Throw Momma from the Train is a 1987 American black comedy film directed by and starring Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal and Anne Ramsey, with Rob Reiner, Branford Marsalis, Kim Greist and Kate Mulgrew appearing in supporting roles. The title comes from Patti Page's 1956 hit song, "Mama from the Train (A Kiss, A Kiss)". The film was inspired by the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock thriller "Strangers on a Train", which is also seen in the film. The film received mixed reviews, but was a commercial success. Anne Ramsey was singled out for praise for her portrayal of the overbearing Mrs. Lift; she won a Saturn Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Introduction
Throw Momma from the Train
Throw Momma from the Train | Introduction
The film received mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 63% based on reviews from 35 critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 63% based on reviews from 35 critics and Cinemascore gave the film a C+ grade on a scale from A+ to F. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 63% based on reviews from 35 critics, with the consensus being that "Danny DeVito's direction is too broad to offer the kind of nastiness that would have made "Throw Momma from the Train" truly special, but DeVito's on-screen chemistry with co-star Billy Crystal makes this a smoothly entertaining comedy."
what year did harry met sally come out
user
1989
assistant
who directed this film?
user
Rob Reiner
assistant
who are the lead actors in the film?
user
Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan
assistant
who composed the music for it?
user
Harry Connick Jr. and Marc Shaiman
assistant
who is the fist actor?
user
He  is an American actor, comedian, singer, writer, producer, director, and television host.
assistant
what are some of the awards conferred to him?
user
Six Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Mark Twain Prize
assistant
any other films in which he acted?
user
Rabbit Test, The Princess Bride, Throw Momma from the Train etc
assistant
what is the last film about from the above mentioned list?
user
It is about a novelist Larry Donner who struggles with writer's block due to his resentment towards his ex-wife Margaret, and Owen Lift who lives with his overbearing, hard and paranoid mother fanatsizes about killing her but can't summon the courage to.
assistant
who were the other co-actors of him in the film?
user
Kate Mulgrew, Danny DeVito, Anne Ramsey etc
assistant
what critical responses did the film receive?
user
Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 63% based on reviews from 35 critics, with the consensus being that "Danny DeVito's direction is too broad to offer the kind of nastiness that would have made "Throw Momma from the Train" truly special, but DeVito's on-screen chemistry with co-star Billy Crystal makes this a smoothly entertaining comedy." Audiences polled by Cinemascore gave the film a C+ grade on a scale from A+ to F.
Throw Momma from the Train | Reception
Throw Momma from the Train is a 1987 American black comedy film directed by and starring Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal and Anne Ramsey, with Rob Reiner, Branford Marsalis, Kim Greist and Kate Mulgrew appearing in supporting roles. The title comes from Patti Page's 1956 hit song, "Mama from the Train (A Kiss, A Kiss)". The film was inspired by the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock thriller "Strangers on a Train", which is also seen in the film. The film received mixed reviews, but was a commercial success. Anne Ramsey was singled out for praise for her portrayal of the overbearing Mrs. Lift; she won a Saturn Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Throw Momma from the Train | Introduction
Novelist Larry Donner (Billy Crystal) struggles with writer's block due to his resentment towards his ex-wife Margaret (Kate Mulgrew), who took all the credit for his manuscript and received acclaim for it, whilst Larry, struggling to make ends meet, takes a job teaching literature at a community college. Owen Lift (Danny DeVito) is a timid, middle-aged man who still lives with his overbearing, harsh and paranoid mother (Anne Ramsey). Owen fantasizes about killing his mother but can't summon the courage to bring his desires into fruition. As a student in Larry's class, Owen is given advice by Larry to view an Alfred Hitchcock film to gain some insight into plot development for his murder stories.
Throw Momma from the Train | Plot
Mrs. Lift is grateful to her son for saving her, but unappreciative of Larry's help and kicks him, resulting in him losing his balance, and falling off the train to the tracks below.
Throw Momma from the Train | Plot
Angelina Ramsey (née Mobley; March 27, 1929 – August 11, 1988) was an American stage, television, and film actress. She portrayed Mama Fratelli in "The Goonies" (1985) and Mrs. Lift, mother of Danny DeVito's protagonist, in "Throw Momma from the Train" (1987). The latter film saw Ramsey nominated for a Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Anne Ramsey | Introduction
Farley Granger and Robert Walker appear via archive footage from "Strangers on a Train" as Guy Haines and Bruno Anthony, respectively. Oprah Winfrey also appears as herself in a fictional episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show".
Throw Momma from the Train | Cast
It is moronic beyond comprehension, an exercise in desperation during which even Sylvester Stallone, a repository of self-confidence, seems to be disheartened." Siskel gave the film zero stars out of four and stated that if the script had been submitted to the staff of "The Golden Girls", which co-starred Getty, it "would be summarily dismissed as too flimsy for a half-hour sitcom. There is not one laugh nor surprising moment to be found, starting with the scene where Stallone and Getty happen upon a jumper atop a building and Getty manages to bring the man down safely using a bullhorn."
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot | Critical response
I thought the mixture didn't gel, but it was an exhilarating try." Jacques Rivette initially complained to Truffaut that Charlie was "a bastard", but later said that he liked the film.
