Story: Documentary about the gay men of New Orleans who created a culture of public 'drag balls' that predates established gay liberation history in the U.S. by nearly ten years. Cast:George Roth, Don Stratton, Jimmy Keyes, Mike Moreau, John Henry Bogie, Albert Carey, Tracy Hendrix, Steve Labranche, Freddie Guess, Bill WoolleyDirector:Tim WolffOpened:October 7, 2011On DVD:February 14, 2012From:First RunLength:1 hr. 15 min.
FEBRUARY 14, 2012
The Sons Of Tennessee Williams, Good (Not Great) Reviews (Doc) NYC, LA
The Sons Of Tennessee Williams played in New York City and Los Angeles to good not great reviews. • Noel Murray wrote for the AV Club, "...the movie is one long coming-out anecdote... But the significance of that group anecdote — from the message of unity to the way Mardi Gras gave some gay New Orleanians a way to explain their lives to their parents — can't be overstated..." More Reviews Below...
The Sons Of Tennessee Williams Positive Reviews (9 Reviews, reviews below)
Paul Brunick, New York Times: MODERATE "...tracks a half-century of the gay civil-rights movement through the lens of Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans.... testimonials succeed one another so quickly that it becomes difficult to track individual personalities..."(Read the full review...) 304 words, 10/07/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...uniquely engaging.... a consciousness-raising revelation of the evolution of gay rights in New Orleans and by extension, the South."(Read the full review...) 247 words, 10/14/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...offers touching interviews with many older gay men... somewhat awkwardly connects this history with the efforts of a gay Mardi Gras crew to keep going in the wake of Hurricane Katrina."(Read the full review...) 146 words, 10/07/11
Ernest Hardy, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...the overly familiar coming-out tales, stories of police brutality, and outlining of socially sanctioned gay bashing, while important for the historical record, have been told so often elsewhere that they've lost their ability to illuminate."(Read the full review...) 225 words, 10/05/11
KEY CITIES (0 Reviews)
The Sons Of Tennessee Williams has not been reviewed in Key Cities
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Ernest Hardy, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...the overly familiar coming-out tales, stories of police brutality, and outlining of socially sanctioned gay bashing, while important for the historical record, have been told so often elsewhere that they've lost their ability to illuminate."(Read the full review...) 225 words, 10/05/11
Noel Murray, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the movie is one long coming-out anecdote... But the significance of that group anecdote -- from the message of unity to the way Mardi Gras gave some gay New Orleanians a way to explain their lives to their parents -- can't be overstated..."(Read the full review...) 359 words, 10/06/11
Diego Costa, Slant: POOR(cg) "...fixates on the sort of obnoxiously conventional documentary concerns that turns the subjects of history into character-less spokesmen delivering today's lesson plan."(Read the full review...) 365 words, 10/06/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Paul Brunick, New York Times: MODERATE "...tracks a half-century of the gay civil-rights movement through the lens of Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans.... testimonials succeed one another so quickly that it becomes difficult to track individual personalities..."(Read the full review...) 304 words, 10/07/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...uniquely engaging.... a consciousness-raising revelation of the evolution of gay rights in New Orleans and by extension, the South."(Read the full review...) 247 words, 10/14/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...chronicles 'carnival clubs,' or 'krewes,' which for many years represented the only public face of homosexuality in New Orleans and, to an extent, the South in general.... makes for a pleasant sit but doesn't really have the substance to deliver the aimed-for tenor of inspirational struggle."(Read the full review...) 523 words, 10/04/11
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "Pen[s] a new chapter in the history of gay-rights efforts... offers Southern grace instead of the in-your-face conflicts of better-known showdowns on the East and West Coasts."(Read the full review...) 416 words, 10/07/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...uniquely engaging.... a consciousness-raising revelation of the evolution of gay rights in New Orleans and by extension, the South."(Read the full review...) 247 words, 10/14/11
Paul Brunick, New York Times: MODERATE "...tracks a half-century of the gay civil-rights movement through the lens of Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans.... testimonials succeed one another so quickly that it becomes difficult to track individual personalities..."(Read the full review...) 304 words, 10/07/11
16.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Sons Of Tennessee Williams's reviews are separated by an average 16.4 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 Sons Of Tennessee Williams (9 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Sons Of Tennessee Williams's reviews cover 9.8% of potential readers (average is 68.2%). Volume:The film's reviews total 2,810 words involume (average is 19,979 words). Length:The film's reviews average 312 words in length (the norm is 512 words).
The Sons Of Tennessee Williams Coverage, Volume & Length (9 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 27.3 Hours After Release (Norm is 0.2 Release)
The Sons Of Tennessee Williams's reviews on average broke 27.3 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 0.2 hours after. 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 Sons Of Tennessee Williams's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Sons Of Tennessee Williams (9 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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