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THE ILLUSIONIST (L'ILLUSIONNISTE) (2010)Movie Reviews
Period animated tale based on an unproduced script by Jacques Tati, about a middle-aged magician in 1950s Europe who takes up with a naive young woman from rural Scotland. Cast:Jean-Claude Donda, Eilidh RankinDirector:Sylvain ChometRelease Date:December 25, 2010DVD Release:May 10, 2011From:Sony ClassicsRating:PGLength:1 hr. 30 min.
MAY 10, 2011
The Illusionist (L'illusionniste) (2010), Excellent Reviews Key Cities
The Illusionist (L'illusionniste) (2010) played in key cities to excellent reviews. • Joe Williams wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "...beautifully rendered... a quiet declaration of love..." • And Shawn Levy wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "...a dear and lovely and sometimes magical film that feels at once like pure Tati, like pure Chomet and even, in its look-and-feel, like pure classic Disney..." More Reviews Below...
The Illusionist (L'illusionniste) (2010) Positive Reviews (35 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: VERY GOOD "I'm glad there's a 'new' 'Tati' film to add to his small, important body of work, yet I wish that the creator of 'The Triplets of Belleville' had made a true Chomet film instead."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,144 words, 12/25/10
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...features the inventive hand-drawn sensibilities of French filmmaker Sylvain Chomet in his loving and lovely new feature... simple, emotionally potent..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 254 words, 12/07/10
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the magically melancholy final act of Tati's career.... If you've seen 'Mr. Hulot's Holiday' you know who he was, and if you haven't, it belongs on your must-see list."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 687 words, 01/13/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...it is the dusty stage world of magic and dancing girls that this film recalls with a delicate visual style, tender humor and a sense of loss."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 927 words, 12/24/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...an exquisite, animated adaptation of Tati's unproduced screenplay... Tati's unique presence and perspective can never be replicated."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 12/24/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...a film whose virtues are quixotic, episodic and visual.... delights us and reminds us how many different ways animation can charm and captivate."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 539 words, 12/25/10
Kyle Smith, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "Since this low-grade comedy doesn't really even attempt to be funny, the purpose of the movie is to establish (or reinforce) a feeling of luxurious old-timey melancholy."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 380 words, 12/24/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the magically melancholy final act of Tati's career.... If you've seen 'Mr. Hulot's Holiday' you know who he was, and if you haven't, it belongs on your must-see list."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 687 words, 01/13/11
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "...breathes life into a celluloid fossil... For its 80 minutes, the movie creates the illusion that not just Tati but his form of cerebral slapstick lives."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 366 words, 12/22/10
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...almost a silent movie, save for amusing sound affects, snatches of garbled dialogue and a beguiling piano score that inspires deep reflection."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 01/21/11
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...less than a masterpiece, [but] a rare animated film of fleeting charms rather than loud noises, aimed more at wistful adults than thrill-hungry kids."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 625 words, 01/21/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Gorgeous, and full of bittersweet whimsy... echoes with sadness, it's a kind of sadness that is full of beauty, too, and that should be embraced and shared."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 503 words, 01/21/11
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a remarkable movie: lovely, slow-paced and almost silent, rich with pathos and deft comic gestures."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 02/04/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "The hand-drawn cell-animation -- no 3D, thank you -- is watercolor soft and charming. As is the film itself.... [still,] it's a trifle too deliberate, quiet and out of date."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 552 words, 02/11/11
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...gentle, wistful... Sylvain Chomet, the imagination behind 2003's entrancing animated fantasy 'The Triplets of Belleville,' fills this quiet and often sad story with detail."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 320 words, 01/28/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a dear and lovely and sometimes magical film that feels at once like pure Tati, like pure Chomet and even, in its look-and-feel, like pure classic Disney..."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 01/28/11
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...delicately subtle for modern animation, not relying on gee-whiz episodes ripe for 3-D gimmickry.... a lovingly crafted film of plenty."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 367 words, 02/10/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...animation of the finest kind. A French import that's long on grace notes and wry humor, it eschews flash and opts for heart to great effect."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 01/28/11
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...ends on a note of graceful, heartbreaking beauty... A lot of what precedes that ending, though, is precious and slight and a little too fanciful."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 505 words, 02/11/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "...breathes life into a celluloid fossil... For its 80 minutes, the movie creates the illusion that not just Tati but his form of cerebral slapstick lives."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 366 words, 12/22/10
Michael Atkinson, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an impeccably lovely whatsit, a comedy sans chuckles, a cartoon feature without dialogue, a film-geek homage as devotional as any Tarantino co-optation."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 574 words, 01/27/11
Bill Weber, Slant: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...achieves a misty-eyed unity in eulogizing an extinct era in entertainment and bringing the fabled Tati's most personal and somber story to its piercing conclusion."(See all of Bill Weber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 729 words, 12/20/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...you may find Chomet's gentle storytelling a bit drowsy.... leaves you with pleasant dreams of yesterday's entertainments."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 623 words, 02/02/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...a fable, a tone poem, an elegy -- of ethereal beauty.... Exquisite images, poignant humor, echoes of cinema history and a sense of having watched genuine magic."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 452 words, 12/24/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...it is the dusty stage world of magic and dancing girls that this film recalls with a delicate visual style, tender humor and a sense of loss."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 927 words, 12/24/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...a film whose virtues are quixotic, episodic and visual.... delights us and reminds us how many different ways animation can charm and captivate."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 539 words, 12/25/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...a film whose virtues are quixotic, episodic and visual.... delights us and reminds us how many different ways animation can charm and captivate."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 539 words, 12/25/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...it is the dusty stage world of magic and dancing girls that this film recalls with a delicate visual style, tender humor and a sense of loss."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 927 words, 12/24/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...a fable, a tone poem, an elegy -- of ethereal beauty.... Exquisite images, poignant humor, echoes of cinema history and a sense of having watched genuine magic."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 452 words, 12/24/10
15.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Illusionist (L'illusionniste) (2010)'s reviews are separated by an average 15.6 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 Illusionist (L'illusionniste) (2010) (35 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Illusionist (L'illusionniste) (2010)'s reviews cover 50.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 18,107 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 517 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 54.3 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Illusionist (L'illusionniste) (2010)'s reviews on average broke 54.3 hours 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 Illusionist (L'illusionniste) (2010)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Illusionist (L'illusionniste) (2010) (35 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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