St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Scores

  • Movies
For 881 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 63% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 34% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 6.3 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 68
Highest review score: 100 The Social Network
Lowest review score: 25 The Mechanic
Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 64 out of 881
881 movie reviews
  1. A director whose breakthrough was the story of a madman's last stand has exceeded that feat with the story of an angry man's next step.
  2. The edginess here isn't merely facile. Goldthwait's movies, including the under-appreciated "Shakes the Clown," are about reclaiming dignity from the dung heap. And he's found a fitting collaborator.
  3. May be one of the most fun-free, angst-ridden teens we've seen on the big screen in a long time.
  4. Titanic technical achievement.
  5. Washington is surprisingly persuasive as a world-weary blade-wielder, and Oldman makes the most of a not particularly interesting villain. But the film's breakout star may be Kunis, who brings to Solara a blend of sassiness and sexiness that's reminiscent of Michelle Pfeiffer.
  7. Yet so much about The Lovely Bones is so skillfully orchestrated, from the chillingly methodical villainy to the thrillingly paced manhunt, we can accept that we're in the hands of a higher power.
  8. Succeeds as both advocacy and entertainment by focusing on the family.
  9. While Walt and El Grupo is less than a penetrating analysis, it's more than a Mickey Mouse advertisement.
  10. What animates this dramatically constrained film are the lively words and the vitality of nature. An image of butterflies blooming in a bedroom is Keats' worldview in miniature.
  11. Two things that the British know that most Americans don't: Michael Sheen is the best actor in the English-speaking world; and soccer is the only football that matters.
  12. Rock misses the boat in deciding not to relate Good Hair to non African-Americans more.
  13. This stylish film reminds us that great images endure after bodies and buildings crumble.
  14. The kind of working-class, character-driven drama that few American directors would dare to make. It's tough and unsentimental, with a documentary aesthetic that belies the craft of the calibrated tension.
  15. This jam-packed picture is too zippily scripted and edited to get stuck in message mode, yet the stellar cast achieves a rare harmonic convergence.
  16. The Messenger is the debut film of writer and director Oren Moverman, but it's worldly wise, with two well-rounded characters.
  17. More benevolent than Bill Maher's snarky flick "Religulous" and a heaven-sent affirmation of our common humanity.
  18. Ultimately, William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe is a defense, not a prosecution, and the principal witness remains a shining star.
  19. Broken Embraces is stylish and sly, an engaging exercise that gives us less than meets the eye.
  20. Green Zone can't make up its mind whether it's "The Bourne Insurrection" or "Hurt Locker: The Prequel."
  21. We are reminded: War is hell. But at their best, war movies can be cool and beautiful.
  22. In a movie of murky surfaces and deep loneliness, the redemptive surprise of A Single Man is how it becomes a clear endorsement of the Buddy System.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    If you've ever seen anything like A Town Called Panic, you either made it yourself or you dreamed it.
  23. What makes this low-key movie memorable are the pitch-perfect performances.
  24. What enriches the recipe is that no one is quite as cagey as they seem. Colin is officially thuggish, but he's a blinkered romantic. Archie is a mama's boy, Meredith is gay, Mal is impotent, and Peanut wears dentures.
  25. Fortunately, Fish Tank feeds us more than crumbs and leaves us feeling like we've come up for air.
  27. It's smart, heartfelt, handsome and just mutated enough to sustain interest in a specialized subject.
  28. This deadpan police story produces unexpected chills.
  29. The beauty of October Country, beside its artful images, is how it compresses the windblown fortunes of working-class America into the fallen leaves of one forlorn family.
  30. As an exercise in craft, it's surprisingly successful, thanks to the strong cast and the vivid depiction of a modern leader's security apparatus. But as a political statement or personal drama, The Ghost Writer is nearly invisible.
  31. Given the stormy milieu, The Yellow Handkerchief could have been a sordid slice of life or a maudlin metaphor. But the unhurried direction of Udayan Prasad and the unafraid choices of the sure-footed cast keep this character-driven drama afloat.
  32. If all you want from a movie are generous doses of laughs and some tender moments, She's Out Of My League should be right up your alley.
  33. This Swedish sensation is a magic trick that jolts the murder-mystery genre back to life.
  34. Like "The Squid and the Whale," this character study pushes the definition of comedy to the breaking point, and unlike the far less successful "Margot at the Wedding," it leaves us faintly smiling after the workout.