Shoot the Piano Player | Critical response
Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film one-and-a-half stars out of five, likening it to "an afterschool special, with grownups cast in the kids' roles." Ebert also called the film "crashingly obvious," later remarking that the audience is "faced with the dismal prospect of being denied a climax, which, if it occurred, would be just as predictable as its substitute."
Joe Somebody | Critical response
Lift recognizes him as a suspect from a news broadcast about his ex-wife's disappearance. He boards a train to Mexico and, surprisingly, Owen and Mrs. Lift come along so as to avoid having to lie for him. During the journey, Larry's patience with Mrs. Lift finally runs out when she impolitely gives him the correct advice on writing. He follows her to the caboose with the intent of killing her, but Owen begins having second thoughts about having his mother killed and gives chase. In the ensuing struggle, Mrs. Lift hangs from the train but is rescued by Owen and a repentant Larry.
Throw Momma from the Train | Plot
Ken Korman, who agreed with that assessment, stated: "Kidman finds herself playing an unabashedly middle-aged character. She rises to the occasion with a deep appreciation of her character's own emotional trauma." Liam Lacey of "The Globe and Mail" stated, "Firth gives the performance his all as a man trapped in a vortex of grief, shame and hate, but as in Scott Hicks's "Shine", which the film occasionally resembles, there's an overtidy relationship between trauma and catharsis".
The Railway Man (film) | Critical response
Jeannette Catsoulis of "The New York Times" also praised the film's look and said, "As Momo conquers her fears, averts a tragedy and finally sees the beauty of her surroundings, the movie grabs your heart with the softest of hands."
A Letter to Momo | Critical response
That's how numbingly awful this is. Give it half a star for being in focus." Michael Wilmington of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote that the film seemed like Stallone's response to Schwarzenegger's turn to comedies like "Kindergarten Cop" and added, "This is another 'high-concept' marketing hook job—a slick, slow-witted, shiny, 100% predictable movie—and the scriptwriters ... don't have anything richer on their minds than the usual feisty mother-son gags." Both Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert disliked the film and both gave it a thumbs down in their onscreen review of the film. Ebert said it was "one of the worst movies he'd ever seen"; in his newspaper review (in which he awarded half of one star out of four), Ebert labeled it as "one of those movies so dimwitted, so utterly lacking in even the smallest morsel of redeeming value, that you stare at the screen in stunned disbelief.
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot | Critical response
Ian Crouch, writing for "The New Yorker", singled out LeBron James' performance for praise, writing that "it seems safe to declare that he has given the greatest motion-picture acting performance by an active professional basketball player of all time (but we know Jabbar already has this in Airplane)." Chris Nashawaty of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a B+, saying, "Beneath all of his bad-boy shtick, Apatow's always been a pretty conventional moralist. But Schumer gives their raunchy rom-com enough of her signature spikiness to prevent it from ever feeling predictable." Jacob Hall of the "New York Daily News" gave the film four out of five stars, saying, "Schumer raises Apatow's game beautifully.
Trainwreck (film) | Critical reception
Although the film doesn't match up to the first, Collin concludes "it's worthwhile on its own terms." Peter Bradshaw of "the Guardian" rated the film four stars out of five, saying it has "the same punchy energy, the same defiant pessimism" as the first film. Ann Hornaday of "The Washington Post" called the film "respectable exercise in fan service".
T2 Trainspotting | Critical response
Ken Choy of "Wide Lantern" noted the structural problems but admitted, "If you ever saw the Kristen Bell sloth video on Ellen, that was me during the entire 2nd half of the movie. Non-stop tears. It was happy-crying because Favreau's character was doing what he wanted."
Chef (2014 film) | Critical response
Critical response to the film was very negative. All eight reviews on the website, Rotten Tomatoes, are negative, resulting in a rating of 0%. Dennis Harvey of "Variety" wrote that the film is "exactly the kind of bottom-feeding exploitation trash one expected the last time around". Kim Newman of "Screen Daily" wrote, "Monroe’s first working-over of this material was at least competent, but this is, at once, too ugly to laugh at and too ridiculous to take seriously." Annlee Ellingson of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote that the film starts off promising but degenerates into a "mount of toxic trash".
I Spit on Your Grave 2 | Critical response
The film has an approval rating of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews. Danny Graydon of BBC Films said: "Clearly, Hollywood's confidence in this film is lower than Pee-Wee Herman's Oscar chances, and their instincts are right: a boring, formulaic mix of serial killers and stalk'n'slash, this will not reinvigorate Sylvester Stallone's action hero status or loosen his maniacal destruction of the quality control button".
D-Tox | Critical response
This is a production with 'straight to video' written all over it. Kids who like the Thomas books might kinda like it. Especially younger kids. Real younger kids. Otherwise, no." While he admired the models and art direction, he criticized how the engines's mouths did not move when they spoke, the overly depressed performance of Peter Fonda, as well as the overall lack of consistency in the plot. Elvis Mitchell of "The New York Times" gave the film a negative review, saying, "Mr. Baldwin's attack -- there's no better way to put it -- is unforgettable." William Thomas of "Empire" gave the film a one out of five stars, he was critical of the films special effects, stating, "But, believe it or not, the true villains of the piece are, in fact, the 'special' effects.
