unanticipated ways..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 743 words, 05/17/13
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...original, ambitious, and inspirational.... a formally elegant, personal, and even transformative documentary that presents a complex labyrinth of tales..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 407 words, 05/11/13
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...quietly moving, intelligent... its most admirable quality is the deep sense of personal ethics that frames Ms. Polley's choices... she knows that it is never all about her."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 752 words, 05/10/13
15.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Stories We Tell's reviews are separated by an average 15.1 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.
Stories We Tell (32 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Stories We Tell's reviews cover 62.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 19,541 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 611 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 9 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Stories We Tell's reviews on average broke 9 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 Stories We Tell's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Stories We Tell (32 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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