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Canvas (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:20
Rotten:6
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: Canvas is a faithful portrayal of mental illness highlighted by terrific performances.
Theatrical Release:Oct 12, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: This debut feature from director Joseph Greco is the semi-autobiographical tale of a 10-year-old Florida boy, Chris (Devon Gearhart), who returns from a summer in Alaska to find his mentally ill... [More]
Starring: Marcia Gay Harden, Joe Pantoliano, Devon Gearhart, Paul Lasa
Director: Joseph Greco
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Reviews for Canvas
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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 3/4 |
It’s worth hanging on for where Greco goes with this. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
Movies don’t come more personal than Canvas, writer/director/co-producer Joseph Greco’s serious-minded exploration of the devastating effects unleashed by mental illness upon an otherwise tightly knit American family. Full Review |
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2.5/4 |
Though Canvas may not deviate much from the formula followed by so many other movies about families imperiled by health crises, it's unusually perceptive about the ways that loved ones process (or fail to process) the resulting stress. Full Review |
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3/5 |
There is something to be said for a filmmaker like Greco who takes the truth -- no matter how tough it is -- and turns it into a compelling drama about people we might know in life. Full Review |
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 2/4 |
It's like a public service announcement with dialogue. Full Review |
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[A] strong first feature. Full Review |
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2/6 |
A pair of well-shaded performances by Joe Pantoliano and Marcia Gay Harden dignifies a sincere but innocuous look at a blue-collar husband’s struggle with his wife’s schizophrenia. Full Review |
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If it weren't for the terrific performances, Canvas would be a dull and lifeless film; Marcia Gay Harden explores the schizophrenic character of Mary with a judicial technique that is both compassionate and credible. Full Review |
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Writer-director Joseph Greco makes a nice feature-film debut telling a true, disturbing story about a 10-year-old boy struggling to cope with a schizophrenic mother. Full Review |
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2/5 |
Canvas just doesn't sketch a sufficiently vivid portrait. Full Review |
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3/5 |
Canvas is worth seeing for the acting, but the disease-of-the-week conventions and hackneyed visuals pretty well knock the wind out of its sails. Full Review |
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2.5/4 |
Greco succeeds where many others have failed in giving a real sense of what it is to grow up with a parent who's hobbled by mental illness. Full Review |
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3/4 |
Greco takes his biggest risk, perhaps, when he puts that boat in water with father and son manning the sails. It could be a mawkish scene that sinks everything that came before it, but like the watercraft that symbolizes so much, the movie remains afloat. Full Review |
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3/4 |
I can see why it was a hit at film festivals. I only hope it now gets its due in theaters. Full Review |
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3/4 |
First-time filmmaker Joseph Greco draws on personal experience for this devastating yet honest portrait of an ordinary Florida family. Full Review |
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2.5/4 |
Though Harden has the showier role, a subdued Pantoliano is the movie's real star. Sometimes, the quietest performances are the most powerful. Full Review |
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3/4 |
Canvas is a serious film about mental illness and a sentimental heartwarmer, and succeeds in both ways. Full Review |
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3.5/5 |
Canvas is a movie that rings emotionally true, despite structural contrivances and dim, washed-out color.
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Small and slow-moving, and not in a way that means finely detailed and pensive. Full Review |
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2.5/4 |
Despite its admirable qualities, Canvas fizzles and falls into cliche. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for Canvas
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