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THE MASTER (2012)Movie Reviews
Drama about an unstable WWII veteran who is taken under the wing of a charismatic man who preaches a new religion. Cast:Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Jesse Plemons, David Warshofsky, Rami MalekDirector:Paul Thomas AndersonRelease Date:September 14, 2012DVD Release:February 26, 2013From:The Weinstein CompanyRating:RLength:2 hr 30 min
The Master (2012) played to excellent reviews. • Joe Williams wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "...a marvel to behold... a brilliantly conceived and powerfully realized work of art, with complex characters, exquisite images and ambiguously big ideas." • And Anthony Lane wrote in the New Yorker, "...casts a spell... gives us so much to revere..." More Reviews Below...
The Master (2012) Positive Reviews (48 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Hoffman is remarkably subtle in revealing Lancaster's spiteful ego, and Phoenix is just... remarkable.... Amy Adams is riveting as Lancaster's steely wife."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 239 words, 09/13/12
Richard Corliss, Time: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...while the movie is glorious to watch, it brings no coherence or insight to its two main characters... the fascination wears off just as it should be peaking..."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,411 words, 09/01/12
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a startling, stunningly gorgeous film... as fond of ambiguity as I usually am, I still felt a bit emotionally detached afterward. Wowed, for sure, but not exactly moved."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,000 words, 09/13/12
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...between its measured pace and esoteric, underwhelming final lesson, Paul Thomas Anderson's opus can be a challenge.... shy of being a 'Master'-piece."(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 121 words, 09/27/12
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...one of the great movies of the year -- an ambitious, challenging, and creatively hot-blooded but cool-toned project that picks seriously at knotty ideas..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 699 words, 09/21/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...affirms Paul Thomas Anderson's position as the foremost filmmaking talent of his generation.... Fierce and ferociously funny... a great movie... a new American classic."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 999 words, 09/14/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...challenging and sometimes frustrating... Aiming for epic, it's undeniably thought-provoking, but too ambiguous to fully satisfy."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 541 words, 09/14/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Paul Thomas Anderson is one of our great directors. 'The Master' shows invention and curiosity. It is often spellbinding. But what does it intend to communicate?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 980 words, 09/21/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...always maintains a sense of awful tension that seems as if it could spin itself into a frenzy at any second.... Quite possibly the movie of the year, or the decade."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 980 words, 09/10/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...one of the most technically impressive films of 2012.... falls short of greatness for one simple reason: the storytelling is unspectacular."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,170 words, 09/14/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...imposing, confounding and altogether amazing... a glorious and haunting symphony of color, emotion and sound... 'The Master' is wild and enormous..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,539 words, 09/14/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "Paul Thomas Anderson always makes big movies.... superb, cerebral... a fictionalized and cutting drama hinging on the origins of Scientology."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 391 words, 09/14/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...superbly crafted... bristling with vivid moments and unbeatable acting... if you appreciate filmmaking at this level you are more than grateful that it's happened again."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,014 words, 09/14/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a sharply written, unforgettably directed character study with brilliant performances by Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 797 words, 09/14/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...one of the few truly vital and unruly American films in recent years.... a film destined to be processed in many different ways. And hallelujah to that."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,324 words, 09/21/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...surprisingly compassionate... avoids succumbing to its own weight, thanks to Hoffman and Phoenix, who are utterly compelling and hilarious."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 308 words, 09/21/12
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: EXCELLENT "...a piece of stark, often abrasive American mythmaking.... Anderson clarifies nothing, but leaves us brooding on our own confusion."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,217 words, 09/10/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Paul Thomas Anderson is one of our great directors. 'The Master' shows invention and curiosity. It is often spellbinding. But what does it intend to communicate?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 980 words, 09/21/12
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...a free-form work of expressionism... a film of breathtaking cinematic romanticism and near-complete denial of conventional catharsis."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,125 words, 09/12/12
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...explosive... transfixing.... Phoenix and Hoffman command the giant screen so completely it's hard to imagine anyone pulling it away from them."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 855 words, 09/21/12
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Phoenix and Hoffman play their roles with such idiosyncratic energy that they suggest duelling Brandos.... visually mesmerizing... mentally compelling..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 836 words, 09/21/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The film's longueurs and meanderings may well be the point, but they make the film feel blurry and unformed, and all of the characters seem adrift..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 372 words, 09/20/12
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...it takes awhile for the notion to sink in that so much acting talent and cinematic artistry has been put to the service of such puny, insufferable characters."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,090 words, 09/21/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a work that demands attention, and it satisfies on many levels... But as drama, finally, it loses steam... exhaustion, not exaltation, shudders off the screen."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 09/21/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...dazzling, perplexing, adventurous, hypnotic... It's enigmatic yet resonant, with breathtaking performances and indelible images."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 742 words, 09/21/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The film is not an epic. It's not a masterpiece. But it is an involving study of men searching, searching for answers, for belonging, for a foothold in life..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 767 words, 09/21/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...weighs more than any American film from this or last year. It's the sort of movie that young men aspiring to write the Great American Novel never actually write."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,524 words, 09/21/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...has greatness in it... Yet all those virtues are undermined by a narrative that goes all but dead for the last hour."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 845 words, 09/21/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Strange and mesmerizing... the minute it was over, I wanted to watch it again... it draws you in, even as you're not quite sure what you're seeing."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 537 words, 09/21/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...cool and puzzling... It's a film you admire, with two powerhouse performances, but it's aloof and self-involved and eccentric."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 913 words, 09/21/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a marvel to behold... a brilliantly conceived and powerfully realized work of art, with complex characters, exquisite images and ambiguously big ideas."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 09/21/12
