The 59% Club: An Ode to the Almost-Fresh Movie
So close, yet so far.
Oh, we don’t mean like close to perfection, as seen in our other guide, The 99% Club: An Ode to the Almost-Perfect Movie. Here, “close” means a movie that was in striking distance of being marked Fresh on the Tomatometer. A 60% score is what you need to be Fresh, and all the movies featured in this list are exactly one percentage point away: They are the members of The 59% Club.
What makes up the bones of a 59% movie? Take a look through this guide and you’ll find they’re mostly well-intentioned, mostly efficient, but lacking the spark (or several of them) to be fully endorsed by critics. They’re comedies with some great jokes, and maybe not enough laughs. They’re serious movies with lots to say, and maybe without the technical filmmaking to back it up. They’re remakes that manage to not totally suck, but which couldn’t quite convince audiences they needed to exist in the first place. They’re even movies that are ahead of their time, waiting for the rest of us to catch up.
One thing for certain is that, hey, a majority of critics actually did like the movie. So why not give some a chance?
Because Tomatometer scores are a living thing, subject to change as reviews come in throughout the years, we’ll be checking in from now on with new entries, and even removals. Watch ’em while they’re still Rotten! —Alex Vo
#83
Critics Consensus: A labyrinthine thriller with a host of memorable characters, 2 Days in the Valley is an uneven but intriguing thriller/black comedy.
Synopsis: Dosmo Pizzo (Danny Aiello), an ordinary guy, finds himself involved in a murder-for-hire scheme. He is betrayed by his partner,
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#82
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Scientists help the government investigate a threat that is beyond understanding.
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#81
Critics Consensus: This documentary traces Franken's transformation from humorist to activist with entertaining, if uneven, results.
Synopsis: Filmmakers Nick Doob and Chris Hegedus document a year in the life of satirist Al Franken, as he tours to
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#80
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In this film of unconnected humor sketches, bad movies and late-night television are parodied extensively. A doctor (Griffin Dunne) has
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#79
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A humorous battle of wills ensues when a young man (Matt D'Elia), who is borderline crazy and terminally ill, learns
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#78
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When a successful marketing guru reconnects with former classmates back at his high school for a speaking engagement, he starts
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#77
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: French painter Jean-Baptiste Emmerich (Jean-Louis Trintignant) dies, and a collection of his friends and lovers take the train to his
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#76
Critics Consensus: This remake has been praised by some as an expertly made B-movie, and dismissed by others as formulaic.
Synopsis: While en route to prison, a bus carrying criminals Marion (Laurence Fishburne), Beck (John Leguizamo) and Anna (Aisha Hinds) is
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#75
Critics Consensus: While it's certainly timely and beautifully filmed, The Bling Ring suffers from director Sofia Coppola's failure to delve beneath the surface of its shallow protagonists' real-life crimes.
Synopsis: A teenager (Israel Broussard) and his gang of fame-obsessed youths (Katie Chang, Taissa Farmiga) use the Internet to track the
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#74
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Bobbi Jene Smith is followed as she decides to leave her boyfriend and her 10-year run as star dancer of
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#73
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world, celebrity assassins (Matthew Marsden, Christian Pitre) target white-collar criminals.
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#71
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Three career criminals find themselves trapped in a warehouse with the law closing in and an even worse threat waiting
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#70
Critics Consensus: The Case for Christ shouldn't be dismissed, but like many faith-based productions, it's better at preaching to the choir than reaching the unconverted.
Synopsis: In 1980, Lee Strobel's (Mike Vogel) award-winning, investigative reporting earns him a promotion to legal editor at the Chicago Tribune.
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#69
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In modern-day London, a private investigator becomes entangled in the world of religious fanaticism and political intrigue while investigating a
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#68
Critics Consensus: Despite the surprisingly distant, clinical direction, Crash's explicit premise and sex is classic Cronenberg territory.
Synopsis: "Crash" is about the strange lure of the auto collision, provoking as it does the human fascination with death and
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#67
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Medical resident Dr. Werner Ernst (James Spader) aspires to help sick people, but is constantly warned by his mentor, Dr.
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#66
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An advertising executive (Neil Hopkins) tries desperately to save himself after a mudslide buries him in his car.
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#65
Critics Consensus: It's perfectly pleasant for sports buffs and Costner fans, but overall, Draft Day lives down to its title by relying too heavily on the sort of by-the-numbers storytelling that only a statistician could love.
