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THE PERFECT FAMILYMovie Reviews
Comedy drama about a devout woman whose unconventional family may stand in the way of her winning the coveted Catholic Woman of the Year award. Cast:Kathleen Turner, Emily Deschanel, Jason Ritter, Richard Chamberlain, Elizabeth Pena, Sharon Lawrence, Michael McGradyDirector:Anne RentonRelease Date:May 4, 2012DVD Release:June 26, 2012From:Variance FilmsRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 24 min
The Perfect Family played in key cities to moderate reviews. • Michelle Orange wrote for Movieline, "...a soft-willed religious tolerance parable.... seems to resist introspective pit stops, cruising toward its tidy resolution..." • And Elizabeth Weitzman wrote in the New York Daily News, "Kathleen Turner can attack a role with relish, but needs something to sink her teeth into." More Reviews Below...
The Perfect Family Positive Reviews (18 Reviews, reviews below)
James Rocchi, MSN Movies: VERY GOOD(cg) "...pulls off having both luster and gravitas, with a brisk 84-minute running time never outstaying its welcome but still giving us time to know even smaller characters..."(See all of James Rocchi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 05/01/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "Turner's performance is the deepest and truest element in this shallow feel-good movie about the clash between gay rights and Catholic orthodoxy..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 05/04/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "All the characters are so underwritten, they serve as symbols... Kathleen Turner can attack a role with relish, but needs something to sink her teeth into."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 319 words, 05/04/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Earnest and filled with self-doubt... an unsteady debut for director Anne Renton, and the screenplay by Claire V. Riley and Paula Goldberg is literal to a fault."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 05/04/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "This is Kathleen Turner's show. And when a series of crises forces Eileen to re-examine her values and beliefs, Turner rises magnificently to the occasion."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 406 words, 05/04/12
Ernest Hardy, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...oscillates between Lifetime-channel melodrama, lazy barbs ('I don't have to think; I'm a Catholic') and facile irony... never synthesizes into something whole or believable."(See all of Ernest Hardy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 216 words, 05/02/12
KEY CITIES (4 Reviews)
Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic: MODERATE(cg) "Although the film's intentions are good, the chasm between the rigid demands of Catholic doctrine and homosexuality can't be closed with a group hug."(See all of Barbara VanDenburgh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 481 words, 05/18/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "At the most fundamental level, as a work of entertainment, it fails. Scenes meander pointlessly, beginning and ending without any change or story movement."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 407 words, 05/11/12
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "...a leaden, ham-fisted affair that was exactly the sort of pap John Waters was spoofing when he cast Kathleen Turner as a serial-killing soccer mom."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 372 words, 05/11/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Ernest Hardy, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...oscillates between Lifetime-channel melodrama, lazy barbs ('I don't have to think; I'm a Catholic') and facile irony... never synthesizes into something whole or believable."(See all of Ernest Hardy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 216 words, 05/02/12
Alison Willmore, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...loads the dice so heavily it can seem like a fable about religious decrees versus acceptance. The tone wavers between cartoonish and serious..."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 406 words, 05/03/12
Chris Barsanti, Pop Matters: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the script's insights into Eileen, not to mention Kathleen Turner's tough-as-nails performance, are more rewarding than the usual drama of appearances."(See all of Chris Barsanti's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 05/05/11
Michelle Orange, Movieline: GOOD(cg) "...a soft-willed religious tolerance parable.... seems to resist introspective pit stops, cruising toward its tidy resolution with a host of missed opportunities in its wake."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 584 words, 05/02/12
Diego Costa, Slant: POOR(cg) "Anne Renton turns the film into an anodyne tale of family-centered acceptance that's neither comical when it wants to be nor touching when it strivers for pathos."(See all of Diego Costa's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 382 words, 05/03/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "Turner's performance is the deepest and truest element in this shallow feel-good movie about the clash between gay rights and Catholic orthodoxy..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 05/04/12
Ian Buckwalter, NPR: MODERATE "...the film's gentle, sentimental approach prevents it from ever really getting at the pain that's been swirling around this imperfect family for years."(See all of Ian Buckwalter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 710 words, 05/04/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Earnest and filled with self-doubt... an unsteady debut for director Anne Renton, and the screenplay by Claire V. Riley and Paula Goldberg is literal to a fault."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 05/04/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Ronnie Scheib, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...watching a consummate pro like Turner navigate an uneven script can be immensely entertaining, particularly when she's backed by an able cast..."(See all of Ronnie Scheib's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 505 words, 05/04/11
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...aims for a blend of dysfunctional family drama and light comedy that never quite jells. Fortunately, the well-drawn performances provide some compensation."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 586 words, 04/26/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Earnest and filled with self-doubt... an unsteady debut for director Anne Renton, and the screenplay by Claire V. Riley and Paula Goldberg is literal to a fault."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 05/04/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "Turner's performance is the deepest and truest element in this shallow feel-good movie about the clash between gay rights and Catholic orthodoxy..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 05/04/12
17.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Perfect Family's reviews are separated by an average 17.7 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 Perfect Family (18 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Perfect Family's reviews cover 20.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,129 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 452 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Perfect Family Coverage, Volume & Length (18 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 29 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Perfect Family's reviews on average broke 29 days before 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 Perfect Family's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Perfect Family (18 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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