  35. Because the movie captures the period so well and argues so convincingly that the Runaways' very existence was revolutionary, it doesn't have to exaggerate the highs and lows to create a more salable story.
  36. Egoyan doesn't flinch from exploring the dark side of curiosity. That includes dealing with sexuality in a way that might make some moviegoers uncomfortable.
  37. In steering a course between the rock of rude humor and the hard place of perilous drama, How to Train Your Dragon flies high.
  38. The macabre comedic undertones are reminiscent of a Coen brothers film like "Blood Simple." But a more apt comparison is to an obscure Canadian bank-heist flick called "The Silent Partner," in which teller Elliot Gould pockets some loot from thief Christopher Plummer. Both movies imitate an American idiom with a provincial accent.
  39. Although it has some memorably disquieting scenes, this story of long-delayed justice is sustained by its melancholy more than its thrills.
    • 27 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Sex and the City 2 will never be compared to "The Godfather, Part II." But it's everything a fan could want in a sequel.
  41. The been-there, done-that nature of the plot doesn't take away from the undeniable sweetness found in Just Wright.
  42. Unfortunately, Garcia can't quite resist sentimentality, giving us an ending that's a bit too emotionally neat. Still, Mother and Child is a thoughtful and provocative film about the way we live now.
  43. Perhaps best appreciated as a character study -- about a character some moviegoers might prefer to avoid. Still, it's a smart, funny film that flirts with the edge.
  44. The documentary ends on a hopeful note, as Indians themselves have taken control of their image.
  45. It's not exactly aiming for the moon, but in a marketplace where surpassed expectations are as rare as unicorns, Despicable Me is delightful.
  46. The surprisingly rich documentary Best Worst Movie views the phenomenon from a unique perspective.
  47. A tamer tale of supernatural shenanigans that is far more appropriate for young children than the sometimes too-scary scenes from J.K. Rowling's stories.
  48. Like the recent "Greenberg," Cyrus is not the jokey, polished production you would expect from its Hollywood cast and LA setting, but audiences who are comfortable with discomfort should find it "funny."
  49. The first half of the film dusts off some kitschy picket-fence footage and alarmist news reports to invoke an era when homosexual acts were illegal in 49 states, and gays were subjected to arrest, electroshock and sterilization.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Weighty issues such as war and divorce are mentioned, but the serious themes pass quickly. The lighthearted story always takes precedent over the special effects, but a scene involving swimming piglets will have kids flashing a sea of smiles.
  50. When the smoke clears, heady Farewell stands tall among the movies that view the Cold War at close range.
  51. The multiple cameras that shadow Anker and his novice partner provide unprecedented images. But they also raise unintended questions about the vanishing frontier.
  52. Best appreciated as an exercise in style. Based on Martin Booth's novel "A Very Private Gentleman," the film establishes and sustains a mood of suspense, but Corbijn seems only minimally interested in conventional thrills.
  53. Moviegoers will know in the first five minutes whether the new B-movie Machete is their cup of tea - or bucket of blood.
  54. Ondine is dipped in whimsy and might have drifted out to sea, but it's bounded on four sides by love stories -- between a father and a daughter, a man and a mermaid, an actor and his co-star, and a director and his country.
  55. Because of some sentimental backspin, Affleck doesn't quite hit it out of the park, but he may provoke the green monster of envy in lesser directors.
  56. With its mix of true-blood romance and full-moon madness, Let Me In should hasten the twilight of the twerpy pretenders.
  68. Seth Rogen is the Green Hornet. What else do you need to know?
  69. Summer Wars has engineered a truce between the familiar and the fantastical.
  78. As popcorn entertainment, it's right on schedule.
  79. A good nature film - and a great technical achievement.
  85. Although it starts slowly, the accumulated tension and thematic resonance leaves us breathless.
  87. The simmering rivalry between Di and Fiamma, inflamed by the kind of glimpsed indiscretion that makes adolescent melodramas tick, explodes in a thriller ending that turns an observant coming-of-age story into something resembling "The Lord of the Flies."
  88. The Beaver isn't a perfect film, but it's challenging and original.
  89. Although there are gentle detour discussions about advertising in classrooms and school buses, Spurlock's ironic approach can't convince us that ads are toxic. Indeed, when he visits sprawling Sao Paolo, Brazil, where all outdoor advertising has been banned, it seems as sterile as Stalingrad.