Thomas and the Magic Railroad | Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 54% based on 132 reviews, with an average rating of 5.73/10. The site's consensus reads, ""The D Train" offers Jack Black a too-rare opportunity to showcase his range, but its story and characters are too sloppily conceived to hold together as a film." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The "New York Post" described the film as "cute, breezy fun".
The D Train | Critical response
They don't build movies like this anymore." "Variety" wrote, "Whatever indefinable charm the stage show has is completely lost in this lumbering and largely uninteresting and uninvolving exercise, where the obvious waste reaches almost Pentagonian proportions." Gene Siskel of the "Chicago Tribune" gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and called it "a bit of a letdown," writing that Quinn "often comes across as one of those self-conscious stage kids" and that the four new songs "are not the least bit memorable," but Finney gives the best performance in the film as "he steadily turns into a quite wonderful father figure." Sheila Benson of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote that the film "staggers under monstrous production numbers, orphans doing gymnastic flips, dancing maids and butlers and the Radio City Music Hall complete with Rockettes ...
Annie (1982 film) | Critical response
Erni further wrote that the movie appeared to have negationist undertones against the 1969 riots and it negatively portrayed the two statesmen protagonists "as pompous idiots who do not trust their wives".
Tanda Putera | Critical response
And since most children have at one time or another felt that their parents are not nice enough to them, they may also enjoy the portrait of Matilda's parents." Writing for "Empire", Caroline Westbrook gave the film a rating of three stars and praised DeVito's clever direction.
Matilda (1996 film) | Critical response
"Variety" stated that "some stars, especially the bouncy and rejuvenated Streep, seem better suited for musical comedy than others, including Brosnan and Skarsgård." Brosnan, especially, was savaged by many critics: his singing was compared to "a water buffalo" ("New York Magazine"), "a donkey braying" ("The Philadelphia Inquirer") and "a wounded raccoon" ("The Miami Herald"), and Matt Brunson of "Creative Loafing Charlotte" said he "looks physically pained choking out the lyrics, as if he's being subjected to a prostate exam just outside of the camera's eye."
Mamma Mia! (film) | Critical response
He sees "Strangers on a Train", in which two strangers conspire to commit a murder for each other, figuring their lack of connection to the victim will, in theory, establish a perfect alibi. Having overheard Larry's public rant that he wished his ex-wife dead, Owen forms a plan to kill Margaret, believing that Larry will, in return, kill his mother. He tracks Margaret down to Hawaii and eventually follows her onto a cruise ship she is taking to her book signing, where he plans to push her overboard. Owen returns from Hawaii to tell Larry of Margaret's death and that Larry now "owes" him the murder of his mother, lest he inform the police that Larry was the killer.
Throw Momma from the Train | Plot
Bello's skin-peeling, ultra-depresso performance is wrenching and brave, calling for both emotional and physical nakedness. Can a film with those attributes also be insulting garbage? It's a difficult aesthetic-philosophical conundrum, but having sat through this damn thing I now have an answer. "I just had the experience of being there at the screening at Sundance and watching the door flap open and closed," said Rufus Sewell, who plays Nancy's husband Albert in the film. "I didn't expect so many people to walk out at Sundance." Despite the controversy, Sewell continues to staunchly support the film. "I was delighted. ...[I]t's a film I'm very proud of, whether you consider that it fails or succeeds, whether you like it or don't like it.
Downloading Nancy | Reception
Either way, she's a source of awe and terror. All through the picture, Mazursky has been trying to demystify what he experiences as mystifying. This movie is a little monument to screwed-up notions of what women are."
Willie &amp; Phil | Critical responses
After having spent the night drinking alone on a beach during the hours of Margaret's disappearance, Larry panics because he lacks a sufficient alibi. That, along with a news report announcing that the police suspect foul play, convinces Larry that he's the prime suspect. He decides to stay with Owen and his mother in an attempt to hide from the police. Larry meets Mrs. Lift, but despite her harsh treatment of him he refuses to kill her. Eventually, when Mrs. Lift drives Owen to the breaking point, Larry finally relents and agrees to go through with the murder. After two unsuccessful attempts, Larry flees the Lift home when Mrs.
Throw Momma from the Train | Plot
Eugene Archer of "The New York Times" wrote that some parts of the film were "surprisingly successful" and that it was to Lewis' credit that "he has kept his energetic demeanor in reasonable check," to the point that some of his fans "may find the comedian disappointingly restrained." "Variety" stated: "Several of the sequences are amusing, but too many are dependent upon climactic sight gags anticipated well ahead of the punch ... There are latent elements of Charlie Chaplin's little tramp, Jacques Tati's 'Hulot,' Danny Kaye's 'Mitty' and Harpo Marx's curiously tender child-man, but the execution falls far short of such inspiration." John L.
