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News / Columns / Critics Consensus
Critical Consensus: Champ Is No Chump; Nanny Is Dire, Bean is No Holiday, Dawn Needs Rescue
And War goes unscreened. Guess that Tomatometer!
by Tim Ryan | August 23, 2007
Discuss Article
This week at the multiplex, you'll have your choice between babysitters (The Nanny Diaries, starring Scarlett Johansson and Laura Linney) manchilds (Mr. Bean's Holiday, starring Rowan Atkinson), boxers (Resurrecting the Champ, starring Josh Hartnett and Samuel L. Jackson),  Mormons (September Dawn, starring Jon Voight), and rogues (War, starring Jet Li and Jason Statham). What are the critics saying?

The Nanny Diaries features a stellar cast that includes Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, and Paul Giamatti, and it's directed by Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman, the team behind the wonderfully unconventional American Splendor. So why, critics ask, is Diaries so mediocre? Perhaps it's because the tone shifts between dark satire and lighter comedy. Johansson stars as a woman who takes a job tending to the child of an affluent-but-cold New York City couple. Pundits say the biggest problem with the film is not the performers, who do what they can with the material. It's that their characters are one-dimensional, and the satire lacks the edge to really make it work. At 24 percent on the Tomatometer, this Diary isn't held dear.


"What'd I tell you about doing Jell-O shots before noon?"

Mr. Bean is something of an acquired taste, and critics say Mr. Bean's Holiday may not be the place to acquire it. But they also note the irrepressible Rowan Atkinson works really hard to sell the gags, and families could do much worse than this good-natured comedy. With a nod to Jacques Tati's legendary Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, the film finds Bean leaving the dreary confines of London for Cannes, where he's alternately mistaken for a master filmmaker and a kidnapper. The critics say Bean is mostly harmless fun, but if you aren't already a fan (or a little kid) you may find this stuff pretty tough going. At 43 percent on the Tomatometer, this one might not amount to a hill of beans, but at least it's a cut above the original Bean (36 percent).


"I see London, I see France..."

Sort of a rough cross between Cinderella Man and Shattered Glass, Resurrecting the Champ gives you two tropes for the price of one: the washed-up coulda-been-a-contendah and the newspaper man whose hot story may all be a hoax. Still, critics say Champ works surprisingly well, thanks to committed performances from Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett. Based on a true story, the film tells the tale of a sportswriter (Hartnett) who finds what could be the biggest story of his career in a homeless man (Jackson) who calls himself Champ and claims to be a former ring king. Critics say that although the film gets a little melodramatic at times, it's wise in the ways of the newspaper life, and it's got plenty of heart. At 75 percent on the Tomatometer, Champ puts up a good fight.


"I'll fight you for the merry-go-round."

September Dawn was denounced by the Mormon Church before its release; the LDS claimed it was a distortion of the faith's history. Now it's movie critics' turn, albeit for different reasons. Dawn tells the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, a still-controversial 1857 attack in which a group of Mormons attacked a wagon train (the church hotly disputes the film's assertion that LDS president Brigham Young approved of the killings). Despite the presence of such acclaimed thespians as Terence Stamp and Jon Voight, critics say the film works neither as history nor drama, thanks to mediocre filmmaking throughout; they also note Dawn's attempts to draw parallels to contemporary conflicts are muddled at best. Dawn currently stands at 10 percent on the Tomatometer.


"Tonight we dine in Utah!"

It appears the folks behind War have feared an attack from critics. That seems to be the reason they're using the cinematic equivalent of camouflage: not screening the film before its release. Jet Li and Jason Statham star in this tale of betrayal and revenge, in which the CIA, Yakuza, and Triads figure prominently. Guess that Tomatometer.


"I'll trade you all this for a Wii."

Also opening this week in limited release: Deep Water, a doc about a fateful solo, around-the-world boat race, is at 100 percent; Right At Your Door, a drama about a terrorist attack in L.A., is at 68 percent; Hannah Takes the Stairs, about a young woman's romantic angst, is at 61 percent (check out our interview with director Joe Swanberg here); No. 2, a Fijian family dramedy starring Ruby Dee, is at 56 percent; The Bothersome Man, a Norwegian drama about a man who forgets his past and finds himself in a strange town, is at 56 percent; Dedication, an unconventional romance about a troubled children's book author starring Mandy Moore and Billy Crudup, is at 42 percent; The Hottest State, the Ethan Hawke-helmed tale of a singer trying to make it in New York, is at 42 percent; and Illegal Tender, a drama about a woman's longstanding blood feud with her husband's killer, is at 33 percent.


