Stephanie Merry
Stephanie Merry's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer when
published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
Washington Post
| Publications: | Washington Post |
Movie Reviews Only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5/4 | 49% | Flower (2018) |
"Flower" can't quite nail the necessary tone, aiming for dark, but missing the comedy.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Mar 20, 2018
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| 1.5/4 | 49% | Tomb Raider (2018) |
This Lara is spunky and fearless, with a mind of her own. That's nice to see, but what does it matter in a movie that's dull when it's not inexplicable, and is riddled with bad dialogue and worse special effects?‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Mar 14, 2018
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| 2/4 | 47% | Red Sparrow (2018) |
Despite stylish direction by Francis Lawrence and hints of deeper themes about female agency in a world dominated by callous men, the movie never really rises above pulp.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Feb 28, 2018
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| 2.5/4 | 83% | Game Night (2018) |
Like a real-life game night, the comedy may not leave a lasting impression, but it's plenty of fun while it lasts.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Feb 22, 2018
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| 2.5/4 | 82% | Early Man (2018) |
Diversions don't entirely distract from a sense that we've seen "Early Man" before. Cheeky references to Manchester United and "Jurassic pork" only go so far.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Feb 13, 2018
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| 3/4 | 89% | The Insult (L'insulte) (2018) |
"The Insult" doesn't offer a tidy resolution or easy answers - just a lot of questions worth pondering.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jan 31, 2018
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| 1.5/4 | 20% | Forever My Girl (2018) |
A by-the-book redemption story for a guy who hardly deserves it.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jan 18, 2018
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| 3.5/4 | 100% | Paddington 2 (2018) |
Could it be that Hugh Grant was born to play a villainous dandy in a kid's movie?‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jan 11, 2018
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| 2.5/4 | 56% | The Greatest Showman (2017) |
You'll have to completely set aside any unsavory stories you may have heard about the real-life Barnum, because this one is played by the ever-charming Hugh Jackman. Resistance is futile.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Dec 20, 2017
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| 3/4 | 83% | The Divine Order (Die göttliche Ordnung) (2017) |
The message here is that everyone has it in them - all it takes is a friend or two fighting for the same thing.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Nov 30, 2017
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| 3/4 | 97% | Coco (2017) |
Not only is it a wholly original story, but it also honors a culture that's so often overlooked by the movie industry. That alone might have made it a hit, but Coco has so much more to offer.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Nov 21, 2017
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| 3/4 | 85% | Wonder (2017) |
Mostly it succeeds in telling not one complicated story, but many, and giving the experience of being a confused or lonely or scared youngster the space it deserves.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Nov 16, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 57% | Murder On The Orient Express (2017) |
Murder may lack urgency, but it does have style. The sets, the costumes and the vistas are stunning.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Nov 8, 2017
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| 29% | A Bad Moms Christmas (2017) |
Maybe they should take a lesson from the movie itself: Stressed out moms deserve better.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Nov 1, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 67% | Wonderstruck (2017) |
It takes some patience, but eventually "Wonderstruck" delivers real awe.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Oct 26, 2017
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| 3.5/4 | 87% | Only the Brave (2017) |
This is a job for real heroes. The reminder of their sacrifice could not come at a more opportune time.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Oct 19, 2017
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| 3/4 | 84% | Loving Vincent (2017) |
Visually, it's spectacular. Conceptually, it's jaw-dropping to simply considering the effort that went into this. The story, however, doesn't always hold its own.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Oct 12, 2017
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| 3/4 | 98% | Lucky (2017) |
Stanton, as "Lucky" reminds us, remained capable of carrying a movie even to the very end.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Oct 5, 2017
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| 3/4 | 92% | Stronger (2017) |
"Stronger" isn't always easy to watch; Jeff makes bad decisions and life gets messy. But it does feel like a realistic depiction of one man's life.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 21, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 52% | Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) |
"Kingsman" is essentially a live-action cartoon, one that aims for an audible reaction and little else. That may not be the world's loftiest goal, but whether it results in a gagging eww or a chuckle, it's a plan that usually succeeds.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 21, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 71% | Viceroy's House (2017) |
"Viceroy's House" works, but mainly as a historical refresher on the 70th anniversary of Indian independence. As drama, it's a reminder that truth is sometimes more affecting than fiction.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 7, 2017