The Bellboy | Critical response
Ebert described the film as a complete disaster: "every line starts from zero and gets nowhere". Siskel's review was marginally more positive saying that Willis had a few funny moments and furthermore that the film might have been salvaged if Willis and Aiello had been the only zany characters against a cast of straight men as opposed to a cast full of overacting where everyone tried too hard to make each line funny.
Hudson Hawk | Critical response
Hans J. Wollstein from Allmovie gave the film a positive review, praising Chaney's and McDermott's performances.
He Who Gets Slapped | Critical reception
Review website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 47%, based on 99 reviews, and an average rating of 5.4/10, with the consensus that "While Jim Carrey's comedic skills earn some laughs, "Me, Myself and Irene" sports a tired, unsatisfying plot." Online review aggregator Metacritic states the film has a score of 49 out of a possible 100 based on 35 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Me, Myself &amp; Irene | Critical response
Assisted by Tucker's elegant direction and Boyce's thoughtful, scrupulous writing, she gives a knockout performance."
Hilary and Jackie | Critical response
Peter Bradshaw of "The Guardian" was more negative, giving it one star, and expressed a "need to vomit". Bob Chipman of "Escape to the Movies" said it was "so base, so shallow and so hinged on meaningless spectacle, it's amazing it wasn't made for men". "The Daily Telegraph" stated that it was enjoyable but poorly put together: "Finding the film a total shambles was sort of a shame, but I have a sneaking suspicion I'll go to see it again anyway." Angie Errigo of "Empire" said it was "cute, clean, camp fun, full of sunshine and toe tappers." The casting of actors not known for their singing abilities led to some mixed reviews.
Mamma Mia! (film) | Critical response
Jasmine Singh of "The Tribune" termed movie as flop. ABP Sanjha also gave negative review to the movie.
Myself Pendu | Critical response
Cartwright was a fan of DeVito's and recalls: "This morning, at the table read, I had just filled my plate with assorted fruits when Bonnie said to my backside, 'Nancy, I want to introduce you to...' and I turned and practically knocked over Danny DeVito, all four feet, eleven inches of him. How embarrassing!" While recording the scenes, Cartwright stood directly across the room from DeVito, which she appreciated since she got to see him in action. She thought DeVito "threw his body and soul" into his performance. While the recording took part, animation director Archer scribbled down some of DeVito's attitudes, gestures, and facial expressions on a piece of paper as he performed.
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? | Production
Andrew Barker of "Variety" felt that "Christopher Walken creates most of the film’s laughs by simple virtue of being Christopher Walken, but his doddering don screams out for a bigger, broader performance."
Jersey Boys (film) | Critical response
Jeez, young women these days - one minute they're wearing stack-heeled DMs and fairy queen ra-ra skirts and the next they give you hell for not acting like your dad."
He Wasn't | Critical reception
Written and directed by Jovanka Vuckovic, based on the short story by Jack Ketchum While riding on a train with his mother Susan, a young boy, Danny, sees an old man with a red box; the old man describes it as "a present" and allows Danny to look inside. After looking, Danny refuses to eat any food presented to him. Susan and her husband Robert start to worry about him, taking him to a doctor who finds that Danny has lost five pounds since his last checkup. Danny speaks with his sister Jenny, and soon after, she refuses to eat as well.
XX (film) | The Box
Courtney Howard of "Variety" called the film a "frenetic, crass kids' flick" and wrote, "What should have been an awe-filled adventure quickly curdles into an awful one, thanks to a pedestrian formula and the filmmakers' fixation on fart jokes." Writing for "The Hollywood Reporter", Todd McCarthy said, "From the very first scene, it's clear something is terribly off with this lavishly misbegotten attempt to repopularize an animal-loaded literary franchise that was born exactly a century ago. The oddly diffident star and executive producer Robert Downey Jr. never finds the power-supplying third rail needed to energize a tale that fails to make a real case for being reinterpreted." British critic Mark Kermode gave the film a negative review, saying, "Terrible script.
Dolittle (film) | Critical response
During an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien", Paul Giamatti referred to this film as one of the high points in his career.
Thunderpants | Critical response
Leah Pickett of the "Chicago Reader" calls the film "only slightly less dumb and nonsensical than the previous films" and praises the action and stunt work from Diesel and Donnie Yen.
XXX: Return of Xander Cage | Critical response
"There are some interesting things about [the film]," he observed, "but they have less to do with anything on the screen than with the manner in which the film was produced and with Mr. Altman's unflagging if misguided faith in the project." He complained that "The actresses are not treated kindly, either by the material or by the camera," and noted that Sandy Dennis' character, Mona, received most of the close-ups. "The only person in the film who comes off well," he said, "is Miss [Sudie] Bond." "New York Magazine"s David Denby wrote: "Altman uses cinema to celebrate theater, and his technique is so fluidly self-assured that he almost makes you forget the rubbishy situations and lines created by playwright Ed Graczyk.
Come Back to the 5 &amp; Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (film) | Critical reception
Some of those decisions, if made with discretion and restraint, might have been quite effective. But slapped altogether like this, the film just looks a mess, apart from some of the rather pretty shots of banana slugs and redwoods."