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) " 'The Master' feels like few movies have... a rapturous cinematic experience, a spellbinding expression of shrouded ideas and exposed talent, top to bottom."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 09/20/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD(cg) "...two characters in search of a story.... The search is often fascinating. But the film would have been a lot better if they'd found what they were looking for."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 279 words, 09/21/12
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "The actors' commitment to their roles is impressive, but it's tethered to a weightless, airless movie, a film so enamored of itself, the audience gets shut out."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,071 words, 09/21/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (9 Reviews)
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...a free-form work of expressionism... a film of breathtaking cinematic romanticism and near-complete denial of conventional catharsis."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,125 words, 09/12/12
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: EXCELLENT(cg) "...beautiful and thought-provoking, but also frustratingly inaccessible and opaque about its meaning. In a way that's always always been Anderson's style..."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 701 words, 09/12/12
Scott Tobias, AV Club: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...stunning.... Anderson gives celluloid the victory lap it deserves. Seen in 70mm, it's a processing session on an epic scale, an amplification of wounded souls."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 942 words, 09/13/12
Jesse Hassenger, Pop Matters: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a fascinating duet between Phoenix and Hoffman... Both epic and personal, 'The Master's' story of pain demonstrates Anderson's own remarkable mastery."(See all of Jesse Hassenger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 787 words, 09/17/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: OUTSTANDING(cg) " 'The Master' is built around two towering, career-high feats of acting... Hoffman is both authoritative and ridiculous... Phoenix is entirely transformed..."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,034 words, 09/13/12
Calum Marsh, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "Anderson's sensibility hovers a few degrees above the minutia... 'The Master' is Anderson with the edges sanded off, the best bits shorn down to nubs."(See all of Calum Marsh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,586 words, 09/10/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The film's longueurs and meanderings may well be the point, but they make the film feel blurry and unformed, and all of the characters seem adrift..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 372 words, 09/20/12
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: EXCELLENT(cg) "...unfolds in a wholly original, unpredictable way, but makes frustrating viewing if you expect obvious conflicts and neat resolutions."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 677 words, 09/19/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (7 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...remarkable... both grand -- not grandiose -- and intimate... a big, brave and universal saga of a man who, in the words of Dodd's wife, 'can't take this life straight'..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,136 words, 09/14/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...imposing, confounding and altogether amazing... a glorious and haunting symphony of color, emotion and sound... 'The Master' is wild and enormous..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,539 words, 09/14/12
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: OUTSTANDING "...casts a spell as bewitching, but also as controlled, as anything that the writer and director, Paul Thomas Anderson, has wrought before.... gives us so much to revere..."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,584 words, 09/10/12
Ella Taylor, NPR: EXCELLENT "...a portrait of how the authentic search for family and community can become warped, along with character itself, in a spiritual and moral vacuum... intense..."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 887 words, 09/13/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...superbly crafted... bristling with vivid moments and unbeatable acting... if you appreciate filmmaking at this level you are more than grateful that it's happened again."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,014 words, 09/14/12
Dana Stevens, Slate: EXCELLENT "...a film to admire and puzzle over rather than to enter into and love... I left the theater not entirely sure what 'The Master' was about. I can't wait to get back and see it again."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,108 words, 09/14/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: OUTSTANDING "...austere and challenging... often spectacular, never less than handsome and has numerous moments of disturbing and almost electrical power."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,296 words, 09/14/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "...teasing, richly unsettling... a minutely observed tug-of-war between a damaged, volatile individual and a movement he never quite meshes with..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,028 words, 09/01/12
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...enthralling.... But an argument that will endure for as long as people feel like seeing and talking about the film is whether it adds up to the sum of its many brilliant parts."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,648 words, 09/01/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...superbly crafted... bristling with vivid moments and unbeatable acting... if you appreciate filmmaking at this level you are more than grateful that it's happened again."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,014 words, 09/14/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Despite the fact that 'The Master' is not as compelling or coherent as 'There Will Be Blood,' it reveals a director at the top of his form."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,631 words, 09/03/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...imposing, confounding and altogether amazing... a glorious and haunting symphony of color, emotion and sound... 'The Master' is wild and enormous..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,539 words, 09/14/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...remarkable... both grand -- not grandiose -- and intimate... a big, brave and universal saga of a man who, in the words of Dodd's wife, 'can't take this life straight'..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,136 words, 09/14/12
16.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Master (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 16.7 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 Master (2012) (48 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Master (2012)'s reviews cover 98.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 43,786 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 912 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 1.7 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Master (2012)'s reviews on average broke 1.7 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 Master (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Master (2012) (48 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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