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News / Columns / Critics Consensus
Critical Consensus: Life Has Its Ups And Downs, Darjeeling Is Transporting
Plus: Guess the Saw IV Tomatometer!
by Tim Ryan | October 25, 2007
Discuss Article | Blog Article | Email To A Friend
This week at the movies we have a lovelorn single dad (Dan in Real Life, starring Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche), brothers on a train (The Darjeeling Limited, starring Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman, and the return of Jigsaw (Saw IV, starring Tobin Bell and Scott Patterson). What do the critics have to say?

The perpetually awesome Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche team up for Dan in Real Life, a rom-com about an advice columnist who falls for his brother's significant other. It sounds good on paper: who wouldn't be intrigued by the pairing of the brilliantly guileless Carell with Binoche, an actress of uncommon range and depth? Though Life suffers from an uneasy mix of sitcom wackiness and sentimentality, director Peter Hedges has a clear love for the film's characters, with most critics agreeing Carell and company overcome the weak script. At 60 percent, Dan looks to survive his mid (Tomatometer) Life crisis.
 


"Want to join my Lynne Cheney book discussion group?"

Wes Anderson's back, and with him comes the visual splendor and melancholy humor for which he's known. In The Darjeeling Limited, Adrien Brody joins Anderson regulars Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman in the story three brothers trekking across the Subcontinent in search of spiritual truth. The critics aren't all on board with Darjeeling; some find Anderson's quirks overwhelming and impersonal. But the majority says it's engaging and funny in that deadpan Wes Anderson way, with loads of quirky visual touches. At 66 percent on the Tomatometer, The Darjeeling Limited may be worth the trip. (Check out our Wes Anderson Total Recall feature here.)
 


"I'm telling you, Wes Anderson has never seen Harold and Maude!"

For those of you who yearn for even more insight into the twisted mind of Jigsaw, you're in luck: Saw IV hits theaters Friday. However, if you're a movie critic, you won't be able to see it before the rest of us civilians, since it wasn't screened before release. Whoever correctly guesses the Tomatometer will be the sharpest tool in the RT shed.
 


Scott Patterson wishing he were back in Stars Hollow.
 
Also opening this week in limited release: Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, a doc about the venerable folksinger/lefty activist, is at 92 percent on the Tomatometer; The Living and the Dead, a psychological horror film about an unbalanced man caring for his sick mother, is at 89 percent; Jimmy Carter Man From Plains, Jonathan Demme's doc about the 39th president, is at 81 percent; Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, a family drama starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, and Ethan Hawke, is at 79 percent; The Island, a Russian import about a soldier who takes refuge in a monastery, is at 71 percent; Mr. Untouchable, a doc about the rise and fall of drug kingpin Nicky Barnes, is at 63 percent; Lynch, an examination of the man behind Twin Peaks, is at 63 percent; Black Irish, a coming-of-age dysfunctional family drama, is at 50 percent; Lagerfeld Confidential, a doc about the fashion icon, is at 45 percent; Music Within, a drama about a Vietnam Vet who fought for the rights of the disabled, is at 38 percent; O Jerusalem, a dramatization of the establishment of Israel, is at 33 percent; Slipstream, written and directed by Anthony Hopkins, is at 30 percent; Bella, about an unconventional love story in New York City, is at 30 percent; and Rails & Ties, a drama about a family struggling with illness starring Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden, is at 23 percent.
 


Seeger, with some random groupie.
 
Finally, props to m_ioannidis for coming the closest to guessing The Comebacks 10 percent Tomatometer. And semi-props to SplendidIsolation and BlueStar 50 for coming the closest to guessing Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour's zero percent score.

Recent Steve Carell Movies:
-----------------------------------
24% -- Evan Almighty (2007)
74% -- Over the Hedge (2006)
92% -- Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
83% -- The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
51% -- Melinda and Melinda (2005)

Saws:
-----------------
27% -- Saw III (2006)
35% -- Saw II (2005)
46% -- Saw (2004)

Related Items
Movie: The Darjeeling Limited
The Island
Lynch (One)
Lagerfeld Confidential
Black Irish
Music Within
O Jerusalem
Bella
Slipstream
Rails & Ties
Mr. Untouchable
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Jimmy Carter Man From Plains
The Living and the Dead
Trailer Park Boys - The Movie
Pete Seeger - The Power of Song
Saw IV
Celeb: Wes Anderson
Tobin Bell
Steve Carell
Adrien Brody
Owen Wilson
Juliette Binoche
Bookmark and Share
Comments (1-20 of 35 posts) | Reply
285084
m_ioannidis writes:
on Oct 25 2007 04:50 PM

