Lael Loewenstein

Tomatometer-approved critic

Publications: Boxoffice Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Variety

Critics' Group: Los Angeles Film Critics Association

movie Reviews Only

Movies

	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Review
	51%	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012)	[It's] formulaic in adhering to the sitcom-style tone of the first two films. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 2, 2012
	23%	What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012)	Helmer Kirk Jones does a solid job negotiating the material and managing the few tonal shifts when an occasional dark moment emerges. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted May 11, 2012
	17%	Bongwater (1998)	An uneven, intermittently likable movie about a group of Portland residents for whom getting high is a way of life. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 23, 2012
	22%	Darling Companion (2012)	Despite an intriguing premise, a marquee middle-aged cast and a veteran helmer (Lawrence Kasdan) schooled in character-driven ensemble movies, the result is more shaggy-dog story than incisive reflection on human relationships. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 27, 2012
	60%	Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (2011)	Even the uninitiated could do a lot worse than this 80-minute musical valentine to the outsider in us all. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 11, 2011
	39%	Monte Carlo (2011)	A frothy, innocuous smorgasbord of girlhood wish fulfillment that scores a direct hit with its target demo. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 30, 2011
	19%	Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer (2011)	Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer strives to capture the insouciance of Megan McDonald's popular book series but overshoots its comedic potential. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 3, 2011
	60%	That's What I Am (2011)	Agreeable, uplifting and earnest almost to a fault. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 21, 2011
	37%	Mars Needs Moms (2011)	Working against an ungainly title and a rather formulaic marketing campaign, pic is a modestly enjoyable performance-capture creation bearing the unmistakable imprint of producer Robert Zemeckis. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 8, 2011
	22%	The Simian Line (2000)	An uneven, at times absorbing portrait of four couples struggling to define their relationships. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 6, 2010
	68%	Babies (2010)	An exercise in observational cinema tracking four infants across the globe, Babies is refreshing in its methods, impressive in its scope and remarkable in its immediacy. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted May 3, 2010
	67%	Date Night (2010)	A romantic comedy with action, edge and genuine chemistry between its leads, Date Night scores a home run. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 6, 2010
	52%	Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)	Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an amusing romp through the awkward years of middle school. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 18, 2010
	18%	The Tooth Fairy (2010)	A serendipitous combination of star (Dwayne Johnson), material and director (Michael Lembeck), this tale of an arrogant hockey player, forced to serve time in wings and a pastel-colored tutu, scores a goal for kids and adults alike. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 21, 2010
	12%	The Spy Next Door (2010)	It's a sad day for Jackie Chan fans when the action-comedy star is reduced to a vehicle as lame as The Spy Next Door. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 11, 2010
	54%	A Cool Dry Place (1998)	The kind of plodding, conventional fare usually reserved for TV movies. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 4, 2009
	7%	Whiteout (2009)	Should fade faster than a polar bear in a blizzard. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 11, 2009
	22%	G-Force (2009)	Longtime visual effects supervisor Hoyt Yeatman Jr., in his feature directing debut, displays ample credentials for action and memorable setpieces. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 23, 2009
	44%	Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)	Bigger, longer, and even more chaotically crowded (more stars! more f/x!) than its predecessor, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian proves that adding another ring doesn't make for a better circus. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted May 20, 2009
	9%	My Life in Ruins (2009)	It's not that this premise is so altogether improbable -- what tourist hasn't bonded with strangers while sharing close quarters in a foreign land? -- but that it feels tired from the start. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted May 5, 2009
	44%	Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)	A goofily endearing romp that might even lasso a few new fans. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 7, 2009
	78%	Maryam (2002)	A lovely, intricate coming-of-age portrait set in a cross-cultural context, "Maryam" reps a promising debut from Ramin Serry. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 27, 2009
	93%	Spy Kids (2001)	Fulfills kids' empowerment fantasies and features enough techno-wizardry and cool f/x to satisfy those weaned on videogames. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 27, 2009
	7%	Friends & Lovers (1999)	Writer-director George Haas' debut feature offers nothing as it strains to be funny and provocative. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 26, 2009
