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THE DO-DECA-PENTATHLONMovie Reviews
Comedy about two estranged brothers who secretly compete in a homemade Olympics during a family reunion. Cast:Steve Zissis, Mark Kelly, Jennifer LaFleur, Julie Vorus, Reid WilliamsDirector:Jay Duplass, Mark DuplassRelease Date:July 6, 2012DVD Release:September 18, 2012From:20th Century FoxRating:RLength:1 hr 30 min
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon played in limited release to very good reviews. • Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "This could be the premise for another comedy about arrested adolescence... But this movie is a little more than that.... the film is possibly autobiographical..." • And John Hartl wrote in the Seattle Times, "...at 76 minutes, 'The Do-Deca-Pentathlon' is just about right." More Reviews Below...
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon Positive Reviews (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: VERY GOOD "...a little slip of a movie, shot with easy intimacy and not a single frill, but there are big ideas in here... It may be minimalist, but it isn't minor."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 769 words, 07/05/12
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a teensy, disarming, characteristically shambling story about the routines of slow-moving men from filmmaking brothers Jay and Mark Duplass."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 197 words, 07/06/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "This could be the premise for another comedy about arrested adolescence... But this movie is a little more than that.... the film is possibly autobiographical..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 07/06/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (7 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...near-perfect... taps into a primal male competitiveness whose force outweighs reason and common sense.... has the spontaneity of expert improvisation."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 613 words, 07/06/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...oddly named but perfectly played... The Duplass touch is one that avoids easy resolution, but their films just keep getting richer."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 258 words, 07/08/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "None of the actors is a household name, though they should be... it is the brothers themselves, so ably embodied by Zissis and Kelly, that make it such a worthy fight."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 666 words, 07/06/12
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...falls short... Jay and Mark Duplass, brothers who based the movie on their rivalry, forgot to put in enough laughs for a comedy or high enough stakes for a drama..."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 157 words, 07/06/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "This could be the premise for another comedy about arrested adolescence... But this movie is a little more than that.... the film is possibly autobiographical..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 07/06/12
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...fascinating... The Duplasses, maybe working through their own brotherly shit, craft this ordeal sneakily... the characters jump out into four substantial dimensions."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 198 words, 07/04/12
KEY CITIES (4 Reviews)
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...an odd little movie about an odd family who reacts to situations in odd ways.... it's tiny, with a budget to match. But it's got a big heart."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 605 words, 07/06/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: WEAK(cg) "There's a joke here in the spectacle of two out-of-shape adults making fools of themselves at sporting events. Unfortunately it's the only joke, and it wears thin."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 07/06/12
John Hartl, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...at 76 minutes, 'The Do-Deca-Pentathlon' is just about right. If it were any shorter, it would lack depth. If it were any longer, it would most likely seem a strain."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 314 words, 07/06/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...likeable.... the Duplasses know how to put a small film like this together with soothing ease, and they never tax the audience with contrivances or excess baggage."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 07/06/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...fascinating... The Duplasses, maybe working through their own brotherly shit, craft this ordeal sneakily... the characters jump out into four substantial dimensions."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 198 words, 07/04/12
Scott Tobias, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...as much about the complexity of sibling relationships as the silly spectacle of grown-ups acting like children.... a low-key comedy... doggedly unpretentious."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 329 words, 07/05/12
Michelle Orange, Movieline: MODERATE(cg) "At its worst this kind of filmmaking can take on a kind of forced realism, an aesthetic that's grating because it revels in an authenticity it hasn't actually achieved."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 645 words, 07/05/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...near-perfect... taps into a primal male competitiveness whose force outweighs reason and common sense.... has the spontaneity of expert improvisation."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 613 words, 07/06/12
Ian Buckwalter, NPR: EXCELLENT "...a fascinating look back at how effectively the Duplasses have managed to merge the fast-and-loose aesthetics of a film like this into their more polished filmmaking."(See all of Ian Buckwalter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 692 words, 07/05/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "None of the actors is a household name, though they should be... it is the brothers themselves, so ably embodied by Zissis and Kelly, that make it such a worthy fight."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 666 words, 07/06/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "Delivers high-concept laughs... feels like a throwback to the Duplasses' early indie work... Eccentric without succumbing to quirk..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 03/12/12
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...needs little more than a zoom-equipped camera and some emotionally ragged actors to tell an archetypal tale of brotherhood.... the conflict's realistic sloppiness lends it weight."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 333 words, 03/14/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "None of the actors is a household name, though they should be... it is the brothers themselves, so ably embodied by Zissis and Kelly, that make it such a worthy fight."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 666 words, 07/06/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...near-perfect... taps into a primal male competitiveness whose force outweighs reason and common sense.... has the spontaneity of expert improvisation."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 613 words, 07/06/12
19.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon's reviews are separated by an average 19.7 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 Do-Deca-Pentathlon (20 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Do-Deca-Pentathlon's reviews cover 38.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 9,294 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 465 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon Coverage, Volume & Length (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 3 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon's reviews on average broke 3 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 Do-Deca-Pentathlon's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon (20 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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