Butter on the Latch | Critical response
TV Guide panned the film calling the film's production "shabby" but also noted that actor Zooey Hall's performance as Albert as "interesting". Author and independent filmmaker John Kenneth Muir awarded the film one out of a possible four stars, commenting that, although the performances were solid and it was technically well made, the film's theme of pedophilia went too far, to the point of being exploitative. On this theme, Muir wrote, ""I Dismember Mama" makes one feel dirty about watching because its main concern is not just violence, but sex. The film makes it plain that Albert sees little Annie as a possible sexual conquest, and that is really disturbing thing to see in a film with no aspirations to be anything but entertainment." Joseph A.
I Dismember Mama | Critical response
Coyote, keeps running into the wall." He later named it the fifth worst film of 2005. On their television show, "Ebert & Roeper", they gave the film "Two Thumbs Down". Lou Lumerick of the "New York Post", gave the film a zero-star rating and said that, "Parents who let their kids see this stinker should be brought up on abuse charges; so should the movie ratings board that let this suggestive mess slip by with a PG rating." When asked in a 2012 interview about whether the film's negative critical reaction had damaged Kennedy's morale in wanting do another project like this, Kennedy replied to the interviewer, "Yes.
Son of the Mask | Critical response
The film received mostly positive reviews. , the film holds a 67% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 144 reviews with an average rating 6.65 out of 10. The site's consensus states: "Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins shine in this warm, witty period piece." The website "Future Movies" described the film as "very funny, sweet and charming". Roger Ebert reacted fairly positively to the film, saying ""Mrs Henderson Presents" is not great cinema, and neither was the Windmill great theater, but they both put on a good show."
Mrs Henderson Presents | Critical response
Steven Rea of "The Philadelphia Inquirer" said that after "The Last Kiss" and "Garden State", "Braff's shtick...is getting tired." Desson Thomson of "The Washington Post" said the film "marks an all-time low for actor Zach Braff -- his "Gigli", if you will.."
The Ex (2006 film) | Critical response
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 22% based on reviews from 9 critics.
From the Hip (film) | Critical response
Leonard Maltin panned the film as a "bomb", calling it a "crude, clumsy comedy". "The Oklahoman" wrote, "What might make "Frank McKlusky, C.I." worth renting is that it is so horribly bad. I laughed. I laughed quite a bit at jokes that have been done before in much better movies, starring much better casts." "TV Guide" gave the film 1 out of 4 stars, calling it a "cartoonish farce likely to disappoint even the staunchest fans of bird-brained comedy." JoBlo.com gave the film 2 out of 10 stars, writing, "I was actually yawning as I tried to figure out how an entire production of people, most of whom had acted in successful films before, could take part in this movie, shoot these extremely lame over-the-top sequences, deliver these horrible lines and perpetuate every stupid, unfunny joke that you've seen rehashed over the past 10 years (fart, gay and handicap jokes abound), and not raise their hand and say, 'Uhhhhm, am I the only one who thinks that none of this is even one damn bit humorous??'" DVD Talk gave the film half a star, writing, "tries to be Jim Carrey and fails miserably - the lowlight being an instance where the character has to fake being a female gymnast and ends up doing a series of what appear to be dance routines.
Frank McKlusky, C.I. | Critical reception
Roger Ebert criticized the film for its sentimentality. Paul Cullum of "L.A. Weekly" called the film "Complete and utter horseshit."
Here on Earth (film) | Critical response
Ziemba from "Bleeding Skull!" gave the film a negative review, writing, ""I Dismember Mama" is somewhat suspenseful and definitely bizarre. However, given the subject matter and so-so execution, it’s not something I’d ever want to see again." Blockbuster Inc.'s "Guide to Movies and Videos" rated the film one out of four stars, calling it "junk".
I Dismember Mama | Critical response
Frank Scheck of "The Hollywood Reporter" calls the film another example of "how the talented performer’s poor choice of material continually undercuts him". Although Scheck praises Murphy's efforts he concludes "The formulaic script by Steve Koren doesn't manage to exploit the absurd premise with any discernible wit or invention, and the star is left floundering." Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film 1.5 out of 4 and wrote: "The poster art for A Thousand Words shows Eddie Murphy with duct tape over his mouth, which as a promotional idea ranks right up there with Fred Astaire in leg irons." Ebert is also critical of the plot because it "never explains the rules".
A Thousand Words (film) | Critical response
As of May 12, 2008, the film had a score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 45 reviews. On Metacritic, the film had a score of 74 out of 100 based on 5 reviews. The movie was criticized by a Brazilian film critic, who thought that the violence was sensationalized. A scene where two kids where playing as kidnappers cutting off the ears of their abductees terrified the critic, making him asking the director about it. Kohn replied that he asked the children to do that, which prompted the critic Hudson Moura to think if the movie was just opportunist or it fails with "social ethics".
Manda Bala (Send a Bullet) | Critical reception
Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu praised the film in the departments of acting, music and cinematography and said that, "The intention is honest but a smart script to back it is sorely missing."
