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THE HIGH COST OF LIVING (2011)Movie Reviews
Drama about a woman who unwittingly seeks solace from the very man who caused the death of her baby in a hit-and-run accident. Cast:Zach Braff, Isabelle Blais, Patrick LabbeDirector:Deborah ChowRelease Date:April 22, 2011DVD Release:August 23, 2011From:KinosmithLength:1 hr 32 min
AUGUST 23, 2011
The High Cost of Living (2011), Mixed Reviews Limited
The High Cost of Living (2011) played in limited release to mixed reviews. • Kevin Thomas wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "...heart-wrenching, beautifully articulated... Deborah Chow makes an exceptionally accomplished feature debut." • And Norman Wilner wrote in Toronto Now, "...the film unfolds like a linear version of one of Guillermo Arriaga's misery-porn scripts..." More Reviews Below...
The High Cost of Living (2011) Positive Reviews (9 Reviews, reviews below)
The High Cost of Living (2011) has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (7 Reviews)
Paul Brunick, New York Times: FAIR "...a somber morality tale set in Quebec... so artistically well-intentioned and earnest in its ambitions that you can almost forgive the banality of its every scene."(See all of Paul Brunick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 367 words, 09/09/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...heart-wrenching, beautifully articulated... Deborah Chow makes an exceptionally accomplished feature debut. She is as gifted a writer as she is a director."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 294 words, 05/13/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Toronto-born Deborah Chow's film has numerous flaws... But she has an obvious flair for casting and an affinity with actors... she has a future that's worth anticipating."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 424 words, 04/22/11
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: POOR "...a ridiculously implausible yet still predictable tale of guilt and redemption... bipolar in tone... the kind of quirky indie romance that made Braff's name."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 220 words, 09/07/11
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...winner of best Canadian first feature at the Toronto International Film Festival... To the degree the film is credible at all, it's thanks to Quebec actress Isabelle Blais..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 382 words, 04/22/11
Ernest Hardy, LA Weekly: GOOD "Writer/director Deborah Chow works with a light but deft hand.... The cast is uniformly good, but Isabelle Blais especially stands out..."(See all of Ernest Hardy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 237 words, 05/12/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Isabelle Blais and Zach Braff do their best to give real performances... the film unfolds like a linear version of one of Guillermo Arriaga's misery-porn scripts..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 137 words, 04/21/11
KEY CITIES (0 Reviews)
The High Cost of Living (2011) has not been reviewed in Key Cities
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: POOR "...a ridiculously implausible yet still predictable tale of guilt and redemption... bipolar in tone... the kind of quirky indie romance that made Braff's name."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 220 words, 09/07/11
Ernest Hardy, LA Weekly: GOOD "Writer/director Deborah Chow works with a light but deft hand.... The cast is uniformly good, but Isabelle Blais especially stands out..."(See all of Ernest Hardy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 237 words, 05/12/11
Nick Schager, Slant: POOR(cg) "...an excruciatingly clichéd Montreal-set saga, in which every twist proves as contrived and implausible as the last... merely a collection of melodramatic tropes..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 05/08/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Isabelle Blais and Zach Braff do their best to give real performances... the film unfolds like a linear version of one of Guillermo Arriaga's misery-porn scripts..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 137 words, 04/21/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Paul Brunick, New York Times: FAIR "...a somber morality tale set in Quebec... so artistically well-intentioned and earnest in its ambitions that you can almost forgive the banality of its every scene."(See all of Paul Brunick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 367 words, 09/09/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...heart-wrenching, beautifully articulated... Deborah Chow makes an exceptionally accomplished feature debut. She is as gifted a writer as she is a director."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 294 words, 05/13/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (3 Reviews)
Alissa Simon, Daily Variety: FAIR "...there are moments when leads Zach Braff and Isabelle Blais just about pull off the implausible... suffers from major problems of tone as well as stilted camerawork and editing."(See all of Alissa Simon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 288 words, 09/20/10
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...heart-wrenching, beautifully articulated... Deborah Chow makes an exceptionally accomplished feature debut. She is as gifted a writer as she is a director."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 294 words, 05/13/11
Paul Brunick, New York Times: FAIR "...a somber morality tale set in Quebec... so artistically well-intentioned and earnest in its ambitions that you can almost forgive the banality of its every scene."(See all of Paul Brunick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 367 words, 09/09/11
27.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The High Cost of Living (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 27.7 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 High Cost of Living (2011) (9 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The High Cost of Living (2011)'s reviews cover 9.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 2,811 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 312 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The High Cost of Living (2011) Coverage, Volume & Length (9 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 61 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The High Cost of Living (2011)'s reviews on average broke 61 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 High Cost of Living (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The High Cost of Living (2011) (9 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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