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WE HAVE A POPE (HABEMUS PAPAM)Movie Reviews
Italian language comic drama about a newly elected Pope who runs away after suffering a panic attack on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. Cast:Michel Piccoli, Nanni Moretti, Jerzy Stuhr, Renato ScarpaDirector:Nanni MorettiRelease Date:April 6, 2012DVD Release:September 11, 2012From:IFCLength:1 hr 44 min
SEPTEMBER 11, 2012
We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam), Good Reviews Key Cities
We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam) played in key cities to good reviews. • Anthony Lane wrote in the New Yorker, "...a beautiful film.... what really grips the movie, for all its amused glances at Swiss Guards and ceremonial pomp, is the prospect of a single soul in crisis." • And Peter Howell wrote in the Toronto Star, "...isn't pablum, but neither is it a blessed event." More Reviews Below...
We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam) Positive Reviews (28 Reviews, reviews below)
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...has great heart.... A great deal of the plot involves Vatican tradition and politics, but this is not a cynical film. Quite the contrary. God has spoken..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 864 words, 04/27/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: POOR(cg) "...a near-relentless intellectual muddle, throwing out signifiers and metaphors lazily and to no particular effect.... a cloud of bland nothing..."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 642 words, 04/05/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Mr. Moretti finds broad comedy in the antics of some clerics, who can seem as sweet as children, but in Melville there is pathos and there is tragedy, and not his alone."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 754 words, 04/06/12
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a gentle fable whose humanist heart beats in Piccoli's nuanced performance.... The comic misfires, mild though they are, distract from the pope-elect's story..."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 234 words, 04/06/12
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Moretti prefers to keep matters light and breezy, with a big assist from an excellent Piccoli.... Sacred music by the great Estonian composer Arvo Part is a plus."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 257 words, 04/06/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...has great heart.... A great deal of the plot involves Vatican tradition and politics, but this is not a cynical film. Quite the contrary. God has spoken..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 864 words, 04/27/12
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "The original Latin title of Moretti's tragicomedy, a soft send-up of the Catholic Church, is 'Habemus Papam.' The 'am' in the second word should be chopped off."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 645 words, 04/04/12
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...isn't pablum, but neither is it a blessed event.... the atheist Moretti gets caught up in his own papal bull. But Piccoli's blessed empathy prevails."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 521 words, 06/01/12
Marsha Lederman, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If only Nanni Moretti had had the faith in his story and its gentle, organic comedy, and done away with the forced silliness."(See all of Marsha Lederman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 746 words, 06/01/12
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...amiable, undemanding... Instead of getting truly critical, Nanni Moretti lets his cute premise play out in the least sacrilegious way possible."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 232 words, 05/31/12
KEY CITIES (7 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "By turns sweet, sad, funny and poignant... a nuanced, moving and profoundly humane exploration of doubt, faith, weakness and resolve."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 610 words, 04/27/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...beautifully acted... a character study, insightful and nuanced, about a man grappling with a profound sense of inadequacy, questioning himself."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 380 words, 05/04/12
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a diffuse experience... Whenever it stays with Piccoli, though, it's mysterious and moving, struck by the humility of a man who's not up to playing God."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 505 words, 04/13/12
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...an interesting depiction of life within the Vatican... a soulful late-career performance by Michel Piccoli, who was in Godard's 'Contempt' and Buñuel's 'Belle de Jour.' "(See all of G. Allen Johnson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 149 words, 04/13/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "The premise is truly inspired... But the film wastes itself on silliness and scattered threads before very long, truly squandering a brilliant promise."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 287 words, 05/04/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...rich material that Moretti mines for both superficial absurdity and deep pathos... this guided tour through a hidden world is wholly rewarding."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 341 words, 05/11/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "The original Latin title of Moretti's tragicomedy, a soft send-up of the Catholic Church, is 'Habemus Papam.' The 'am' in the second word should be chopped off."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 645 words, 04/04/12
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "Michel Piccoli's depiction of the Holy See's existential funk seems like a bout with indigestion, and Moretti's analyst is more lubricious than humanistic."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 166 words, 04/12/12
Noel Murray, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...it's a shame that a movie about the pope as a man shows such scant fascination with the actual papacy -- or with humanity, for that matter."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 464 words, 04/05/12
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: MODERATE(cg) "...as lukewarm as it may be as a piece of filmmaking, Nanni Moretti doesn't tread particularly gently into sacred territory... dares to suggest that popes are people too."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 427 words, 05/13/11
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...amiable, undemanding... Instead of getting truly critical, Nanni Moretti lets his cute premise play out in the least sacrilegious way possible."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 232 words, 05/31/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Mr. Moretti finds broad comedy in the antics of some clerics, who can seem as sweet as children, but in Melville there is pathos and there is tragedy, and not his alone."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 754 words, 04/06/12
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: VERY GOOD "...a beautiful film.... what really grips the movie, for all its amused glances at Swiss Guards and ceremonial pomp, is the prospect of a single soul in crisis."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 812 words, 04/02/12
Mark Jenkins, NPR: VERY GOOD "...half-sweet, half-rueful.... Rather than a strident critique of Catholic dogma and conduct, the film offers a simple bit of advice: The Church really ought to get out more."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 586 words, 04/05/12
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a gentle fable whose humanist heart beats in Piccoli's nuanced performance.... The comic misfires, mild though they are, distract from the pope-elect's story..."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 234 words, 04/06/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Jay Weissberg, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...uneven... Michel Piccoli makes it worthwhile -- the way he conveys humility, intelligence, fear and innocent pleasure with the merest of eye movements."(See all of Jay Weissberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 875 words, 04/18/11
Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...a well-written, surprisingly mainstream comedy with an unbeatable setting, the Vatican's inner chambers, brilliantly recreated by production designer Paola Bizzarri."(See all of Deborah Young's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,066 words, 04/15/11
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a gentle fable whose humanist heart beats in Piccoli's nuanced performance.... The comic misfires, mild though they are, distract from the pope-elect's story..."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 234 words, 04/06/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "A meditation on mortality and faith... a curious work, which is sharply uneven, engaging and clever, but also timid, both intellectually and emotionally."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 953 words, 02/20/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Mr. Moretti finds broad comedy in the antics of some clerics, who can seem as sweet as children, but in Melville there is pathos and there is tragedy, and not his alone."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 754 words, 04/06/12
16.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam)'s reviews are separated by an average 16.6 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.
We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam) (28 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam)'s reviews cover 32.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 14,452 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 516 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam) Coverage, Volume & Length (28 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 9 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam)'s reviews on average broke 9 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 We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam) (28 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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