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THE NAMES OF LOVE (LE NOM DES GENS)Movie Reviews
French language comedy about the unlikely romance between an extroverted young Algerian liberal and the middle-aged, middle-of-the-road Jewish scientist she tries to convert to her left-wing views. Cast:Jacques Gamblin, Sara Forestier, Zinedine Soualem, Carole Franck, Jacques BoudetDirector:Michel LeclercRelease Date:June 24, 2011DVD Release:October 4, 2011From:Music Box FilmsRating:RLength:1 hr 40 min
OCTOBER 4, 2011
The Names of Love (Le nom des gens), Very Good Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
The Names of Love (Le nom des gens) played in key cities to very good reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "...adorably daffy.... It's all put across with such energy and good spirits that it feels brand new. If you don't enjoy this one, you don't like fun." • And Stephen Whitty wrote in the New Jersey Star-Ledger, "...has a good cast and some amusing, if second-hand, ideas." More Reviews Below...
The Names of Love (Le nom des gens) Positive Reviews (32 Reviews, reviews below)
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a sharp commentary on French prejudices, character types, history, and culture embedded in Michel Leclerc's droll autobiographical French comedy."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 98 words, 06/24/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...swims in the waters of French politics... I enjoyed this film. I know I was intended to laugh more. It didn't bother me that I didn't."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 746 words, 07/08/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...has the tone and structure of early-to-middle Woody Allen, but with a dose of Gallic identity politics... an airy comedy riding on one cheeky, incandescent performance."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 707 words, 06/24/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "...plays like one of those foreign-movie spoofs Jerry and the gang would go to see on a 'Seinfeld' episode. Only here, there's no 'young girl's journey from Milan to Minsk'..."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 178 words, 06/24/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING "...illuminates the ethnic, racial and religious issues that have beset France from World War II to the present... frequently hilarious yet does not shy away from tragedy."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 391 words, 06/24/11
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...strained and mildly amusing. The real reason to see the movie is the delightful performance by Sara Forestier, who rightly won the French version of the Oscar..."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 183 words, 06/24/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...swims in the waters of French politics... I enjoyed this film. I know I was intended to laugh more. It didn't bother me that I didn't."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 746 words, 07/08/11
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...sometimes funny and occasionally smart yet never quite what it wants to be - funny and smart at the same time."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 592 words, 07/01/11
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a playfully sexy farce that plays like a Gallic 'Annie Hall'... its balmiest sequences are anchored in real-life romance."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 476 words, 08/19/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "Playfully provocative... addresses the volatile issue of European assimilation and multiculturalism, but in a tone and tenor full of screwball whimsy."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 301 words, 08/19/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "There's a taste of 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,' 'Something Wild,' 'Forces of Nature' and even 'Bringing Up Baby'..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 411 words, 10/07/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...adorably daffy.... It's all put across with such energy and good spirits that it feels brand new. If you don't enjoy this one, you don't like fun."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 08/26/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "...always entertaining, and it boasts a terrific performance from Sara Forestier.... Forestier is fantastic, making what could be a cartoonish character human."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 537 words, 09/02/11
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a slyly delightful piece of Gallic fluff.... the leads win you over, especially Jacques Gamblin as a cautious man helplessly smitten with an incautious woman."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 589 words, 08/19/11
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Sara Forestier's performance is a tour de force of comic acting, maintaining astonishing alertness and energy from shot to shot and scene to scene."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 309 words, 07/29/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...stirs the pot in more ways than one.... the sweet contrast of dry Arthur and bubbly Baya makes for a film that's both smart and tart."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 307 words, 08/26/11
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "Child abuse, genocide -- those French have a way with romantic comedies.... A meretricious mix of lechery, kitsch, bad taste, and glib political correctness."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 158 words, 08/18/11
Keith Phipps, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "The American romantic comedy has grown distressingly moribund lately, but anyone looking to freshen up the genre a bit need look no further..."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 06/23/11
Andrew Schenker, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Chockfull of ideas in a way that's both scattershot and more than a little exciting... nonetheless ladles out its laughs less consistently than one might wish..."(See all of Andrew Schenker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 714 words, 06/18/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "...sharp-witted... often plays like romantic comedy, but it's really a sophisticated burlesque about the significance of surnames..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 288 words, 06/24/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...has the tone and structure of early-to-middle Woody Allen, but with a dose of Gallic identity politics... an airy comedy riding on one cheeky, incandescent performance."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 707 words, 06/24/11
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: VERY GOOD "Leclerc pays such lavish homage to golden-age Woody Allen; the moments at which a bewildered Arthur consults his teen-age self could have come straight out of 'Annie Hall.' "(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 406 words, 06/27/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...illuminates the ethnic, racial and religious issues that have beset France from World War II to the present... frequently hilarious yet does not shy away from tragedy."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 391 words, 06/24/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: VERY GOOD "...sweet, sexy and deceptively lightweight... explores some profound and tragic elements of French history by way of thoroughly endearing comedy..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 590 words, 06/24/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Jordan Mintzer, Daily Variety: MODERATE "...too giddy about its own nonconformism to keep the laughs going from start to finish.... should raise eyebrows without really raising the roof."(See all of Jordan Mintzer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 670 words, 05/13/10
Peter Brunette, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...delightful, sexy, and often audacious... so French, that most international audiences will be completely baffled by its very specific topical references."(See all of Peter Brunette's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 557 words, 10/15/10
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...illuminates the ethnic, racial and religious issues that have beset France from World War II to the present... frequently hilarious yet does not shy away from tragedy."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 391 words, 06/24/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...has the tone and structure of early-to-middle Woody Allen, but with a dose of Gallic identity politics... an airy comedy riding on one cheeky, incandescent performance."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 707 words, 06/24/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "...sharp-witted... often plays like romantic comedy, but it's really a sophisticated burlesque about the significance of surnames..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 288 words, 06/24/11
21.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Names of Love (Le nom des gens)'s reviews are separated by an average 21.0 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 Names of Love (Le nom des gens) (32 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Names of Love (Le nom des gens)'s reviews cover 41.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 12,973 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 405 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Names of Love (Le nom des gens) Coverage, Volume & Length (32 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 5 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Names of Love (Le nom des gens)'s reviews on average broke 5 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 Names of Love (Le nom des gens)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Names of Love (Le nom des gens) (32 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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