  90. This well-executed sequel is sneaky. While it distracts us with Chinese backdrops and buffoonish humor, it sucker punches us with a message about belonging.
  91. Such a disarming homage to the cinema of the Reagan era that even grouchy gremlins might feel like it's morning in America. But be forewarned that if this movie is exposed to sunlight, you'll notice the puppet strings.
  92. A fanciful French cousin to Allen's "Zelig" and "The Purple Rose of Cairo," yet the fulfilled wish for a better life is high-concept absurdity without high-anxiety guffaws.
  93. Brazenly funny in its own right - until it turns into a goody two-shoes.
  94. It's simply an opportunity to spend time with characters who may lack depth but are fun to watch.
  95. Given the turbulent water of world affairs and sea changes in the media, a follow-up a year from now might be titled "Gray Lady Down" if the Times does not chart a new course.
  96. As a critic who complains about painless and brainless action movies, I hoist a glass of mead to the men and maidens of Ironclad.
  97. If you require a plot, look elsewhere.
  98. Smith turns in a subtly layered performance that suggests the hurt behind Kathy's callousness. And O'Donnell gets to the heart of a man who realizes too late that he's made unfortunate choices.
  99. It's faint praise to say that this is the best of the "Planet of the Apes" movies, because the evolution of special effects and makeup was predictable. But the unexpected strength of the film is its heart.
  100. There are three sides to most love stories: his, hers and the truth. But on London's Fleet Street, the three sides are his, hers and the tabloids'.
  101. Despite accusations of nearly succumbing to spotlighting beefs over beats, the film comes off as an honest representation of a great group that's not to be forgotten.
  102. In such a bleak story, the redemptive ending seems rushed and unconvincing, but director Oliver Schmitz has sent us a timely dispatch from a forgotten corner of the world that is honest above all.
  103. It honors the original throughout, including a memorable nightclub scene and a surprise cameo that's a huge crowd-pleaser, while at the same time giving updates to make it fresher and better than ever.
  104. Like its neo-noir kin across the pond, The Guard is violent, profane and funny. But McDonagh is interested in more than mockery.
  105. Neither as magic nor as trippy as the culture quake that it documents, but it's a valuable flashback and a pleasurable contact high.
  106. The Debt eventually settles into a predictable groove that slightly undercuts its impact. Still, it's a film of ambition and substance.
  107. The Tree might have suffered from too much symbolism if not for writer-director Julie Bertuccelli's deft touch and Gainsbourg's appealing performance.
  108. Doesn't rise to classic status, but it's an intriguing mood piece.
  109. As Refn is riffing on thriller cliches, he gets solid support from the ensemble. Brooks, a comedic standout since the '70s, makes a sympathetic villain, and Gosling stokes the young-Brando comparisons - instead of settling for Richard Gere.
  110. This film might easily have settled for mocking religion. Instead, it's a fascinating glimpse into a culture that forces some people to choose between fitting in and opting out.
  111. Offers an inside look at Iran in all its cultural complexity.
  112. This affable comedy is a healthy alternative to tearjerkers.
  113. If you want to see a great movie about a political campaign, starring the smartest heartthrob of his era, rent "The Candidate." If you want see a very good one, buy a ticket for The Ides of March.
  114. Pleasant, well-acted but somewhat overlong, The Way was written and directed by Estevez, who's perhaps best known for his acting career ("The Breakfast Club").
  116. Margin Call has a spectacular cast, and the 24-hour cycle of events gives the movie the compressed dramatic effect of a fine play.
  117. In place of a rousing adventure, Blackthorn is a haunting ode.
  118. Even if they don't provide much lift, these boots were made for amusement.
  120. In recording the timeless traditions of Jewry, he created a new one: the identity crisis that rides on the back of laughter.
  122. The Women on the 6th Floor shouldn't work, but this efficient flick whisks away our cynicism.
  123. The troupe's first film in more than a decade, is a more aggressively absurd antidote to what it calls "a hard, cynical world." Happily, it works.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Arthur Christmas stays sweet without becoming overly sentimental and is filled with sly details and smart action sequences.
  124. Lacks the urgency of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" But Paine's thorough knowledge of his subject, and engaging way with an interview, make the follow-up film a fun ride.
  125. While Banderas' dark intensity overshadows the potential poignancy of the story, Almodovar is such a skilled surgeon that he extracts a juicy nugget of pleasure from a purely distasteful premise.
