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THE BURNING PLAINMovie Reviews
Drama about a tragic incident that profoundly affects two families, the events that lead up to it and the emotional scars left in its wake. Cast:Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, Joaquim de Almeida, John Corbett, Robin Tunney, Jennifer LawrenceDirector:Guillermo ArriagaRelease Date:September 18, 2009DVD Release:January 12, 2010From:MagnoliaRating:RLength:1 hr. 47 min.
The Burning Plain played in key cities to weak reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Stephen Cole wrote in the Toronto Globe & Mail, "It's possible to admire the performances of stars Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger, even as you backpedal from the film, hoping the ponderous megasoap will just go away." • And Dan Zak wrote in the Washington Post, "...a plaintive, strangely unfeeling film..." More Reviews Below...
The Burning Plain Positive Reviews (25 Reviews, reviews below)
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: WEAK(cg) "The scenery (prettily captured by 'There Will Be Blood' cinematographer Robert Elswit) is littered with heavy symbolism... the performances are merely heavy."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 128 words, 09/25/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...depends on ideas about human behavior that can only be called preposterous... the eliptical structure of the narrative can't cover up its overheating, half-baked banality."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 09/18/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "All the actresses, especially Theron, are appropriately haunted, but let's hope Guillermo Arriaga's love of echoes, fate and coincidence has run its mopey course."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 131 words, 09/18/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a frustrating exercise in self-indulgence by writer-director Guillermo Arriaga.... Kim Basinger and Charlize Theron have the key roles and are excellent..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 09/17/09
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Guillermo Arriaga's directorial debut brings together damaged yet disparate characters into a startlingly unified whole.... Powerful, profound and beautifully rendered..."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 432 words, 09/18/09
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "It's possible to admire the performances of Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger, even as you backpedal from the film, hoping the ponderous megasoap will just go away."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 10/16/09
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...the sensational pop-psychological damage wrought by two generations onto a third carries all the dramatic heft of a telenovela, albeit one with award-bait cinematography."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 09/16/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "It takes nearly two hours of sombre weeping and self-loathing for Arriaga to lay out his grand plan. And it's just as revelatory as anything else he's written."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 168 words, 10/15/09
KEY CITIES (9 Reviews)
Dan Zak, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "...a plaintive, strangely unfeeling film, which motors along on somber fumes but nevertheless showcases three generations of acresses in peak form."(See all of Dan Zak's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 510 words, 09/18/09
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "The main drawbacks are its intentionally coy narrative and a zero-hour revelation that's ill-thought-out and generates some pretty chintzy psychobabble."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 09/25/09
Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...delivers solid turns from a stellar cast led by Theron, Almeida, and Basinger, and a breakout performance by the remarkably radiant 18-year-old Jennifer Lawrence."(See all of Tirdad Derakhshani's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 418 words, 09/18/09
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a story with all the makings of sumptuous, Sirkian melodrama. Instead, writer-director Guillermo Arriaga makes the movie into an exercise in writerly technique."(See all of Mark Feeney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 447 words, 09/18/09
Ted Fry, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "...tremendously earnest, but Arriaga's manipulation of time and his abrupt shifts in focus ultimately detract from the knotty narrative puzzle."(See all of Ted Fry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 333 words, 09/18/09
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Portland's dreary climate is used to good effect... but it's not enough to make up for the director's needlessly convoluted approach."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 220 words, 09/25/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "...connecting the dots is not the same thing as caring about the characters, all of whom have been flattened by fate and-or a screenwriter whose language is not English."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 333 words, 09/25/09
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Possibly the stories fit too neatly. If so, it's hardly a fatal flaw. Instead, it's a sign of how committed Arriaga is to drama's power to engage modern morality tales."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 487 words, 10/02/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...the sensational pop-psychological damage wrought by two generations onto a third carries all the dramatic heft of a telenovela, albeit one with award-bait cinematography."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 09/16/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "It takes nearly two hours of sombre weeping and self-loathing for Arriaga to lay out his grand plan. And it's just as revelatory as anything else he's written."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 168 words, 10/15/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...depends on ideas about human behavior that can only be called preposterous... the eliptical structure of the narrative can't cover up its overheating, half-baked banality."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 09/18/09
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Guillermo Arriaga's directorial debut brings together damaged yet disparate characters into a startlingly unified whole.... Powerful, profound and beautifully rendered..."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 432 words, 09/18/09
Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...ambitious, visually handsome... the two actresses' sensitive performances don't make the emotional connection to audiences that the story yearns for."(See all of Deborah Young's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 615 words, 08/30/08
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Guillermo Arriaga's directorial debut brings together damaged yet disparate characters into a startlingly unified whole.... Powerful, profound and beautifully rendered..."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 432 words, 09/18/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...depends on ideas about human behavior that can only be called preposterous... the eliptical structure of the narrative can't cover up its overheating, half-baked banality."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 09/18/09
20.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Burning Plain's reviews are separated by an average 20.1 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.
The Burning Plain (25 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Burning Plain's reviews cover 37.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,889 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 356 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 4 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Burning Plain's reviews on average broke 4 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 The Burning Plain's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Burning Plain (25 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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