Backbench Student | Critical reception
For the most part, the film was either ignored or attacked by critics. David Cornelius of DVD talk.com gave the film a negative review saying, The script is rambling and forgetful ... its characters lack the very charm the movie is convinced it's oozing, the tennis sequences are maddeningly dull, the romance is vacant. This is the kind of movie that thinks it's a blast because it shows us college kids getting drunk and leering at women, not realizing that you need to put in these things called "jokes" to make such a premise work.
Jocks (film) | Critical response
This crime was repeated in real life after the film's release, although police did not think the similar crime was related to the film. Nevertheless, many people, including Bob Dole, called for a boycott of the film.
Money Train | Critical response
But even this works in an odd way. The victim of the movie is as much the person sitting in the audience as it is Tommy." "Variety" called the film "spectacular in every way": "The production is magnificent, the multitrack sound (tradenamed Quintophonic) terrific, the casting and acting great, and the name cameos most showmanly." Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four, and praised Ann-Margret as being "simply great as Tommy's mother". He called the pinball tournament sequence: "...the movie's best single scene: a pulsating, orgiastic turn-on edited with the precision of a machine gun burst." Gene Siskel of the "Chicago Tribune" awarded two-and-a-half stars out of four, calling the film: "...a disappointing, slap-dash pictorialization of the fine music of The Who [with] no cinematic flow."
Tommy (1975 film) | Critical response
Siskel gave this film a mixed review and accused Sonnenfeld of caring more about how the film looks than how the jokes play. Ebert thought that unusually for a sequel, it was better than the first film and he enjoyed the various subplots and recommended the film.
Addams Family Values | Critical response
Biff Elliott is the main culprit when it comes to the poor acting. He had no presence and made his macho character into an unconvincing brute, someone devoid of a personality. The actresses were all bosomy stereotypes, including Peggie Castle, Margaret Sheridan, Frances Osborne, Mary Anderson and those riotous twin sisters Tani and Dran Seitz." Others would disagree with Schwartz's review and felt the real Mike Hammer would punch him in the nose,
I, the Jury (1953 film) | Critical response
In his review in "The New York Times", Vincent Canby called the film Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" described the film as a "mushy, old-fashioned extravaganza" and added, Gene Siskel of the "Chicago Tribune" slammed the "overwhelming" audacity of the film:
Gable and Lombard | Critical reception
There are no bad performances, and those of Carroll Baker as Baby Doll and Eli Wallach as the Sicilian are outstanding." Not all reviews were positive. Edwin Schallert of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote that the film "offers an experience so basically sordid, and so trying besides, that if one does not manage to laugh at its fantastic ribaldry, he will think that he has spent two hours in bedlam." "Harrison's Reports" called the film "thoroughly unpleasant and distasteful screen fare, in spite of the fact that it is expertly directed and finely acted."
Baby Doll | Critical response
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 93%, based on 198 reviews, with an average rating of 7.65/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A good-hearted film about a difficult topic, "50/50" maneuvers between jokes and drama with surprising finesse." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score, gives the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Sean Burns wrote in the "Philadelphia Weekly" that Levine "knows how to stay out of the way long enough to let a very talented cast shine, and Rogen's fundamental, unexpected decency, which can often only be expressed through shoulder-punching obscenities, grows more quietly moving as the picture wears on." David Schmader, writing in the "Stranger", praises "'50/50's stellar cast, from the omnipresent lead Joseph Gordon-Levitt (whose Rankin/Bass puppet face is put to beautifully nuanced use) to the all-star supporting cast: Anjelica Huston roars back to prominence with a twisty performance as Adam's barely contained mess of a mom, and Anna Kendrick's young doctoral student makes the film's rom-com aspirations not-ridiculous with her intelligent spontaneity and cute smile.
50/50 (2011 film) | Critical response
Janet Maslin, film critic for "The New York Times", did not like the performances of the actors and wrote, "The surprise is not that Mr. Milius has made such a resoundingly awful film, but rather that he's made a bland one...the movie often seems even more uneventful than material like this need make it, and Mr. Milius's attention to his actors focuses more closely on their pectorals than on their performances. He encourages such stiffness in his players that Barbara Hale, for instance, is quite unconvincing as Mr. Katt's mother. This is a "faux pas" of no mean eminence; after all, Miss Hale actually is Mr.
Big Wednesday | Critical response
[it] acquires a spiritual dimension that allows it ultimately to become an act of redemption". Additional praise for the film came from "Chicago Sun Times" film critic Roger Ebert, who gave the film 3/4 stars, saying that "[The film] adds up to something, unlike a lot of movies where individual shots are sensational, but they add up to nothing"; Ebert did, however, note that the film had a very limited audience: "The odds are good that most people will dislike this film and be offended by it. For others, it will provoke sympathy rather than scorn. You know who you are".
Julien Donkey-Boy | Critical reception
He's very good. And the movie succeeds in two different ways: it's sweet and good-hearted, and then again it's raucous slapstick and bathroom humor. I liked both parts." Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a B+, writing "You can feel Murphy rediscovering his joy as a performer. He rediscovers it, too, as Sherman Klump, a fellow who, much like Murphy, is on the bottom rung, desperate to reinvent himself, and — at long last — does."
The Nutty Professor (1996 film) | Critical response
When Curtis asserts that he and his son are 'the only two brothers in Heidelberg,' it's the movie's coziest moment."