Saw IV - 12%

(Reply to this)
264325
MMacKK writes:
on Oct 25 2007 04:53 PM

26%

(Reply to this)
vitajex writes:
on Oct 25 2007 04:55 PM

Where is The Trailer Park Boys Movie supposed to be playing? The film was released a whole year ago in Canada, is already available on DVD and I checked Minneapolis, Chicago, New York City, Buffalo, Dallas, Los Angeles and Seattle and the film is not playing in any of those theaters. Sounds like bad information to me...

(Reply to this)
CoUcH ToMaToE DoUgIe writes:
on Oct 25 2007 05:14 PM

poor steve carrel, so much for the early 100% approval tomatometer rating

, ah it was nice while it lasted:) still, whats with these insults about it being too

sitcomy? whats wrong with a sitcom feel and angle. hey a good sitcm is hard to find and

it shouldn't be considered such a flaw. oh, i hope saw doesn't get double digits

on the tomatometer. hey here's hoping for saw 6.. that its rating is lower than the

sequel number:) i'm not putting my hopes too high for the next saw but hey thinking

of it just gives me nightmares. but hey can't wait for november and all the big movies

in it.


(Reply to this)
Alex Vo writes:
on Oct 25 2007 05:17 PM

Thanks, vitajex. We've removed the listing.

(Reply to this)
287336
badmoviecritic writes:
on Oct 25 2007 05:34 PM

saw iv = caca movie = 11 %

(Reply to this)
268747
FireflyFan4evr writes:
on Oct 25 2007 05:37 PM

Saw IV will get 18%

(Reply to this)
SplendidIsolation writes:
on Oct 25 2007 05:40 PM

I`m always getting semi-props! Dammit!

Anyways, Saw 4-11%


(Reply to this)
453113
Cupcakemafia writes:
on Oct 25 2007 05:44 PM

Saw 4... 54%!

(Reply to this)
Sora Freak writes:
on Oct 25 2007 05:44 PM

Can't wait to finally get to see The Darjeeling Limited

(Reply to this)
467958
nayd03 writes:
on Oct 25 2007 05:47 PM

Saw IV 26%

(Reply to this)
killermonkey8822 writes:
on Oct 25 2007 05:53 PM

the saw series is stupid.... it's not even real horror..... and is it just me, or is Steve Carrel really not funny anymore..... he was funny in Anchroman and 40 year old virgin but that's about it.

(Reply to this)
467958
nayd03 writes:
on Oct 25 2007 06:00 PM

Saw IV 26%

(Reply to this)
309213
arendr writes:
on Oct 25 2007 06:15 PM

Steve Carell: If you're listening, you need to fire your agent or something. You are way more talented than the movie choices you've been making lately would make it seem. Please, or you'll end up like Chevy Chase.

(Reply to this)
the_don_of_yreka writes:
on Oct 25 2007 06:31 PM

Saw 4 30%

(Reply to this)
Tim Ryan writes:
on Oct 25 2007 06:51 PM

In reply to this comment (#1222083)
Btw, vitajex.... you don't happen to be a fan of "A Face in the Crowd," do ya? Because that's a good one.

(Reply to this)
Tim Ryan writes:
on Oct 25 2007 06:55 PM

In reply to this comment (#1222083)
Btw, vitajex.... you don't happen to be a fan of "A Face in the Crowd," do ya? Because that's a good one.

(Reply to this)
Bloody Mathias writes:
on Oct 25 2007 07:04 PM

Saw 4: 33%

(Reply to this)
163668
grapeantler writes:
on Oct 25 2007 07:18 PM

Once again, RT has put itself in one of those annoying, too trusting in itself situations again. 56% is nearly fresh, but we still write "Dan is Loser at Life" while deep down in my heart I know that if it had 4 percent more it was have a headline like "Dan is Life Affirming." 4 percent off from fresh and we label something a disaster?

(Reply to this)
163668
grapeantler writes:
on Oct 25 2007 07:19 PM

Once again, RT has put itself in one of those annoying, too trusting in itself situations again. 56% is nearly fresh, but we still write "Dan is Loser at Life" while deep down in my heart I know that if it had 4 percent more it was have a headline like "Dan is Life Affirming." 4 percent off from fresh and we label something a disaster?

(Reply to this)
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