Synopsis: Sonny Weaver Jr. is the general manager of the Cleveland Browns. One of pro football's most important days, NFL draft
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#64
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Perpetually sleeping around in search of the perfect guy, Jamie Harris (Marguerite Moreau) begins to have second thoughts after a
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#63
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: During the Great Depression, 8-year-old Native American Little Tree (Joseph Ashton) loses his mother and father. Little Tree is sent
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#62
Critics Consensus: Eleven Minutes makes for a decent fashion world primer, but is likely to appeal mostly to Project Runway diehards.
Synopsis: Couturier and "Project Runway" winner Jay McCarroll prepares his spring 2007 collection and runway show.
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#61
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A young man bonds with his infant son after the child's mother dies.
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#60
Critics Consensus: Heartwarming and acidic in turns, this offbeat dramedy about two meter maids in love features solid performances from Samantha Morton and Jason Patric.
Synopsis: Jay Caswell (Jason Patric) and Claire Barney (Samantha Morton) are both Los Angeles parking enforcement officers, but they have very
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#59
Critics Consensus: The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is undermined by its mawkish indulgences, but Dhanush's charming central performance is difficult to resist.
Synopsis: An Indian street magician travels to France to find his estranged father.
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#57
Critics Consensus: Though it doesn't fully capture the electrifying spirit of its subject, Finding Fela! is a solid overview of the life and work of a musical revolutionary.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Alex Gibney uses period interviews and performances plus highlights of the Broadway production of "Fela!" to tell the story
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#56
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In a remote house in Maine, two friends predict shifts in global financial markets by viewing footage of the forest.
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#55
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Researchers explore the possibility that people changing their diets from animal-based to plant-based can help eliminate or control diseases like
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#54
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Based on a true story, "Four Days in September" is a moving account of the kidnapping in September, 1969 of
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#53
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau re-teams with directors Johnnie To ("The Mission") and Wa Ka Fai for a spectacular no
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#52
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In this documentary, actor and environmental activist Woody Harrelson joins an eclectic group, including a raw food chef, a hemp
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#51
Critics Consensus: The Grand Seduction can't quite live up to the classic dramedies it seems to consciously evoke, but ambles sweetly enough to charm viewers in its own right.
Synopsis: Residents of a small fishing community in Newfoundland charm a doctor into becoming the town's full-time physician in order to
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#50
Critics Consensus: The Grinch gives the classic Seuss source material a brightly animated update that's solidly suitable for younger viewers without adding substantially to the story's legacy.
Synopsis: The Grinch and his loyal dog, Max, live a solitary existence inside a cave on Mount Crumpet. His main source
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#49
Critics Consensus: Although not terribly focused, Hannah Takes the Stairs contains refreshing realism.
Synopsis: A young woman (Greta Gerwig) experiments with various relationships, as she searches for personal and professional fulfillment.
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#48
Critics Consensus: Well-made and solidly acted, Hart's War is modestly compelling. However, the movie suffers from having too many subplots.
Synopsis: Lieutenant Tommy Hart (Colin Farrell) is a second year law student who is enlisted as an officer's aide in World
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#47
Critics Consensus: There's no denying the seriousness of Heli's story or the raw power of its more uncomfortable moments, but they're used in service of a grimly alienating film that many viewers may ultimately find unrewarding.
Synopsis: A factory worker struggles to protect his family from a corrupt police force when his young sister inadvertently lands them
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#46
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A man (Pedro De los Santos) returns home to Mexico after many years in the U.S. He hopes to make
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#45
Critics Consensus: Though somewhat overwhelmed by its own spectacle, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ends Peter Jackson's second Middle-earth trilogy on a reasonably satisfying note.
Synopsis: Having reclaimed Erebor and vast treasure from the dragon Smaug, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) sacrifices friendship and honor in seeking
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#44
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When Christian (Peter Marshall) finds out his runaway teenage daughter, Jesse (Hannah Levien), has been sexually attacked -- by way
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#43
Critics Consensus: This Fear Factor for kids is good-natured and tasty enough.
Synopsis: It is 11-year-old Billy's (Luke Benward) first day at a new school. Such an occasion is difficult enough for a
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#42
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: For Jip, Lulu, Koop, Nina and Moff, the dead-end jobs they endure during the week just kill the time until
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#41
Critics Consensus: Though Hurly Burly offers a showcase of powerhouse performances from its leads, it's held back by a meandering narrative and verbose explorations of cynicism.