Morris from America | Critical response
That would be Bowler in the "barely adequate" slot and Lohan, well, in the other one." Jeff Simon of "The Buffalo News" noted, based on a consensus of other reviews, that "it's the howler everyone expected" and openly mused that the film could end Lohan's acting career. "The Hollywood Reporter" called Lohan's performance in "Liz & Dick" "spectacularly bad", likening her take on Elizabeth Taylor as "half train wreck, half SNL skit". "Entertainment Weekly" mocked the actress's "frozen face" and "blank stare" and called the film a "dinky, tin-eared production". Rob Salem of the "Toronto Star" criticized the film's script written by Christopher Monger as being "written in crayon".
Liz &amp; Dick | Critical response
Based on 958 user votes, IMDb grades the movie at 6.9.
Sportloto-82 | Critical response
Desson Howe, for "The Washington Post", wrote that "at best, the movie comes across as a competently assembled job, a wistful tribute to its former self. At worst, it's wordy, confusing and – here's an ugly word – boring".
The Two Jakes | Critical response
The film received positive reviews for its honest portrayal of young people's lives on the reservation. The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives a rating of 91% based on 23 reviews and an average rating of 6.83/10.
Songs My Brothers Taught Me | Critical response
Something was missing." He added, "Part of the problem is with the actors, I think . . . Albertson and Sheen . . . talk loudly, their movements are too obvious, they are trying to project . . . Miss Neal, who knows the movies, is better suited to the medium. She holds back, she suggests more than she reveals, and when all three actors are on camera her performance makes the other two look embarrassingly theatrical. And there is where the movie fails." "Variety" said, "The terrific writing, which top-notch performances make more magnificent, displays a wide range of human emotions, without recourse to cheap sensationalism or dialog.
The Subject Was Roses (film) | Critical reception
Mike Hale of "The New York Times" also praised Park and Bang, but wrote that "after seeing "The Interview" and the ruckus its mere existence has caused, the only sensible reaction is amazement at the huge disconnect between the innocuousness of the film and the viciousness of the response."
The Interview | Critical response
Colin Kennedy of "Metro" called the film "disastrous", and its "judicious casting and handsome design [were] marred by a callow director's shaky shot selection". Simon Reynolds of "Digital Spy" described the film as "impeccably turned out with exquisite costume design", but felt that it was "barely enough to disguise its wildly inconsistent tone, chop-change visual style and snoozy performances." Dan Carrier of "Camden New Journal" gave the film one star out of five, calling "W.E." "a horrible film to watch" and saying that Madonna "should never be allowed to go anywhere near a director’s camera again." Diego Costa of "Slant Magazine" gave the film three out of four stars.
W.E. | Critical response
The film, which has a score of 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, opened to negative reviews when it opened in the late spring of 1976. Richard Eder of "The New York Times" declared, "What saves the movie, a jumble of good jokes and bad, sloppiness, chaos and apparently any old thing that came to hand, is Madeline Kahn ... What she has — as W. C. Fields and Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin had — is a kind of unwavering purpose at right angles to reality, a concentration that she bears, Magoolike, through all kinds of unreasonable events." Arthur D. Murphy of "Variety" reported that "this project might have worked to a degree of whimsy.
Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood | Reception
He's constantly shocked by what we in the audience already know—or have guessed." But in positive followup, he pointed out that supporting actor Leibman was "dynamite as the bombastic D.A.."
Night Falls on Manhattan | Critical response
The film got mixed reviews from both critics and audience.
Jo and the Boy | Critical/Audience response
In his review in "Cranes Are Flying", Robert Kennedy wrote that Pellegrino and Witt are "both excellent", but that the film suffered from the director's script, which was "abysmally weak". Kennedy went on to write:
Joint Body | Critical reception
You can almost picture a bewildered office boy, his face smudged with soot, wandering through the ruins and rescuing pages at random. Too bad they didn't mail them to the insurance company instead of filming them." The film is on Ebert's "Most Hated" list. Caryn James of "The New York Times" wrote that the film was "the very poor cousin of a dopey Jim Carrey movie". Owen Gleiberman graded the film a "C" on an A+ to F scale, and Ken Hanke of "Mountain Xpress" said that it was a "Passably funny star vehicle. Nothing great."
Tommy Boy | Critical reception
Seth MacFarlane also provided an amusing addition to the episode, but he pulled his usual shtick of using his Stewie voice and Sinatra-style singing, which was definitely suffering from the law of diminishing returns."
Dangers on a Train | Critical reception
Several lively animated sequences further diversify the package. The soundtrack, needless to say, is a mix tape dream."
Danny Says (film) | Critical response
Not all reviews were totally negative. Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media thought the film to be "campy and overwrought", but "great fun". Bill Harris of QMI Agency chastised his fellow critics when he reviewed the film for the "Toronto Sun", writing: He concluded by stating that he thinks Bowler did a terrific job, "And Lindsay Lohan? Well, at least keep your expectations realistic, okay?"
Liz &amp; Dick | Critical response
But she also noted that the film "drags after a point. You neither sympathise with the actors nor empathise with them."
