Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will discontinue
publishing this website at the end of May (more...)
Search a Movie:
THE ART OF THE STEALMovie Reviews
Documentary about the machinations that led to the dissemination of the Barnes Foundation's $25 billion collection of art, in direct opposition to the original intent and wishes of the foundation's creator. Cast:John Anderson, Colin B. Bailey, Julian Bond, Carolyn T. Carluccio, David D'Arcy, Richard Feigen, D. Michael Fisher, Tom L. Freudenheim, Jim Gerlach, Richard H. Glanton, Nancy Herman, Walter Herman, Christopher Knight, Meryl Levitz, Bruce H. Mann, Robert Marmon, Toby MarmonDirector:Don ArgottRelease Date:February 26, 2010DVD Release:July 27, 2010From:Sundance SelectsLength:1 hr. 41 min.
JULY 27, 2010
The Art of the Steal, Very Good Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
The Art of the Steal played in key cities to very good reviews. • Carrie Rickey wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "...as finely wrought as the decorative ironworks that hang on the walls of the Barnes... Yet as a narrative of the facts, it is as one-sided as a plaintiff's brief." • And Kenneth Baker wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...a masterly but completely one-sided case..." More Reviews Below...
The Art of the Steal Positive Reviews (26 Reviews, reviews below)
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the forces of art and money collide ferociously.... it's memorable when it meditates on the changing face of where we look at art, and how that changes the art itself."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 107 words, 03/05/10
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The film could do a better job of allowing the public access issue to be defended. But what it does is tell a cautionary tale."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 698 words, 03/11/10
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD "...surely there are more nuanced arguments for the move than those found here, which could only strengthen the documentary, saving it from caricature.... often very fine."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 890 words, 02/26/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Don Argott treats Barnes' story as an intellectual crime thriller, uncovering each new surprise -- and a seemingly endless parade of villains -- with a deadpan flourish."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 135 words, 02/26/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "An entertaining documentary gives a somewhat one-sided view of the history and current plans for the late Albert C. Barnes' remarkable art collection."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 717 words, 03/12/10
Kyle Smith, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "An engrossing if overheated history of the battle for control of a prized art collection... Is it really 'a tragedy' that lots more people will get to see these paintings?"(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 279 words, 02/26/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The film could do a better job of allowing the public access issue to be defended. But what it does is tell a cautionary tale."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 698 words, 03/11/10
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...presents its aesthetes versus Phila-stines argument cogently, convincingly, and engagingly.... one of the most successful advocacy docs in recent years..."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 696 words, 02/24/10
KEY CITIES (10 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...makes a powerful and emotional argument for the case that a profound wrong has been committed, but it would have benefited from more narrative tension..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 540 words, 03/26/10
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...as finely wrought as the decorative ironworks that hang on the walls of the Barnes... Yet as a narrative of the facts, it is as one-sided as a plaintiff's brief."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 846 words, 02/26/10
Kenneth Baker, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...makes a masterly but completely one-sided case against... The film may well leave viewers feeling they've been bullied by an expert."(See all of Kenneth Baker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 337 words, 03/26/10
Kyle MacMillan, Denver Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...blunt, persuasive... It relates the story of the Barnes Foundation, a little-known repository of a spectacular group of post-impressionist and early modern works..."(See all of Kyle MacMillan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 706 words, 03/19/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "To whom does art belong -- museums or the public they ostensibly serve? More interestingly: From whom should art be protected? ...fascinating, maddening..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 03/12/10
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Without most of the voices on the other side of the argument, we're missing key parts of the story. Nonetheless, it's impossible not to be moved..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 03/26/10
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...uncovers the legal machinations -- considered by many a brazen theft -- used to circumvent what appeared to be an unbreakable last will and testament."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 256 words, 03/12/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...amplifies this cultural tug of war into high drama... What it doesn't do is honestly justify its rooting interest."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 301 words, 03/19/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a documentary about the abuse of power, but it inevitably also becomes about the rightful use of art.... lays out a good story, but perhaps not the whole story."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 03/12/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...presents its aesthetes versus Phila-stines argument cogently, convincingly, and engagingly.... one of the most successful advocacy docs in recent years..."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 696 words, 02/24/10
Alicia Potter, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "With passionate commentary from art experts... the gripping yet hyperbolic drama examines the ownership of art and the public's right to it."(See all of Alicia Potter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 153 words, 03/11/10
Scott Tobias, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...doesn't add much new information to a story that's played out for decades... a damning example of justice bending toward those who can most afford to buy it."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 313 words, 02/26/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: EXCELLENT(cg) "...engrossing... frames a passionate debate between artistic concerns and a dead man's wishes on one side, and the hunger for money and power on the other."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 755 words, 03/17/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "Klein judged it to be a skillful though far from impartial summary of a complex subject. I found it fascinating for a number of reasons, balanced reporting not among them."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 228 words, 03/19/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD "...surely there are more nuanced arguments for the move than those found here, which could only strengthen the documentary, saving it from caricature.... often very fine."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 890 words, 02/26/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "An entertaining documentary gives a somewhat one-sided view of the history and current plans for the late Albert C. Barnes' remarkable art collection."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 717 words, 03/12/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "The slow-motion hijacking of the world's greatest privately held art collection is documented in impeccable, heartrending fashion... compelling..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 931 words, 02/26/10
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...far more enthralling than it has a right to be.... a thriller and a complex morality tale that should appeal to far more than just art aficionados."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 425 words, 02/26/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "An entertaining documentary gives a somewhat one-sided view of the history and current plans for the late Albert C. Barnes' remarkable art collection."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 717 words, 03/12/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD "...surely there are more nuanced arguments for the move than those found here, which could only strengthen the documentary, saving it from caricature.... often very fine."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 890 words, 02/26/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "Klein judged it to be a skillful though far from impartial summary of a complex subject. I found it fascinating for a number of reasons, balanced reporting not among them."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 228 words, 03/19/10
10.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Art of the Steal's reviews are separated by an average 10.9 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.
The Art of the Steal (26 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Art of the Steal's reviews cover 37.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 11,512 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 443 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Art of the Steal Coverage, Volume & Length (26 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 9 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Art of the Steal's reviews on average broke 9 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 The Art of the Steal's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Art of the Steal (26 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