Synopsis: Eddie (Sean Penn) is a confused and reckless man with a group of equally problematic friends. His roommate, caustic and
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#40
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: During the 1950s and '60s, Boubacar "KarKar" Traoré is at the center of the Malian music scene, until the government
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#39
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Based on her experiences as the first Asian-American to star in her own sitcom, "All-American Girl," "I'm the One that
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#38
Critics Consensus: If it fails to make the most of its intriguing premise, In the Mouth of Madness remains a decent enough diversion for horror fans and John Carpenter completists.
Synopsis: When horror novelist Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) goes missing, insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) scrutinizes the claim made by
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#37
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A director takes a deep look at his relationship with his daughter.
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#36
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When Casper (Casper Christensen) attempts to break into Hollywood, his estranged friend Frank (Frank Hvam) follows him to Los Angeles,
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#35
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A restless teen (Juno Temple) convinces her best friend (Kay Panabaker) to help her steal a vehicle and head to
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#34
Critics Consensus: Unoriginal, with one-dimensional characters.
Synopsis: After being unceremoniously dumped by her husband, 40-something divorcée Judith Moore (Holly Hunter) tries to make sense of her new
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#33
Critics Consensus: Jamie Thraves' debut film about British twenty-somethings effectively captures the nuances of its characters.
Synopsis: Frank (Aidan Gillen) is in his late twenties, and he becomes restless as he realizes that his life purely revolves
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#32
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Suburban Boston professional couple Andy (Bill Pullman) and Tracy (Nicole Kidman) become entangled with cocky trauma surgeon Dr. Jed Hill
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#31
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An actress (Juliette Binoche) undergoes a spiritual transformation after playing Mary Magdalene in a film.
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#30
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: People mixed up in different crimes look for ways out.
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#29
Critics Consensus: Paranormal Activity 2 doesn't cover any new ground, but its premise is still scary -- and in some respects, it's a better film than the original.
Synopsis: When the Reys move into their new Southern California home, little do they realize that the house is already occupied.
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#28
Critics Consensus: This Summer remembrance is brimming with nostalgic flourishes and easygoing charm, but is as stubbornly weightless as a Ping Pong ball.
Synopsis: In 1985 a summer vacation in Ocean City, Md., changes the life of a shy white teen (Marcello Conte) who's
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#27
Critics Consensus: Despite an interesting premise (and a starmaking turn from Vin Diesel), Pitch Black is too derivative and formulaic to fully recommend to sci-fi or action fans.
Synopsis: When their ship crashes on an unexplored planet, the survivors of the crash soon discover that this planet that is
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#26
Critics Consensus: Flawed yet filled with finely detailed characters, Red Doors is a glimpse of the Asian-American experience that suggests great promise for writer-director Georgia Lee.
Synopsis: The patriarch (Tzi Ma) of a Chinese-American family plans to get away from it all when he retires, but the
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#25
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An 84-year-old matriarch (Graciana Chironi) gathers four generations of her family together for a road trip across Argentina to attend
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#24
Critics Consensus: Charming characters; loads of fun for kids and adults.
Synopsis: This animated comedy finds Tommy Pickles (E.G. Daily) trying to return his baby brother to the hospital after being warned
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#23
Critics Consensus: Though it's not as good as it could have been, Scotland PA shows cleverness at utilizing its premise.
Synopsis: "Scotland, Pa." is a black comedy retelling of Shakespeare's "Macbeth," set against the backdrop of a fast food restaurant in
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#22
Critics Consensus: The Secret Life of Bees has moments of charm, but is largely too maudlin and sticky-sweet.
Synopsis: Haunted by memories of her late mother and abused by her father (Paul Bettany), 14-year-old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) runs
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#21
Critics Consensus: Shampoo trains a darkly comic lens on post-Nixon America, aiming at -- and often hitting -- an array of timely targets.
Synopsis: Against the backdrop of Nixon's election to office, Beverly Hills hairdresser and notorious rake George Roundy (Warren Beatty) runs into
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#20
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A deadly assassin resurfaces while two Korean agents try to prevent a terrorist plot involving a liquid explosive.
