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THE SITTER (2011)Movie Reviews
Comedy about an irresponsible babysitter who takes three badly behaved kids on an overnight adventure in New York City. Cast:Jonah Hill, Sam Rockwell, Ari Graynor, Max RecordsDirector:David Gordon GreenRelease Date:December 9, 2011DVD Release:March 20, 2012From:20th Century FoxRating:RLength:1 hr 40 min
The Sitter (2011) played to fair reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Michael Phillips wrote in the Chicago Tribune, "...at least 'The Sitter' is built around Jonah Hill, who has what it takes to anchor a stupid, crude comedy." • And Soren Andersen wrote in the Seattle Times, "...filled with pee jokes, poop jokes, fart jokes, sex jokes and drug jokes, all unfunny.... the loathsome low point of the movie year." More Reviews Below...
The Sitter (2011) Positive Reviews (36 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...predicated on a belief that chunky Jonah Hill, or at least the persona he presents, is secretly supercool.... on that front at least, it is persuasive."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 647 words, 12/09/11
David Germain, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...other than Jonah Hill's admirable work ethic trying to squeeze laughs out of this dismally underdeveloped scenario, 'The Sitter' has nothing going for it."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 618 words, 12/08/11
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...a needlessly frenzied, pseudo-raunch comedy that whips up a whole lot of R-rated antics only to arrive at crunchy PG-13 lessons in love and tolerance."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 12/09/11
Scott Bowles, USA Today: WEAK(cg) "...one of Hollywood's bigger disappointments.... director David Gordon Green populates the movie with so many soap opera asides it's hard to keep count."(See all of Scott Bowles's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 12/08/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: POOR(cg) "I am so very, very tired of movies like this.... It causes me a real pang to report that 'The Sitter' was directed by David Gordon Green..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 543 words, 12/09/11
Kat Murphy, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...deftly marries hard reality and authentically poignant moments.... aided and abetted by Jonah Hill's far-from-skin-deep performance."(See all of Kat Murphy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 793 words, 12/08/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "...doesn't take any actual risks even when it seems as if the filmmakers are trying to... much of this is as unfunny as it sounds.... Some of it, though, is absurdly comic..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 466 words, 12/09/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "...director David Gordon Green seems to think slowly wiggling the camera, as if it were on a waterbed filled with Jell-O, will up the yuks."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 267 words, 12/09/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: POOR "I'm going with the filmmakers as the folks most responsible for perpetrating this terribly unfunny and overwhelmingly raunchy film..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 524 words, 12/09/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an unacknowledged remake of 'Adventures in Babysitting' with the raunch dial turned up to the max.... smart, funny, agreeably perverse..."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 616 words, 12/09/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "Mildly funny adventures in extreme baby-sitting.... at least 'The Sitter' is built around Jonah Hill, who has what it takes to anchor a stupid, crude comedy."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 12/09/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: POOR(cg) "I am so very, very tired of movies like this.... It causes me a real pang to report that 'The Sitter' was directed by David Gordon Green..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 543 words, 12/09/11
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "Hill plays Noah with just the right amount of self-loathing, deep down convinced of his own merit, not needing to humiliate anyone to prove it."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 411 words, 12/14/11
Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star: WEAK(cg) "Moral bankruptcy, implausibility piled upon implausibility, unlikeable characters. All solid arguments for recommending that audiences sit this one out."(See all of Bruce DeMara's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 444 words, 12/09/11
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: WEAK(cg) "...the down-and-dirty tone, the tender and uplifting message, the starring vehicle... a whole lot less than the sum of its parts."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 628 words, 12/09/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "In 'Moneyball,' Jonah Hill proved himself capable of considerably more... in 'The Sitter,' Hill is back in default mode. And director David Gordon Green seems to be, too."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 387 words, 12/09/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "The story is ridiculous, the individual set pieces even more so, but Hill simply plunges headlong into them, playing them for all they're worth..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 590 words, 12/09/11
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...pushes the envelope with such sloppy gusto that you have to give in occasionally... its comic timing finds its rhythm about every fifth joke."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 484 words, 12/09/11
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "The jokes about children doing inappropriate things in inappropriate places are even less amusing than they were in 'A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas'..."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 358 words, 12/09/11
Soren Andersen, Seattle Times: POOR(cg) "...filled with pee jokes, poop jokes, fart jokes, sex jokes and drug jokes, all unfunny.... the loathsome low point of the movie year."(See all of Soren Andersen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 349 words, 12/09/11
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: POOR(cg) "...odious, hypocritical... How did the guy who once made such artful pictures as 'George Washington' and 'All the Real Girls' and 'Undertow' arrive here?"(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 550 words, 12/09/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (9 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "Hill plays Noah with just the right amount of self-loathing, deep down convinced of his own merit, not needing to humiliate anyone to prove it."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 411 words, 12/14/11
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: WEAK(cg) "...dull and instantly forgettable... relies on cheap jokes, illogical plotting and occasional ugly stereotypes to tell a story that feels exhausting as soon as it begins."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 12/12/11
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...drugs, guns, and racial tension in New York City. It ain't PC, but with Hill's timing and Landry Bender's Kardashian act, it's a stoner's delight."(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 137 words, 12/15/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "I didn't think a flick could be worse than David Gordon Green's rapey medieval 'romp' 'Your Highness,' but 'The Sitter' tries its damnedest..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 346 words, 02/02/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "...doesn't take any actual risks even when it seems as if the filmmakers are trying to... much of this is as unfunny as it sounds.... Some of it, though, is absurdly comic..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 466 words, 12/09/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: POOR "I'm going with the filmmakers as the folks most responsible for perpetrating this terribly unfunny and overwhelmingly raunchy film..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 524 words, 12/09/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: GOOD "...keeps things brisk enough that the pic never overstays its welcome. Pair that with a handful of genuinely unique flourishes, and the film delivers in terms of laughs."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 671 words, 12/08/11
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...little effort is put into convincing us he'd make the series of dumb decisions 'The Sitter' requires in order to keep him running through Manhattan and Brooklyn..."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 550 words, 12/09/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: POOR "I'm going with the filmmakers as the folks most responsible for perpetrating this terribly unfunny and overwhelmingly raunchy film..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 524 words, 12/09/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "...doesn't take any actual risks even when it seems as if the filmmakers are trying to... much of this is as unfunny as it sounds.... Some of it, though, is absurdly comic..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 466 words, 12/09/11
23.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Sitter (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 23.9 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 Sitter (2011) (36 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Sitter (2011)'s reviews cover 61.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 18,133 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 504 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 3.5 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Sitter (2011)'s reviews on average broke 3.5 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 Sitter (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Sitter (2011) (36 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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