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ZOOKEEPERMovie Reviews
Comedy about a kindhearted caretaker whose decision to quit his job leads the animals to start talking, in order to teach him the rules of courtship -- animal style. Cast:Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Ken JeongDirector:Frank CoraciRelease Date:July 8, 2011DVD Release:October 11, 2011From:Columbia PicturesRating:PGLength:1 hr 44 min
Zookeeper played to weak reviews. • Robert Abele wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "...generic fat man follies on display... has the territory-marking scent of a franchise product from the Sandler-produced stable: pratfalls, caricature and aggression..." • And Simon Abrams wrote for Slant, "...one of the most grating things that will be excreted onto the screen this year.... monumentally terrible." More Reviews Below...
Richard Corliss, Time: POOR "The occasional opportunity for sharp physical comedy falls stunningly flat. And the final chase, via truck, canoe and gorilla, is a case study in climax mismanagement."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 07/08/11
David Germain, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...as dumb as they come, the movie that finally allows Adam Sandler to lend annoying voice to a Capuchin monkey as it talks incessantly about flinging poop around."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 554 words, 07/07/11
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "It's all very ho-hum, though James, who's like Jason Alexander with a touch of Jeremy Piven, is still a schmo you can't help rooting for."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 07/15/11
Scott Bowles, USA Today: WEAK(cg) "Like nearly any film smudged by Adam Sandler, who produced and provided a voice to 'Zookeeper,' there isn't much in the way of plot to get in the way..."(See all of Scott Bowles's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 293 words, 07/08/11
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a good-natured comedy about how the animals at the zoo coach Kevin James on his romantic life.... Look, a great movie this is not."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 07/08/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: POOR(cg) "...a train wreck... horrifyingly inept... There's a Hollywood axiom that the more credited screenwriters a movie has, the bigger a mess it is likely to be."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 800 words, 07/07/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Rachel Saltz, New York Times: FAIR "Frank Coraci doesn't impose much discipline, letting some scenes run wild and others peter out, their punch lines dangling.... The love story part is too clumsily predictable..."(See all of Rachel Saltz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 504 words, 07/08/11
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...generic fat man follies on display... has the territory-marking scent of a franchise product from the Sandler-produced stable: pratfalls, caricature and aggression..."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 07/08/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...avoids a zero-star rating because of James. The bulky former star is impossible to hate no matter how much dumb slapstick he and his stunt double are required to perform."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 391 words, 07/08/11
Logan Hill, New York Magazine: WEAK "If pratfalls and silly voices are sometimes fun, nothing else works: Five screenwriters are credited, because no one writer can recall so many bland catchphrases."(See all of Logan Hill's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 593 words, 07/08/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a good-natured comedy about how the animals at the zoo coach Kevin James on his romantic life.... Look, a great movie this is not."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 07/08/11
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...a comedy whose cliché-embracing stupidity borders on the surrealistic.... the story would seem downright parodic if not for its willful dimness."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 207 words, 07/06/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...in all fairness, I'd rather watch James run around screaming like a girl and bumping into things than Sandler. He's a much more charismatic performer..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 581 words, 07/07/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: MODERATE(cg) "No matter where the script wanders and where the direction founders, at some point, James' comic instincts take over. And this time, they don't let him down."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 697 words, 07/08/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: WEAK(cg) "You can't hate James or the movie; both are just sort of dopey but well-meaning. On the other hand, neither is much to write home about."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 517 words, 07/07/11
John Hartl, Seattle Times: WEAK(cg) "...a collection of disconnected sight gags. The team of five writers, including James, simply fails to provide a narrative that would make us care about what happens next."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 400 words, 07/08/11
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...smartly executed dumb summertime fun. A few moments even skirt genius, as far as that term can be applied to any silliness involving talking animals."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 07/07/11
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...a comedy whose cliché-embracing stupidity borders on the surrealistic.... the story would seem downright parodic if not for its willful dimness."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 207 words, 07/06/11
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: WEAK(cg) "...exactly as loud and sloppy as you expected it to be, livened only occasionally by James and some of his co-stars mugging from inside the muck..."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 07/07/11
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "...slapdash... unfunny... Adding poignancy to the animals is the cast of fading stars voicing them: Sylvester Stallone, Nick Nolte, and Cher."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 159 words, 07/14/11
Keith Phipps, AV Club: FAIR(cg) "As a study in insanity, 'Zookeeper' is mildly interesting. But as a kiddie comedy, it's something to watch only once the little ones have worn out their 'Dr. Doolittle' DVD."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 421 words, 07/07/11
Simon Abrams, Slant: POOR(cg) "...one of the most grating things that will be excreted onto the screen this year.... monumentally terrible.... It really has no redeeming qualities to it..."(See all of Simon Abrams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 455 words, 07/06/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...in all fairness, I'd rather watch James run around screaming like a girl and bumping into things than Sandler. He's a much more charismatic performer..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 581 words, 07/07/11
Rachel Saltz, New York Times: FAIR "Frank Coraci doesn't impose much discipline, letting some scenes run wild and others peter out, their punch lines dangling.... The love story part is too clumsily predictable..."(See all of Rachel Saltz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 504 words, 07/08/11
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...generic fat man follies on display... has the territory-marking scent of a franchise product from the Sandler-produced stable: pratfalls, caricature and aggression..."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 07/08/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Brian Lowry, Daily Variety: POOR "...punishingly flat, with even the slapstick so sparsely delivered as to replicate a long slog through the zoo, surrounded by fidgety kids, on a suffocating summer's day."(See all of Brian Lowry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 558 words, 07/07/11
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...generic fat man follies on display... has the territory-marking scent of a franchise product from the Sandler-produced stable: pratfalls, caricature and aggression..."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 07/08/11
Rachel Saltz, New York Times: FAIR "Frank Coraci doesn't impose much discipline, letting some scenes run wild and others peter out, their punch lines dangling.... The love story part is too clumsily predictable..."(See all of Rachel Saltz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 504 words, 07/08/11
24.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Zookeeper's reviews are separated by an average 24.5 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.
Zookeeper (35 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Zookeeper's reviews cover 59.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 17,787 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 508 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 13.7 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Zookeeper's reviews on average broke 13.7 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 Zookeeper's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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