Namaste England | Critical response
He ranked it as the worst film of 2005, and ultimately included the movie in his most hated films list. Also on "Ebert & Roeper", Richard Roeper called the film "the cinematic equivalent of a bunch of 13-year-old boys in a locker room repeating dirty phrases they've just learned" and "dead on arrival."
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo | Critical response
Gender inequity in the world of comedy deserves all the overdue attention it's getting, and more. But there are matters of craft, wit (no matter how crude the jokes) and timing that transcend chromosomes." Richard Roeper of "The Chicago Sun Times" praised the performances of the cast, particularly Schumer, Hader, Quinn, and James. He also called Schumer's performance worthy of an Academy Award nomination. Benjamin Lee of "The Guardian" gave the film three out of five stars, stating, "Judd Apatow's latest is rough around the edges, but his focus on a female protagonist refreshes a genre in sore need of change".
Trainwreck (film) | Critical reception
Nick Schager ("The Village Voice") stated that the film scores on its aesthetics in sequences depicting key elements, like the one with trains symbolising the Holocaust, and its detailed depiction of the characters' intimate practices, which bring depth to a rather predictable plot. Brian Lafferty ("East County Magazine") criticised Julian Hirsch for making the sequences look dull and gloomy with insufficient lighting. The tap scene received a special mention in "L'Express" review too.
Korkoro | Critical response
In his review for the "New York Times", Frank S. Nugent described the film as "incredibly romantic, glossily produced, expertly directed and peopled by the sort of players most often encountered on the covers of the fan magazines". But despite this "triumph of machine-made art", Nugent criticized the story for its "romantic absurdity" and "outrageous implausibility".
His Brother's Wife | Critical response
"TV Guide" wrote, "the highlight of this picture is the elaborate circus set, but this does little to benefit the unfolding of the plot, which is predictable"; while AllMovie noted "an excellent showcase for leading lady Diane Cilento (later better known as Mrs. Sean Connery)... What could have been an exercise in tawdriness is redeemed by the colorful camerawork of Georges Perinal."
The Woman for Joe | Critical reception
And wonderful. It's all the reasons you should never go to the movies. And all the reasons you should race to get a ticket."
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again | Critical response
The casting was below par, the scripting was hurried and it looked like something that was quickly put together." "I could honestly feel Funke trying to pull this Molue wreck out of the pits, the rest was just journey into the abyss of stupidity". Itunu of The Movie Pencil panned the film and concluded: "Overall, the storyline had no solid foundation and was indecisive".
Maami | Critical reception
Bening and Ruffalo were nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively. Cholodenko and Blumberg were also nominated for Best Original Screenplay. Laura Rosenthal and Liz Dean won the Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Feature – Studio or Independent Comedy, given by the Casting Society of America.
The Kids Are All Right (film) | Critical response
Malini Mannath of "The New Indian Express" gave the film a negative review criticizing the script and the narration.
Amma Ponnu | Reception
However, Longino did say that stars T.I. and Big Boi's performances improved as the film progressed, and that there were a few laugh-out-loud comedic moments in the film.
ATL (film) | Critical response
CultureMap considered it a flop: they criticised it for poor technical quality, citing bad lighting, sound, and cinematography, and also felt the script didn't give a talented cast much to do. Magdalena Bresson praised the performances from a variety of actors known for TV comedy, and the film's visual qualities, particularly its use of color.
Let Go (film) | Critical response
Roger Greenspun of "The New York Times" did not care for the film at all:
Guess What We Learned in School Today? | Critical reception
"Deidra and Laney Rob a Train" received positive reviews from film critics. It currently holds a 92% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 6.81/10.
Deidra &amp; Laney Rob a Train | Critical reception
However, he also was a bit more critical towards the exaggerated performances of Turturro and Morrow.
Quiz Show (film) | Critical reception
Alternately overly convoluted and predictable, the film relies too heavily on its twists while offering little in the way of character development, leaving its three central women as unrelatable and unlikable stereotypes." "Rolling Stone"s Peter Travers gave the film a positive review, commenting that: "[T]he movie gives away the game faster than the novel, but Emily Blunt digs so deep into the role of a blackout drunk and maybe murderer that she raises "Girl" to the level of spellbinder." "Chicago Sun-Times' " Richard Roeper gave 2 stars out 4, and said that the film is "shiny trash that begins with promise but quickly gets tripped up by its own screenplay and grows increasingly ludicrous and melodramatic, to the point where I was barely able to suppress a chuckle at some of the final scenes".
The Girl on the Train (2016 film) | Critical response
Generations of family members worked at the plant, taking pride in their products and their relationship to the manufacturing process. The answer the movie presents is Reaganomics, the 'as long as I've got mine, the hell with everyone else' attitude prevalent in the 1980s". The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 100% of critics gave the film a positive review.
American Dream (film) | Critical response
Salon.com writer Stephanie Zacharek dismissed the film as "another missive from romantic-comedy hell," and felt that "Alec Baldwin -- in his undershorts, no less -- saves Nancy Meyers' latest midlife whingefest."
It's Complicated (film) | Critical response