	60%	Playing by Heart (1998)	Carroll's characters spend so much time talking, albeit intelligently, that the connections they make seem peculiarly synthetic. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 26, 2009
	No Score Yet	Super Capers (2009)	A bizarrely misguided attempt to revive -- and spoof -- the classic B-movie, Super Capers is the kind of experience that makes you want your 93 minutes back. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 20, 2009
	No Score Yet	Ingenious (2012)	A terrific little yarn about pluck, perseverance and friendship overcoming the odds, Lightbulb is exactly what's needed in these troubled times. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 19, 2009
	33%	Stephen King's 'The Night Flier' (1998)	Creepy vampire tale that also offers some clever commentary on bloodthirsty tabloid journalists. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 26, 2009
	4%	Meet the Deedles (1998)	If all of this sounds ridiculous, it is. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 25, 2009
	94%	Under the Sea 3D (2009)	Gorgeous, informative and as gripping as a shark's jaws. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 10, 2009
	25%	Bedtime Stories (2008)	Sandler has delivered on his promise to make a movie his kids can enjoy. What's more, he's managed to do so without alienating his core audience. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 22, 2008
	50%	Kate & Leopold (2001)	A time-travel romantic comedy whose best elements -- Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman -- overcome distracting plot holes, loose threads and assorted contrivances to make for a mostly charming and diverting tale. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 26, 2008
	83%	Kissing Jessica Stein (2002)	Pure pleasure. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 25, 2008
	33%	Space Chimps (2008)	As light as a banana souffle and about as substantial. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 17, 2008
	80%	Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)	Plucky, likable and determined to succeed, much like its heroine, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is a throwback to the kinds of movies they don't make anymore. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 18, 2008
	15%	Made of Honor (2008)	Like a shopworn wedding gown disguised with a new sash, Made of Honor feels recycled from top to bottom. That's because it's essentially a gender-swapped version of My Best Friend's Wedding. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted May 1, 2008
	23%	I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998)	Arrogance gives way to humility, making this an appropriate, if thoroughly cliched, Christmas morality tale that's sugar-coated with an attractive cast spouting sitcom-quality dialogue. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 16, 2008
	81%	Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)	As a film, however, item misses its mark, failing to capitalize on the staccato rhythms and sardonic wit of Bridget's inner life. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 15, 2008
	92%	Shakespeare in Love (1998)	Accessible, entertaining and fun for modern audiences. Exquisitely acted, tightly directed and impressively assembled, this lively period piece is the kind of arty gem with potentially broad appeal that Miramax certainly knows how to sell. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 20, 2008
	20%	A Plumm Summer (2008)	Feels like an homage to a bygone era of moviemaking. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 20, 2008
	53%	Let It Snow (2001)	At once a throwback to the days of Capra and Sturges and a wholly contempo item, Snow Days is smarter and more appealing than many other recent romantic comedies. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 26, 2007
	55%	This Christmas (2007)	A rare holiday treat, a package that's both thoughtfully selected and sure to please its intended recipients. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 26, 2007
3/5	74%	The Price of Sugar (2007)	Haney doesn't strive for balance, and he doesn't have to; the images speak for themselves. - Los Angeles Times EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 19, 2007
	36%	Sydney White (2007)	...should satisfy Bynes fans looking for a pleasant, innocuous follow-up to her last vehicle. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 25, 2007
2.5/5	54%	Closing Escrow (2007)	A spoof, sometimes a funny one, and sometimes just plain overkill. - Los Angeles Times EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 30, 2007
	34%	The Nanny Diaries (2007)	This new comedy rarely rises above standard sitcom fare, a bitter and ironic disappointment given the involvement of American Splendor writer-directors Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 17, 2007
2.5/5	43%	Splinter (2006)	With its recycled themes and muddled storyline generating a cascade of unanswered questions, the film is more about style than substance. - Los Angeles Times EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 16, 2007
4/5	80%	I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life And Legacy Of Simon Wiesenthal (2007)	The film successfully contextualizes [Wisenthal's] legacy for a new generation. - Los Angeles Times EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 5, 2007
	50%	Nancy Drew (2007)	Purportedly an attempt to modernize the young detective's adventures for a new generation of tweens, the pic instead serves up stale mystery-movie cliches and overcooked red herrings in a thoroughly wooden adaptation. - Variety EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 9, 2007
3/5	61%	Gracie (2007)	With so much invested in this film, Gracie represents the culmination of a family dream, so you can't really blame it for wearing its heart on its sleeve. - Los Angeles Times EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 1, 2007