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THE GREATESTMovie Reviews
Romantic drama about the repercussions of a young man's death in an auto accident, for his family, for his girlfriend and for the man who unwittingly took his life. Cast:Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon, Carey Mulligan, John W. Simmons, Aaron JohnsonDirector:Shana FesteRelease Date:April 2, 2010DVD Release:July 13, 2010From:PaladinRating:RLength:1 hr. 39 min.
The Greatest played in key cities to moderate reviews. • Ty Burr wrote in the Boston Globe, "It’s earnest and grueling and gently contrived... I wanted to like the movie more than I did..." • And Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today, "Though it sometimes feels more like a collection of scenes than a complete story, some moments are so raw and insightful that they feel like a punch to the heart." More Reviews Below...
The Greatest Positive Reviews (26 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: WEAK "...overwrought... They say comedy is the hardest genre to pull off, but to my mind, the grief drama is the most miserable beast to take on..."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 776 words, 04/02/10
David Germain, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...psych-101 study shows us the sloppy, lingering process of grieving can play out on a neat and tidy timetable, where everybody gets a catharsis and returns home healed."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 537 words, 04/01/10
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Mulligan brings a groundedness to the weepy film, and Brosnan is heartbreaking. But the grim subject matter and grating flashbacks make it tough to watch."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 50 words, 04/01/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: MODERATE(cg) "Even those who succumb to the director's clumsy ministrations and shed a few tears are unlikely to leave 'The Greatest' with the feeling of 90 minutes well spent."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 884 words, 04/06/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Sarandon nails every nuance as the alienated mom. And Brosnan vividly etches the emotional fissures in a man coming apart. 'The Greatest' takes a piece out of you."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 228 words, 04/02/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "Though it sometimes feels more like a collection of scenes than a complete story, some moments are so raw and insightful that they feel like a punch to the heart."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 522 words, 04/09/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...includes a great performance and a very good one... but the screenplay contains baffling omissions, needless confusions and questions we should not be thinking of."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 934 words, 04/08/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: WEAK "...not even the skillful performances of its stars, Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan can cover up the mysterious gaps in continuity... so badly edited that it barely makes sense."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 734 words, 04/02/10
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: MODERATE "Missing is the kind of connective tissue that would not only better bind the movie's wounded characters but deepen the profundity of their plight."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 04/02/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...includes a great performance and a very good one... but the screenplay contains baffling omissions, needless confusions and questions we should not be thinking of."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 934 words, 04/08/10
Chuck Wilson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...an uneven but often affecting film that requires its gifted cast to push hard against the script's schematic plotting to find moments of real emotion."(See all of Chuck Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 224 words, 03/30/10
KEY CITIES (6 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a meditation on loss by a writer-director whose honesty, sensitivity and intelligence more than mitigate the film's histrionic qualities."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 577 words, 04/16/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "First-time writer/director Shana Feste has a lot to learn about staging scenes and avoiding clichés, but she sure knows how to cast a movie."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 466 words, 04/09/10
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...fluctuates between laughable and laudable... you'd be better off checking out the DVD of Nanni Moretti's 'The Son's Room' (2001) for a more honest and compelling rendering of a similar scenario."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 04/09/10
Chuck Wilson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...an uneven but often affecting film that requires its gifted cast to push hard against the script's schematic plotting to find moments of real emotion."(See all of Chuck Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 224 words, 03/30/10
Scott Tobias, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "It's when the small moments become large ones that writer/director Shana Feste overreaches and the shaky performances don't bail her out."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 391 words, 04/01/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: WEAK "...not even the skillful performances of its stars, Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan can cover up the mysterious gaps in continuity... so badly edited that it barely makes sense."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 734 words, 04/02/10
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Missing is the kind of connective tissue that would not only better bind the movie's wounded characters but deepen the profundity of their plight."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 04/02/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (3 Reviews)
Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...a stunning fete, drawing an audience into a comprehensive film about grief.... transcends a clinical depiction of grief, which in less assured hands could have morphed into a talking-heads essay."(See all of Duane Byrge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 350 words, 01/18/09
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Missing is the kind of connective tissue that would not only better bind the movie's wounded characters but deepen the profundity of their plight."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 04/02/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: WEAK "...not even the skillful performances of its stars, Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan can cover up the mysterious gaps in continuity... so badly edited that it barely makes sense."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 734 words, 04/02/10
16.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Greatest's reviews are separated by an average 16.2 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 Greatest (26 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Greatest's reviews cover 76.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 11,393 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 438 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Greatest Coverage, Volume & Length (26 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 7.2 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Greatest's reviews on average broke 7.2 hours 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 Greatest's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Greatest (26 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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