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WAITING FOR 'SUPERMAN'Movie Reviews
Documentary about the numerous ways in which the American public education system is failing children. Cast:Geoffrey Canada, Michelle Rhee, Bill Strickland, Randi WeingartenDirector:Davis GuggenheimRelease Date:September 24, 2010DVD Release:February 15, 2011From:ParamountRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 42 min.
FEBRUARY 15, 2011
Waiting for 'Superman', Very Good Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
Waiting for 'Superman' played in key cities to very good reviews. • Michael O'Sullivan wrote in the Washington Post, "...scathing, moving critique of American public education, makes you actually want to do something after you dry your eyes." • And Dana Stevens wrote for Slate, "...incomplete.... You leave convinced that radical change is necessary but uncomfortable with the closing voice-over that assures you how simple it will be..." More Reviews Below...
Waiting for 'Superman' Positive Reviews (43 Reviews, reviews below)
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...puts a human face on an unwieldy, seemingly unsolvable problem... Even if you don't have kids of your own, you'll find it hard not to get sucked in emotionally..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 657 words, 09/23/10
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...goes right to the heart in focusing on the fates of some irresistibly real kids and the loving, frustrated parents and grandparents who care for them."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 279 words, 09/24/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an electrifying call to action... This movie isn't just a necessity (listen up, do-nothing politicians) -- it might change your future."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 76 words, 10/01/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the American educational system is failing... Guggenheim dramatizes this failure in a painfully direct way, says what is wrong, says what is right."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 714 words, 09/30/10
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Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: EXCELLENT "Guggenheim proves as potent a storyteller and showman as activist filmmaker... told compellingly and heartbreakingly... give Guggenheim an A for effort."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 820 words, 09/24/10
Kyle Smith, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Reform is not that hard... We know what makes for a good school: quality teachers. All we need is to bring in strong teachers to replace the weakest."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 743 words, 09/24/10
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: EXCELLENT "...you can feel the director's struggle to keep it evenhanded.... my own response was unmeasured: This is one of the most galvanizing documentaries I've ever seen."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 09/20/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the American educational system is failing... Guggenheim dramatizes this failure in a painfully direct way, says what is wrong, says what is right."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 714 words, 09/30/10
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...thoroughly laudable in intention if maddening in its logic and omissions... For a crisis so dire, this palliative comes across as absurdly glib."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 684 words, 09/22/10
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the sheer immensity of the dragon to be slain may ultimately leave you feeling as helplessly prone to magical wishing as Canada himself was as a boy."(See all of Geoff Pevere's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 707 words, 10/01/10
Guy Dixon, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "Guggenheim ('An Inconvenient Truth') has a knack for making documentaries that are accessible and yet fact-filled."(See all of Guy Dixon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 145 words, 09/11/10
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...as devastating as 'An Inconvenient Truth'... the film finds its heart and soul in the children's stories (as well as their parents')."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 197 words, 09/30/10
Walter Addiego, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...wants to do for public schools what Davis Guggenheim's previous documentary, 'An Inconvenient Truth,' did for global warming..."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 423 words, 10/08/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "Urging duplication of the formulas that KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) and Harlem Success Academy and others are finding success with is a noble goal."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 633 words, 10/15/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...this is a vital challenge. If 'Waiting for 'Superman' gets people fired up about it, so much the better. But this should be where the debate starts, not where it ends."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 588 words, 10/01/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "Some of this we know already... But where Guggenheim really drives the point home is by following the lives of several students..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 10/08/10
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...piles up plenty of statistics to support its condemnation of the American education system, but those aren't the kinds of numbers you'll take away..."(See all of Chris Vognar's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 676 words, 10/01/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...meant to infuriate you and break your heart enough that you feel compelled to do something. There's a great deal of agit with very little prop."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,012 words, 10/01/10
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: EXCELLENT(cg) "...as the film makes abundantly clear, the problems do not emanate from the children, but from decades of turf battles among contentious adults."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 457 words, 10/15/10
Linda Shaw, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...viewers may argue Guggenheim oversimplifies and overstates the problem... But Guggenheim succeeds in asking tough questions."(See all of Linda Shaw's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 381 words, 10/01/10
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a polished piece of advocacy... The merits of its arguments can be debated on the Op-Ed pages, but at least the movie makes it clear that they desperately need to be."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 231 words, 10/08/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...emotionally compelling... likely to influence the public debate. But I'm compelled to be the class contrarian and point out that the numbers on the chalkboard don't add up."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 419 words, 10/08/10
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...by focusing on these five kids and their hopeful families, 'Waiting for Superman' puts a human face on a crisis worthy of a superhero."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 10/08/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...thoroughly laudable in intention if maddening in its logic and omissions... For a crisis so dire, this palliative comes across as absurdly glib."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 684 words, 09/22/10
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...can sometimes feel more like a lecture and an info-dump than a gripping narrative, but to his credit, Guggenheim never lets us forget the high, human stakes involved..."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 318 words, 09/23/10
Matthew Connolly, Slant: VERY GOOD(cg) "...in those moments when Guggenheim sets his gaze upon the children whose lives rest so much on fate, its galvanizing power is undeniable."(See all of Matthew Connolly's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,029 words, 09/23/10
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...as devastating as 'An Inconvenient Truth'... the film finds its heart and soul in the children's stories (as well as their parents')."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 197 words, 09/30/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (6 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "The status quo can be changed, Bill Gates says in an interview, 'but it takes a lot of outrage and good examples.' The film delivers on both counts."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 537 words, 09/24/10
David Denby, New Yorker: FAIR "I'm not sure that Guggenheim has fully explored the options.... We need another movie, one that shows us why some charter schools work and others don't."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,525 words, 10/04/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "Guggenheim proves as potent a storyteller and showman as activist filmmaker... told compellingly and heartbreakingly... give Guggenheim an A for effort."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 820 words, 09/24/10
Dana Stevens, Slate: GOOD "...incomplete... You leave convinced that radical change is necessary but uncomfortable with the closing voice-over that assures you how simple it will be..."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 659 words, 10/01/10
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There's a great deal that's appealing, an ambitious blend of hope and scathing criticism... But this feels sadly like a dose of early Obama-era hope delivered in a darker time..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,302 words, 09/22/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
John Anderson, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "Exhilarating, heartbreaking and righteous... Can the American education system be cured? A bucket of ice water in the face of politically motivated complacency..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 789 words, 01/23/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "Guggenheim proves as potent a storyteller and showman as activist filmmaker... told compellingly and heartbreakingly... give Guggenheim an A for effort."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 820 words, 09/24/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "The status quo can be changed, Bill Gates says in an interview, 'but it takes a lot of outrage and good examples.' The film delivers on both counts."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 537 words, 09/24/10
15.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Waiting for 'Superman''s reviews are separated by an average 15.0 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.
Waiting for 'Superman' (43 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Waiting for 'Superman''s reviews cover 87.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 24,386 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 567 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 23.8 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Waiting for 'Superman''s reviews on average broke 23.8 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 Waiting for 'Superman''s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Waiting for 'Superman' (43 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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