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THE YELLOW HANDKERCHIEFMovie Reviews
Romantic drama about a man, newly out of jail, who hitches a ride with a couple of misfit teenagers to post-Katrina New Orleans, home to the wife he's no longer sure will have him. Cast:William Hurt, Maria Bello, Kristen Stewart, Eddie Redmayne, Kaori MomoiDirector:Udayan PrasadRelease Date:February 26, 2010DVD Release:January 4, 2011From:Samuel GoldwynRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 42 min.
JANUARY 4, 2011
The Yellow Handkerchief, Good (Not Great) Reviews Key Cities
The Yellow Handkerchief played in key cities to good not great reviews. • Ty Burr wrote in the Boston Globe, "...small, achingly emotive.... no one’s idea of a groundbreaking cinematic experience, but it manages to tell an old, old tale in a way that makes us grateful to hear it again." • And Stephen Whitty wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "William Hurt excels, but it's just another road movie." More Reviews Below...
The Yellow Handkerchief Positive Reviews (30 Reviews, reviews below)
David Germain, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "The main appeal rests with fine performances from Hurt and co-stars Stewart, Bello and Redmayne, who lend the film far more weight than its meager drama merits."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 437 words, 02/25/10
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "Hurt, so deft at steering his character away from booby-trap clichés, guides his young costars safely out of sap's way and brightens an otherwise very yellowed tale."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 03/05/10
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: VERY GOOD(cg) "The action takes place within the characters... Kristen Stewart is, quite simply, a wonderful actress. I must not hold the 'Twilight' movies against her."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 801 words, 03/11/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: WEAK(cg) "Sluggish. Torpid. Boring.... a stultifying road trip movie whose inept screenplay is only partially counterbalanced by a trio of nice performances."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 660 words, 03/09/10
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Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: MODERATE(cg) "The redemption is cliched yet still engrossing in this ambling road movie.... If it were just Hurt's show, it'd be a helluva trip."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 146 words, 02/26/10
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: GOOD "...a gentle, low-key road movie, centering on the eternal need to love... suffused in the humanist spirit that has won its veteran producer, Arthur Cohn, three Oscars."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 358 words, 02/26/10
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: VERY GOOD "The first half is the half-movie of the year, and the rest isn't bad -- just more sentimental, more ordinary.... Hurt's performance is exquisite."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 554 words, 03/01/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "The action takes place within the characters... Kristen Stewart is, quite simply, a wonderful actress. I must not hold the 'Twilight' movies against her."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 801 words, 03/11/10
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Oscar-winning cinematographer Chris Menges ('The Mission') shoots the hell out of the swampy South to make for a nontoxic diversion."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 242 words, 02/24/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...slight but wonderfully atmospheric... Lived-in performances by William Hurt, Kristen Stewart and Maria Bello burnish the prose and arch characterizations."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 463 words, 03/10/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...modest but moving... puts three estimable actors in a convertible, sets them on a long drive to post-Katrina Louisiana and lets the character dynamics do the rest."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 189 words, 03/12/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...small, achingly emotive... no one's idea of a groundbreaking cinematic experience, but it manages to tell an old, old tale in a way that makes us grateful to hear it again."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 627 words, 03/12/10
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: MODERATE(cg) "Unfortunately, the precision and presence Hurt brings to the table aren't enough to carry this warmed-over Southern melodrama."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 182 words, 04/02/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the unhurried direction of Udayan Prasad and the unafraid choices of the sure-footed cast keep this character-driven drama afloat."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 04/02/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "For Hurt, it's one more interesting turn in a small film; for 'Twilight' star Stewart, it's life outside a vampire world, although she plays the sullen teen with a familiar listlessness."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 04/02/10
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "The only positive thing about the aimless film is the idea that William Hurt may be ready for his Jeff Bridges moment.... Somebody write him a decent role, OK?"(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 447 words, 04/02/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Oscar-winning cinematographer Chris Menges ('The Mission') shoots the hell out of the swampy South to make for a nontoxic diversion."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 242 words, 02/24/10
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...descends from a 1971 column Pete Hamill penned for the New York Post.... won't win any Oscars, even if William Hurt (and his killer ex-con 'stache) does accolade-worthy brooding..."(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 166 words, 03/11/10
Keith Phipps, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...feels as familiar as it is insubstantial... It's nice to see a film unafraid to be quiet and sensitive, but one good gust of coastal breeze would blow this one away."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 02/25/10
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a gentle, low-key road movie, centering on the eternal need to love... suffused in the humanist spirit that has won its veteran producer, Arthur Cohn, three Oscars."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 358 words, 02/26/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...what sounds like just another weepy Reader's Digest story takes on real gravitas in director Udayan Prasad's hands, fleshed out by its four-person cast."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 562 words, 02/18/08
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...a sometimes insightful and other times sentimental slice of Americana.... Hurt anchors the drama with an acutely observed, nicely nuanced performance..."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 719 words, 01/21/08
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a gentle, low-key road movie, centering on the eternal need to love... suffused in the humanist spirit that has won its veteran producer, Arthur Cohn, three Oscars."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 358 words, 02/26/10
15.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Yellow Handkerchief's reviews are separated by an average 15.6 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 Yellow Handkerchief (30 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Yellow Handkerchief's reviews cover 54.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 12,460 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 415 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 7 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Yellow Handkerchief's reviews on average broke 7 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 Yellow Handkerchief's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Yellow Handkerchief (30 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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