  126. The most mesmerizing parts of the movie make up a tutorial about how the Muppets are made and moved.
  127. Turturro, who previously directed a musical called "Romance and Cigarettes," lingers on the sensual movements of the performers and the character faces of the onlookers.
  128. It's a comedic dramatization with a looming shadow of the surreal.
  129. The world-class mechanic is Brad Bird, who applies the pacing and spatial freedom of a 'toon to a live-action thriller.
  130. As a tale of a boy, his dog and their battles with bad guys, it's a treasure.
  131. As a man committed to reinventing himself, Damon is terrific. And Johansson brings to Kelly just the right blend of spunkiness and hard-won maturity.
  132. While the PG-13 approach to the most brutally sustained war the world has ever known makes it suitable for mature children, some cynical adults may resent the tug of the reins. Me, I cried like a grandmother.
  133. As biopics go, The Iron Lady is among the more intriguing ones.
  134. When a man whose wife was killed by cultists invites us to laugh at life's absurdities, the particulars are almost incidental.
  135. Like psychoanalysis, A Dangerous Method takes its time as it circles an opening to unexplored depths. To reward our patience, Cronenberg gives us some honey-hued eye candy and rich dialogue, but if you're seeking instant gratification, I prescribe "Shame."
  136. Overreaching fits of melodrama, occasionally stilted dialogue, and performances by Gooding Jr. and Howard that are mostly a series of serious faces can't keep the shiny Red Tails from taking flight.
  137. Although Tomboy is as tightly constructed as a short story and as seemingly straightforward as a documentary, the parable about a small fib that grows out of control is so rooted in the rich soil of sexual identity that it entangles us.
  138. Rounded, redemptive and refreshingly free of cynicism.
  139. Stölzl blends romance and melancholy in fine style.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    So many of today's children's movies are loud. Loud explosions, loud colors, loud soundtracks, loud humor. The animated The Secret World of Arrietty is the antidote to those films.
  140. Thin Ice resides just slightly south of "Fargo."
    • 46 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
  141. He's not in Mark Wahlberg's league, and 21 Jump Street isn't quite as funny as "The Other Guys," but by lampooning himself here, Tatum has bought himself a grace period to grow in.
  142. As opposed to the "gentlemen's clubs" in sinful cities like Las Vegas, the Crazy Horse attracts couples.
  144. He might be guilty of showboating, but De Niro's knockout performance is a declaration that the star of "Raging Bull" isn't ready to hang up his gloves.
  146. Isn't as memorable or provocative as it might have been. But it's an engaging love story that should appeal to moviegoers with a flair for the offbeat.
  147. What's lacking is a galvanizing performance comparable to that of the Oscar-nominated Catalina Sandino Moreno in "Maria Full of Grace." Still, The Forgiveness of Blood is a memorable portrait of a society and the demands it makes on those caught up in it.
  148. Unlike the benchmark sports documentary "Hoop Dreams," Undefeated doesn't have a deep penetration of poverty and race in its playbook, but it does have enough heart to make substantial forward progress.
  150. Footnote is faintly comic, and director Joseph Cedar mines dark humor from the humiliations of identity checks and pecking orders.
  151. Despite the crass book promotion, the overlong film is harmless romantic fun that's well played.
  152. Marley is thus a valuable history project but not a definitive or analytical one. For that, we await a film that's less "One Love" and more "Stir It Up."
  153. Like a Fishbone show or an LA weather forecast, the dark curtain rises, and there's a promise of more sunshine.
  154. 96 Minutes is a mere introduction to Sociology 101, but it's brisk enough to rustle the reading list and keep the conversation alive.
  156. Lacking beef or sufficient spice, it's nonetheless colorful comfort food.
  157. This is rich material that Moretti mines for both superficial absurdity and deep pathos.
  158. Too short and undisciplined to be a world-class comedy, but its chutzpah deserves respect.
  159. This thriller is both skillfully familiar and chillingly strange.
  160. Goodbye First Love is like a postcard from a lost Eden, a painfully pure oasis where we're not allowed to linger.
  161. It's the kind of movie that inspires word-of-mouth recommendations by speaking the international language of culture clash.
  162. Denham impressively captures Peter's flintiness, rendering him sympathetic yet not quite likable, and Vicius is just right as the wary Lorna.
