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THE LADY (2011)Movie Reviews
Drama about Burmese pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, who lived under house arrest, apart from her family, for more than a decade. Cast:Michelle Yeoh, David Thewlis, William HopeDirector:Luc BessonRelease Date:December 2, 2011DVD Release:April 13, 2012From:EuropaCorp DistributionRating:RLength:2 hr. 25 min.
The Lady (2011) played in key cities to fair reviews. • Ty Burr wrote in the Boston Globe, "...a stately, rather dull portrayal of a loving marriage stymied by the whims of political necessity and fascist generals." • And Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "...earnest, civilized and borderline unendurable.... It's the script that's flat and shallow." More Reviews Below...
The Lady (2011) Positive Reviews (26 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: MODERATE "Moviegoers can be grateful for this extended snapshot of domestic angst, while wishing that Besson had tracked back more often, to reveal the big picture..."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 776 words, 04/13/12
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) " 'The Lady' is more professional but, for me, the documentary 'They Call It Myanmar' is more useful. Lieberman answers questions that Besson does not think to ask."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 841 words, 04/20/12
Kat Murphy, MSN Movies: MODERATE(cg) "...may be largely a dramatic dud, but there are a couple compelling reasons to watch it.... Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis possess a peculiar, believable chemistry."(See all of Kat Murphy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 765 words, 04/10/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...relentless hagiography.... it does not explore the struggle, discipline and internal friction that are essential to successful political resistance."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 750 words, 04/11/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...oddly staid, glowingly reverent... such a rare individual deserves a film that treats her not as a saint, but the remarkable, complex human being she actually is."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 230 words, 04/13/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...a fumbling and fawning -- if sincere -- tribute to the living legend Aung San Suu Kyi and a director, Luc Besson, who has never seemed more out of his element."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 714 words, 12/02/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...strikes a tone of a sort of hushed worship... doesn't quite surmount the problem of how to dramatize inert situations such as being a prisoner of one's own home."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 264 words, 04/13/12
John Anderson, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "...never gets beyond a surface examination of Suu Kyi and her commitment to Burma, nor does it illuminate the issues in any meaningful way..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 323 words, 04/27/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) " 'The Lady' is more professional but, for me, the documentary 'They Call It Myanmar' is more useful. Lieberman answers questions that Besson does not think to ask."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 841 words, 04/20/12
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "Impersonally directed by cinéma du look pioneer Luc Besson... written by first-timer Rebecca Frayn, whose script has all the elegance and nuance of Google Translate."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 225 words, 04/11/12
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...little more than a history lesson -- although a beautifully presented one -- wrapped in the pink gloss of a G-rated potboiler..."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 04/27/12
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...a slog, a two-and-a-half hour, painted-on-wood exercise in political iconography... devoid of either iron or irony, it is merely forgettable..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 925 words, 04/27/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Besson seems confounded by the static nature of Suu Kyi's battle against the Burmese military dictatorship that confined her to house arrest..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 04/26/12
KEY CITIES (5 Reviews)
Adam Bernstein, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "...a heavy-handed attempt to sanctify one of the most dignified and uncompromising politicians and human rights champions of recent times."(See all of Adam Bernstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 739 words, 04/20/12
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...a stately, rather dull portrayal of a loving marriage stymied by the whims of political necessity and fascist generals."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 04/13/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a portrait in moral and physical courage, a sort of analysis of what constitutes greatness. Michelle Yeoh does a meticulous job of showing us..."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 444 words, 04/13/12
Soren Andersen, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Yeoh's physical resemblance to Suu Kyi is remarkable. Even more impressive is the way she projects steely inner strength and tremendous composure."(See all of Soren Andersen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 295 words, 04/13/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "Impersonally directed by cinéma du look pioneer Luc Besson... written by first-timer Rebecca Frayn, whose script has all the elegance and nuance of Google Translate."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 225 words, 04/11/12
Noel Murray, AV Club: FAIR(cg) "Besson and Frayn hit the high points of Suu Kyi's triumphant, tragic life, but they connect those dots with thick, straight lines... a movie like this needs more shading..."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 04/12/12
Michelle Orange, Movieline: MODERATE(cg) "Michelle Yeoh's performance forms a kind of undertow that pulls the surrounding story and characters into the hagiographic shallows, where they float like sea monkeys..."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 835 words, 12/01/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Besson seems confounded by the static nature of Suu Kyi's battle against the Burmese military dictatorship that confined her to house arrest..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 04/26/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Frayn's screenplay shuttles incessantly, and distractingly, between Suu in Myanmar and her family in England... If only the film had its heroine's unwavering focus."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 319 words, 04/13/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...relentless hagiography.... it does not explore the struggle, discipline and internal friction that are essential to successful political resistance."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 750 words, 04/11/12
Ella Taylor, NPR: FAIR "Besson handles evil with crude efficiency, but he's completely out of his depth with the nuances of character, motivation and flawed connection required by a realist movie."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 702 words, 04/12/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...a fumbling and fawning -- if sincere -- tribute to the living legend Aung San Suu Kyi and a director, Luc Besson, who has never seemed more out of his element."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 714 words, 12/02/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: FAIR "...handsomely mounted picture is, at nearly 2 1/2 hours, far too long and indigestible for a film whose protagonist spends most of her screen time under house arrest."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 950 words, 09/13/11
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...well-intentioned... trudges through decades of turbulent recent history via an approach that's part old-fashioned miniseries and part simplistic after-school special."(See all of David Rooney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 09/12/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...a fumbling and fawning -- if sincere -- tribute to the living legend Aung San Suu Kyi and a director, Luc Besson, who has never seemed more out of his element."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 714 words, 12/02/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...relentless hagiography.... it does not explore the struggle, discipline and internal friction that are essential to successful political resistance."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 750 words, 04/11/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Frayn's screenplay shuttles incessantly, and distractingly, between Suu in Myanmar and her family in England... If only the film had its heroine's unwavering focus."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 319 words, 04/13/12
13.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Lady (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 13.8 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 Lady (2011) (26 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Lady (2011)'s reviews cover 42.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 14,188 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 546 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Lady (2011) Coverage, Volume & Length (26 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 122 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Lady (2011)'s reviews on average broke 122 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 Lady (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Lady (2011) (26 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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