Critics Consensus

Critics Consensus: Inside Out Is Certified Fresh

Plus, Dope is smart and energetic, and Game of Thrones goes out with a bang.

by Tim Ryan | June 18, 2015 | Comments

This week at the movies, we’ve got mixed emotions (Inside Out featuring voice performances by Amy Poehler and Mindy Kaling) and risky business (Dope, starring Shameik Moore and Zoë Kravitz). What do the critics have to say?

Inside Out (2015) 98%

Visually daring, narratively complex, technically groundbreaking: Pixar’s best work has been all this and more, redefining the term “family entertainment” in the process. Critics say Inside Out is another triumph for the studio, an audacious, funny, complex film that pulls off a seemingly impossible conceit. Riley is an 11-year-old girl whose family has relocated from Minnesota to San Francisco, and she’s struggling with her emotions, which are personified by a group of colorful avatars that live and work in her brain. But when Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) find themselves stuck in the recesses of her memory banks, Riley’s mental state becomes increasingly precarious. The pundits say the Certified Fresh Inside Out, with its energetic voice performances and breathtaking animation, can stand alongside Ratatouille, WALL-E, and Up as a superior example of Pixar’s advancement of the medium. (Check out our video interviews with the stars, along with our countdown of every Pixar movie by Tomatometer.)

Dope (2015) 88%

Dope flies in the face of summer movie conventions: it’s a Sundance-approved teen comedy with a cast of up-and-comers that confounds expectations at nearly every turn. Critics say the film is a breath of fresh air — it’s energetic and thoughtful, and it could prove to be a star-making vehicle for talented newcomer Shameik Moore. A bookworm whose taste for 1990s fashion and music makes him an outcast at school and in his neighborhood, Malcolm (Moore) dreams of getting accepted to Harvard. However, when he winds up in possession of a bag full of drugs, our hero must come up with a plan to unload the product without ending up in serious trouble. The pundits say Dope has occasional bumpy patches, but mostly, it’s an insightful, warm-hearted film that’s bursting with personality.

What’s On TV

Game of Thrones: Season 5 (2015) 93%

“Mother’s Mercy” wraps up a particularly dark Game of Thrones season with a finale that delivers strong character work and and a handful of appropriately bleak cliffhangers.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: Season 1 (2015) 92%

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell sets engaging performances against an enchanting canvas, even if some of the magic from the source material gets lost along the way.

True Detective: Season 2 (2015) 47%

True Detective‘s second season stands on its own as a solid police drama, with memorable moments and resonant relationships outweighing predictable plot twists.

Also Opening This Week In Limited Release

Hippocrates (2014) , a black comedy about an idealistic young intern learning the ropes at a dysfunctional hospital, is at 100 percent.
3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets (2015) , a documentary about the murder trial of a man who shot a teenager after a confrontation over loud music, is at 100 percent.
Eden (2014) , a drama about the rise and fall of a French DJ whose popularity coincides with a series of romantic escapades, is at 100 percent
The Tribe (2014) , a drama about a group of students at a Ukrainian school for the deaf involved in all matter of criminal activity, is Certified Fresh at 88 percent.
The Overnight (2015) , starring Taylor Schilling and Adam Scott as a young couple who get more than they bargain for when they accept a dinner invitation from married swingers, is at 85 percent
Gabriel (2014) , starring Rory Culkin in a pyschological thriller about a troubled young man looking for his childhood sweetheart, is at 82 percent.
Infinitely Polar Bear (2014) , starring Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana in a drama about a man suffering from bipolar disorder who attempts to rebuild his relationship with his family, is at 82 percent.
Balls Out (2014) , starring Jake Lacy and Nikki Reed in a comedy about a fifth-year college senior who gets his beloved intramural flag football team back together for one more shot at glory, is at 80 percent.
Rubble Kings (2015) , a documentary about the rise of gang activity in the Bronx during a tumultuous period in the 1960s and 1970s, is at 63 percent.
The Face of an Angel (2014) , starring Kate Beckinsale and Cara Delevingne in a drama loosely based upon the Amanda Knox case, is at 44 percent.
Manglehorn (2014) , starring Al Pacino and Holly Hunter in David Gordon Green’s drmaedy about a lonely locksmith who still pines for his lost love, is at 31 percent.