  163. The real stars here are Scott's behind-the-curtain crew, who fill every frame with tech-savvy details and take the sets to another dimension with immersive 3-D imagery.
  164. Mostly the movie is about process and perspective. Through the documentary lens, Richter's enigmatic paintings speak to us.
  165. Ice-T delivers a love letter to hip-hop with Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap.
  166. Like "Gone, Baby, Gone," the French film Polisse succeeds by shifting the focus from the victims to the vigilant protectors.
  167. Just misses living up to its name.
  168. With elements of a musical, a melodrama and a multicultural romance, Where Do We Go Now? is as hard to define as the crossroads region where it's set. But even without a clear signal, it sometimes seems miraculous.
  169. Like a train, I Wish is slow to build momentum, then it carries us away in a wondrous rush.
  170. It's guilty of some sleight-of-hand hokum, but in pulling the rug from under the norm, Magic Mike turns a trick.
  171. Although there's a skeletal story, A Cat in Paris evokes a mood instead of a moral. Like a cat nap, it gives us a brief, refreshing dream with little to remember.
  172. Perry manages to pull it off here, coming off completely likable and real, never insufferable and fake.
  173. Alma is at once a charmer and a contrarian, and Bergsholm achieves that balance with seeming effortlessness. At times, she's more than a bit reminiscent of the young Jodie Foster.
  177. Arbitrage is never the nail-biting thriller that it could have been.
  178. Notwithstanding its storytelling stumbles, Sleepwalk With Me points in a positive direction for this likable comedian's career.
  179. While Looper lacks the heft of a classic, this wayback machine is worth taking for a spin.
  180. The campus comedy Pitch Perfect harmonizes high-end performance with low-brow spoofery. It's like a National Lampoon parody where the targets write the jokes.
  181. Sticks to the syllabus of a decidedly minor movie, but its humanities faculty is first-rate.
  182. While the big-headed, spindly puppets don't evoke enough emotion to make the movie a must-see, Burton's 3-D design team pours its heart into the monochrome surroundings, from the suburban décor to Victor's laboratory to the carnival midway.
  183. It comes together with a gruesome though excellent ending that some will find difficult to shake.
  184. Whereas "Chill" attempted to define a generation, "Lies" is more of a statement about the nature and limits of friendship.
  185. At once an intriguing character study and a refreshingly offbeat romance.
  186. If you root for documentaries with heart, The Other Dream Team is a slam dunk.
  187. Some may scoff when the boys exhibit traits and interests derived from the biological parents they never knew, but The Other Son is such a disarming feat that cynics will get left at the checkpoint.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    A lot like video games and candy: light entertainment but fun while it lasts.
  188. Few mainstream movies, let alone disability dramas, are so frank about sexual mechanics, yet notwithstanding the nudity, The Sessions isn't voyeuristic or sleazy.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
  189. Even more than most versions of Anna Karenina, this chamber piece is heated by two combustible characters, not by the winds of war and peace.
  190. There will never be another Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor, but Hollywood may have found a new Lee Remick in Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
  191. The Big Picture ends perhaps a bit too ambiguously, but there's something refreshing about its faith in the moviegoer's intelligence.
  192. At nearly three hours long, "An Unexpected Journey" has moments when the caravan seems both overstuffed and out of balance, but it's such a scenic trip that only a stubborn homebody could complain.
  194. Apatow still hasn't set the table for a meaty drama, but making us laugh is a piece of cake.
  196. Some of the themes and the hallucinatory special effects are reminiscent of Cronenberg’s “Naked Lunch,” and there are cheeky allusions to “Dawn of the Dead” and even “Eyes Wide Shut,” but a viewer with an open mind might say that this midnight-style movie is more enjoyable than any of them.
  197. The several allusions to Thomas Mann’s forbidden-love novel “Death in Venice” are apt, but Yossi is also a standalone film and an extraordinary sequel.
  199. With a greater emphasis on sex than violence, Spring Breakers is a more enjoyable guilty pleasure than “Natural Born Killers” and just as acute about our cultural devolution. For all its seeming stupidity, its masterstroke is making us complicit in the corruption of its young stars (who include the director’s own wife).
  200. It’s an enigmatic and austere film from a region where political, sexual and religious repression are as stifling as the sooty air.
  201. 42
    The inspirational movie named for Robinson’s number is too dignified to throw audiences a curveball, let alone a knockdown pitch, but its solid fundamentals make it a winner.