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WHEN YOU'RE STRANGEMovie Reviews
Documentary about the rise and fall of the 60's band the Doors, featuring never-before-seen footage. Cast:John Densmore, Johnny Depp, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, Jim MorrisonDirector:Tom DiCilloRelease Date:April 9, 2010DVD Release:May 18, 2010Rating:RLength:1 hr 26 min
MAY 18, 2010
When You're Strange, Good (Not Great) Reviews, Mixed (Doc) Key Cities
When You're Strange played in key cities to good not great reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Clint O'Connor wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "...suitably trippy... filled with cool songs like 'Riders on the Storm' and 'Light My Fire.' I enjoyed the ride, but it leaves you wanting more." • And Peter Hartlaub wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...awkward, but not a complete waste." More Reviews Below...
When You're Strange Positive Reviews (27 Reviews, reviews below)
Glenn Whipp, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "Johnny Depp provides the narration, dutifully reading the bland script and trying to lend a measure of soulfulness to the textbook-quality words."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 04/08/10
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...you're either a true believer or not.... for people like me, who can stumble onto the scrappiest Doors video on VH1 at 3 a.m. and sit there, mesmerized."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 318 words, 04/09/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "Clips of the fils that Morrison made of himself in the desert are are alone worth the price of admission.... New fans and old will find the experience hypnotic."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 111 words, 04/02/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "...pieces together riveting archival footage from early gigs, concerts and studio sessions. Johnny Depp's measured narration brings DiCillo's often worshipful words back to earth."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 492 words, 04/09/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "Mr. DiCillo's script is a shallow hodgepodge of biographical tidbits, larded with clichéd images of the 1960s that have been recycled hundreds of times."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 596 words, 04/09/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "DiCillo clearly wants to honor Morrison's own creativity... the real reason to see the movie -- and it's reason enough -- is the trove of archival footage..."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 144 words, 04/09/10
Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...distressingly short on creative spark or historical illumination.... footage is deployed in a Doors 101 manner... a paper-thin hagiography."(See all of Randy Lewis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 737 words, 04/09/10
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...relies entirely on period footage to lock us into the Doors' era, using concert scenes, recording sessions and a freaky David Lynchian art film made by the band."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 489 words, 04/09/10
Kyle Koster, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a complete and nuanced portrait of the dynamic among the music makers and perhaps more impressively, the uniquely challenging soul that was Morrison."(See all of Kyle Koster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 510 words, 04/09/10
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "DiCillo overburdens the film with a cliché barrage of achronological news events... but the archival Doors footage he has assembled is anything but banal..."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 337 words, 04/07/10
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...skillfully stitches together mostly unseen archival material to give a real time-and-place feel of being with one of the most influential bands of the rock era."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 04/16/10
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the movie occasionally goes soft on Morrison... But the music is great. And the documentary captures the Doors' meteoric rise and murky collapse with dramatic authority."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 586 words, 04/16/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore will someday escape Mr. Mojo Risin's shadow and get their due as innovative musicians who changed the sonic landscape of the 60s. But not yet."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 147 words, 04/15/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Although Doors fans will drool over the prospect of the previously unseen footage, they are unlikely to find anything new here."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 05/07/10
Preston Jones, Dallas Morning News: EXCELLENT(cg) "Although the Johnny Depp-narrated documentary isn't quite essential viewing, it does, surprisingly, lend a fresh, even intimate, perspective."(See all of Preston Jones's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 334 words, 04/09/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "DiCillo has the participation of surviving band members and a lot of rare, mesmerizing footage at his disposal... What he doesn't have is critical distance or anything new to say."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 04/09/10
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: EXCELLENT(cg) "...suitably trippy... filled with cool songs like 'Riders on the Storm' and 'Light My Fire.' I enjoyed the ride, but it leaves you wanting more."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 387 words, 08/20/10
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "...a remedial Doors class, taught by a professor who sounds as if he's doing voiceovers for car commercials.... awkward, but not a complete waste."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 04/09/10
Jonathan Zwickel, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "DiCillo wants us to believe that The Doors surpassed mere entertainment. It all seems impossible to swallow now, but his film makes a powerful case."(See all of Jonathan Zwickel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 390 words, 04/09/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "Acolytes may have glimpsed some of these treasures before, but for the post-Woodstock generations, this documentary of the Doors is vital..."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 05/07/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "DiCillo overburdens the film with a cliché barrage of achronological news events... but the archival Doors footage he has assembled is anything but banal..."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 337 words, 04/07/10
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If you're a Doors fan, your inner Jim Morrison will be stoked by the vast archival footage... Be warned, however: this documentary doesn't open any new doors..."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 168 words, 04/08/10
Noel Murray, AV Club: FAIR(cg) "DiCillo does his damnedest to make his documentary unwatchable, but the subject matter is too compelling -- and the vintage footage too electrifying -- to be completely worthless."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 374 words, 04/08/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore will someday escape Mr. Mojo Risin's shadow and get their due as innovative musicians who changed the sonic landscape of the 60s. But not yet."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 147 words, 04/15/10
Chad Radford, Atlanta Creative Loafing: WEAK(cg) "Tom DiCillo has fashioned an unremarkable documentary about one of America's most remarkable rock bands... this film probably won't light anybody's fire."(See all of Chad Radford's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 427 words, 04/07/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "Mr. DiCillo's script is a shallow hodgepodge of biographical tidbits, larded with clichéd images of the 1960s that have been recycled hundreds of times."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 596 words, 04/09/10
Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...distressingly short on creative spark or historical illumination.... footage is deployed in a Doors 101 manner... a paper-thin hagiography."(See all of Randy Lewis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 737 words, 04/09/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Rob Nelson, Daily Variety: POOR "...disastrously inane... Primo footage of recording sessions, concert perfs and various backstage trips is ubiquitous -- and sadly squandered... punishingly banal..."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 245 words, 01/19/09
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "DiCillo has found enough archival footage shot between 1966 and 1971 to fill all 88 minutes of this hypnotically watchable doc... could be longer without Doors fans complaining."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 721 words, 01/26/09
Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...distressingly short on creative spark or historical illumination.... footage is deployed in a Doors 101 manner... a paper-thin hagiography."(See all of Randy Lewis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 737 words, 04/09/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "Mr. DiCillo's script is a shallow hodgepodge of biographical tidbits, larded with clichéd images of the 1960s that have been recycled hundreds of times."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 596 words, 04/09/10
23.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
When You're Strange's reviews are separated by an average 23.0 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.
When You're Strange (27 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:When You're Strange's reviews cover 40.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 10,853 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 402 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 8 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
When You're Strange's reviews on average broke 8 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 When You're Strange's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
When You're Strange (27 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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