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#19
Critics Consensus: Though Skills Like This has little to distinguish, director Monty Miranda shows flashes of wit and talent.
Synopsis: A failed writer realizes that he makes a great crook.
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#18
Critics Consensus: Though at times melodramatic, Skins' harsh depiction of life on the reservation is an eye-opener.
Synopsis: Rudy Yellowshirt (Eric Schweig) is an investigator with the police department and witnesses firsthand the painful legacy of Indian existence.
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#17
Critics Consensus: The story isn't the greatest, but there's an abundance of sci-fi eye candy to compensate.
Synopsis: England of the 1860s receives a technological remake in this animated adventure. Ray (Anna Paquin) is a brilliant young inventor
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#16
Critics Consensus: The Stoning of Soraya M. nearly transcends its deficiencies through the sheer strength of its subject material, but ultimately drowns out its message with an inappropriately heavy-handed approach.
Synopsis: An Iranian woman (Shohreh Aghdashloo) tells a journalist (James Caviezel) about the unjust and brutal death of her innocent niece
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#15
Critics Consensus: A slick and well-made thriller that takes on new weight due to the current political climate.
Synopsis: Based on Tom Clancy's novel, this espionage thriller tracks a sinister plot to draw the United States and Russia into
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#14
Critics Consensus: The Talent Given Us is an odd hybrid of reality and fiction, but works due to its engaging characters.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Andrew Wagner cast his own mother, father and sisters to portray themselves in this film, which is partially based
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#13
Critics Consensus: It's oddly affecting in a deeply discomfiting way, but Trash Humpers pales in comparison with Harmony Korine's earlier, truly transgressive work.
Synopsis: A freak cult inhabits the city of Nashville, Tenn.
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#12
Critics Consensus: Excellent performances by Michelle Monaghan and Nathan Fillion and keenly-observed details of small town life elevate this otherwise predictable and inconsistent melodrama.
Synopsis: Loner Diane Ford (Michelle Monaghan) is a truck driver with an 11-year-old son, Peter (Jimmy Bennett), whom she never sees,
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#11
Critics Consensus: Two Men Went to War bungles an incredible fact-based story on a frustratingly uneven dramatization that turns wartime heroism into middling dramedy.
Synopsis: An aging sergeant (Kenneth Cranham) and a young private (Leo Bill) go absent without leave during World War II.
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#10
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Gambling addict Michael Chambers (Peter Gallagher) returns to Texas for the wedding of his mother and soon becomes engulfed in
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#9
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Aging beautician Angèle (Nathalie Baye), already wounded by a long-ago romance, gets awkwardly dumped at a train station. Witnessing how
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#8
Critics Consensus: Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show has some entertaining moments, but is a mostly hit-and-miss documentary.
Synopsis: Stand-up comics Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst and Sebastian Maniscalco join actor Vince Vaughn in a series of live
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#7
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In 1941, the U.S. government asks Walt Disney to embark on a goodwill tour of South America. Though relations at
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#6
Critics Consensus: It isn't always as funny as it should be, but Wanderlust benefits from an extremely talented cast and some of David Wain's most confident, assured work behind the camera.
Synopsis: George (Paul Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston) have overextended, overstressed lives in Manhattan. After George loses his job, he and
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#5
Critics Consensus: With fine performances and a dark, dry sense of humor, The Weather Man is mostly cloudy with occasional rays of sunshine.
Synopsis: David Spritz (Nicolas Cage) is a Chicago weatherman who, despite success at his job, is deeply unhappy. Eclipsed by his
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#4
Critics Consensus: Solid work from the cast - particularly a scene-stealing Matthew McConaughey - helps White Boy Rick make up for a number of missed opportunities in the script.
Synopsis: Rick Wershe is a single father who's struggling to raise two teenagers during the height of the crack epidemic in
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#3
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In Paris, an American writer (Ethan Hawke) falls under the sexual spell of a mysterious widow (Kristin Scott Thomas) who
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#2
Critics Consensus: Though restrained by most torture porn standards, Would You Rather's brilliant premise is ultimately harmed by its tendency towards blood and guts.
Synopsis: Iris (Brittany Snow) and seven other desperate people become trapped in Shepard's (Jeffrey Combs) mansion. Shepard forces them to play
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#1
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A camp counselor suffering from memory loss finds himself in the middle of a horror movie massacre. Based on the
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60%
55%
75%
