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THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEEMovie Reviews
Drama satire about a woman married to a much older man and what transpires when they move from Manhattan to a retirement community in Connecticut. Cast:Robin Wright, Julianne Moore, Winona Ryder, Alan Arkin, Monica BellucciDirector:Rebecca MillerRelease Date:November 27, 2009DVD Release:March 2, 2010From:Screen Media FilmsRating:RLength:1 hr 38 min
MARCH 2, 2010
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, Good (Not Great) Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee played in key cities to good not great reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Stephen Whitty wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "Miller and Wright could have made this into a huge and searing drama. Instead, they've treated it, correctly, as a sardonic comedy." • And Susan G. Cole wrote in Toronto Now, "...the film has too many hard-to-believe plot points..." More Reviews Below...
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Positive Reviews (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: VERY GOOD "It's hard to imagine the movie succeeding without Robin Wright Penn.... Wright Penn's cards are finally on the table, and it looks like a full house."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 890 words, 11/27/09
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Robin Wright rules this drama. She's pitch-perfect as a woman on the verge of a breakdown... Maria Bello triumphs as Pippa's brittle, pill-popping mama."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 62 words, 11/26/09
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...the rarefied dramatique circles in which Pippa (literally) sleepwalks are such a mess of highfalutin complications that it's impossible to empathize..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 231 words, 11/27/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "While the plot can be a bit episodic and has a whiff of the familiar, the psychologically astute dialogue by writer/director Rebecca Miller rings true."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 335 words, 11/27/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...a wry, acutely observant drama... an exceptionally cleareyed assessment of a stratum of American life... At the same time, it is not strictly realistic."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 863 words, 11/27/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "It's unpleasant to watch something so sure of its quirky literariness that good actors have to squinch up their faces to achieve the right level of self-absorption."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 299 words, 11/27/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a starry, semi-satirical version of '70s feminist dramas like 'Diary a Mad Housewife' and 'An Unmarried Woman'... Robin Wright is more than up to the challenge."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 349 words, 11/27/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...proof that mainstream entertainment can be intelligent, grown-up and good for you. It is funny but rarely jokey, its characters recognizable but not overly familiar."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 274 words, 11/27/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "Awkward in ways both intended and not... afflicted with a tone that veers between a tepid whimsy and earnest pathos, without earning any real engagement."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 587 words, 12/04/09
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...recognizable as the millionth iteration of a sheltered, middle-aged suburban housewife who has a slight crack-up and decides she better get her ya-yas out."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 11/25/09
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the film has too many hard-to-believe plot points to make the scenario convincing. Then again, the rollicking narrative sure holds your interest.... The cast is sensational."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 115 words, 12/03/09
KEY CITIES (5 Reviews)
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...boasts all the usual hallmarks of an edgy indie comedy-drama, mixing up eccentric humor with glum revelation and occasional bursts of wacky suburban melodrama."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 381 words, 12/11/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...has the busy-aimless feeling of a cocktail party... Interesting people drift through, anecdotes are shared, attention shifts here and there, and abruptly it's time to go."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 543 words, 01/22/10
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Though thoughtful and often engaging, Rebecca Miller's drama (based on her own novel) suffers from being simultaneously too slow and too fast."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 393 words, 12/18/09
Stephen Whitty, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Miller and Wright could have made this into a huge and searing drama. Instead, they've treated it, correctly, as a sardonic comedy."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 432 words, 02/12/10
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...flashes of dark humor and steady, grounded performances make it a welcome return for Miller, making her first film since 2005's 'The Ballad of Jack and Rose.' "(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 276 words, 12/25/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (3 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...recognizable as the millionth iteration of a sheltered, middle-aged suburban housewife who has a slight crack-up and decides she better get her ya-yas out."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 11/25/09
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the film has too many hard-to-believe plot points to make the scenario convincing. Then again, the rollicking narrative sure holds your interest.... The cast is sensational."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 115 words, 12/03/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (1 Review)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...a wry, acutely observant drama... an exceptionally cleareyed assessment of a stratum of American life... At the same time, it is not strictly realistic."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 863 words, 11/27/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (3 Reviews)
Alissa Simon, Daily Variety: WEAK "Cardboard characters and severe problems of tone fatally flaw the awkward satirical relationship drama... feels as schizophrenic as its eponymous heroine."(See all of Alissa Simon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 02/09/09
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...a wry, acutely observant drama... an exceptionally cleareyed assessment of a stratum of American life... At the same time, it is not strictly realistic."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 863 words, 11/27/09
21.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee's reviews are separated by an average 21.8 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 Private Lives of Pippa Lee (20 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Private Lives of Pippa Lee's reviews cover 42.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,162 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 408 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Coverage, Volume & Length (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 33.8 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee's reviews on average broke 33.8 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 Private Lives of Pippa Lee's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (20 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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