Slinky: the new cup and string.

Finally, props to AudioNinja, who decided to eschew stealth and subsequently came the closest to guessing The Last Legion's 18 percent Tomatometer.

Recent Scarlett Johansson Movies:
------------------------------------------
37% -- Scoop (2006)
75% -- The Prestige (2006)
35% -- The Black Dahlia (2006)
79% -- Match Point (2005)
39% -- A Good Woman (2005)

Related Items
Movie: War
Mr. Bean's Holiday
September Dawn
Resurrecting the Champ
Hannah Takes the Stairs
Deep Water
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Comments (1-13 of 13 posts) | Reply
a.n.t.
a.n.t. writes:
on Aug 23 2007 06:08 PM

i say that war will probably get 21 percent on the tomatometer. i still think superbad will be number 1.

(Reply to this)
icon2008
icon2008 writes:
on Aug 23 2007 06:21 PM

War will get 25%. My money (not much) is on Mr. Bean's Holiday to take the top spot over War with Superbad in 3rd.

(Reply to this)
alwaysforevernow
alwaysforevernow writes:
on Aug 23 2007 06:24 PM

War: 32% Tomatometer

(Reply to this)
Pilgermann
Pilgermann writes:
on Aug 23 2007 06:27 PM

You think MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY will be in first?!!!?!??! ARE YOU INSANE?! Hardly anyone cares about Mr. Bean these days. That movie will flop. SUPERBAD will probably retain the top spot.

(Reply to this)
Cindy_Lou_Who
Cindy_Lou_Who writes:
on Aug 23 2007 06:31 PM

I've been a long time fan of Mr. Bean and saw Mr. Bean's Holiday in England earlier this summer. This movie became a huge international hit even before it opens in North America tomorrow since it has already made hundreds of millions of dollars at th edbox office worldwide.

If you are a fan of Mr. Bean, then you have to see Mr. Bean's Holiday. But be warned, go to the rest room before the movie begins because if not you'll laugh so hard you'll pee in your pants. This is classic Bean.


(Reply to this)
neoes
neoes writes:
on Aug 23 2007 07:18 PM

Superbad will probably take the number one spot...around 20 million and beat War and Mr. Bean

(Reply to this)
Metafact
Metafact writes:
on Aug 23 2007 07:24 PM

I was really hoping that September Dawn would be a good movie. Too few people know about the mountain meadows massacre. Oh, well...

(Reply to this)
danterandal19
danterandal19 writes:
on Aug 23 2007 07:26 PM

Superbad will take number 1 again...War's gonna play like crank last year (which made like 10 mil it's first weekend), and Mr. Bean's won't do too well. It'll play out like how Blades of glory (or any Will Ferrell movie, for that matter) did overseas (like 15-16 mil total)

(Reply to this)
SplendidIsolation
SplendidIsolation writes:
on Aug 23 2007 07:47 PM

War- 28%

(Reply to this)
goldmonkee
goldmonkee writes:
on Aug 23 2007 08:12 PM

War: 42%

(Reply to this)
Bloody Mathias
Bloody Mathias writes:
on Aug 23 2007 10:27 PM

War: 23%

I also agree that Superbad will retain the top spot followed by Bean and War.


(Reply to this)
Drunken Mastermind
Drunken Mastermind writes:
on Aug 24 2007 04:51 AM

War-47%. Also,Superbad will retain its spot,followed closely by War and traling long behing will beMr.Bean's Holiday(it's going to be an international hit,but it will flop at the U.S.)

(Reply to this)
unbreakable_samurai
unbreakable_samurai writes:
on Aug 24 2007 01:21 PM

War 17%
I'm going to check out Resurrecting the Champ which looks good. And mabey September Dawn because I really would like to learn about the mountain meadows massacre.


(Reply to this)
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