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| 2/4 | 29% | I Do... Until I Don't (2017) |
When we see the interviews through Vivian's camera ... the view is hilariously over-the-top. But these little bits of brilliance never last long.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Aug 31, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 94% | Gook (2017) |
Chon's tale is ... praiseworthy, from its beautiful cinematography (by Ante Cheng in her feature debut) to its take on infamous events from a fresh perspective.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Aug 24, 2017
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| 3.5/4 | 98% | Columbus (2017) |
The director's greatest strength lies in creating a mood. "Columbus" is melancholy without being morose, and talky without forced cleverness.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Aug 17, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 50% | The Glass Castle (2017) |
The movie may hit home for anyone who has ever wondered how much of our identity is shaped by nature, vs. nurture.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Aug 10, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 81% | Brigsby Bear (2017) |
"Brigsby" never ventures into the caustic simply for the sake of comedy. These days, that's refreshing. There aren't many movies that value sweetness over cynicism.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Aug 3, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 90% | Girls Trip (2017) |
"Girls Trip" accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do: shock and amuse. Along the way, it reminds us how important old friends can be.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jul 20, 2017
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| 3/4 | 100% | Harold And Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story (2017) |
The story it tells is conventional, chronological and straightforward. And that's enough. With a story this charming, who needs bells and whistles?‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jul 13, 2017
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| 2/4 | 69% | The Journey (2017) |
Every element of the movie feels fabricated, from the stilted conversation to the all-too-convenient obstacles the movie keeps throwing in the path of progress, including a flat tire, an empty gas tank and an implausible detour to a church.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jul 6, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 74% | The Exception (The Kaiser's Last Kiss) (2017) |
For all its late-in-the-game silliness, "The Exception" is a solidly acted, well-told tale about how love of country holds up in the face of other, less nationalistic passions.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jun 29, 2017
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| 1.5/4 | 15% | The Mummy (2017) |
The big thrills and few laughs are no match for the cumbersome, convoluted story, not to mention the nonexistent chemistry between Cruise and Wallis.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jun 8, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 64% | Dean (2017) |
"Dean" has its moments. The cast is solid, and the story moves along smoothly. Slight though it may be, it's a sweet enough tale, while it lasts.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jun 1, 2017
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| 1/4 | 18% | Baywatch (2017) |
Johnson being Johnson, he's still a delight to watch. But there's only so much a charismatic giant can do when he's up against a blend of lazy gross-out humor and inane male wish fulfillment weighed down by terrible editing and lame action.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted May 25, 2017
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| 3.5/4 | 91% | A Quiet Passion (2017) |
It's not easy to do justice to such a beloved, enigmatic artist, but "A Quiet Passion" was well worth the wait.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted May 11, 2017
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| 3/4 | 94% | Citizen Jane: Battle for the City (2017) |
The movie is scored like a thriller, seemingly building to some terrifying conclusion. And, in a way, it does ...‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted May 4, 2017
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| 3/4 | 87% | The Lost City of Z (2017) |
The movie is long, but never slow, even as it leaves ample time to survey the breathtaking vistas captured by cinematographer Darius Khondji.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Apr 20, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 67% | The Fate of the Furious (2017) |
"Fate" gives fans of the franchise exactly what they want, provided they can ditch logic as easily as the movie does.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Apr 13, 2017
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| 2/4 | 48% | The Ticket (2017) |
"The Ticket" is a modern-day parable about a kindly blind man who, when he gains sight, becomes generically awful.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Apr 6, 2017
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| 2/4 | 61% | The Zookeeper's Wife (2017) |
A fitfully engaging, conspicuously cleaned-up Holocaust drama that, while well-acted all around, gets bogged down by its insistence on hewing to formula.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Mar 30, 2017
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| 1.5/4 | 18% | The Ottoman Lieutenant (2017) |
It isn't so much a war movie as a melodrama that uses violence as a convenient backdrop for romantic intrigue.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Mar 9, 2017
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| 1.5/4 | 26% | Table 19 (2017) |
The movie races through each of its stories, careening toward tidy endings with all the grace of a car trying to make it though the intersection before the light turns red.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Mar 2, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 84% | A United Kingdom (2017) |
Although the relationship lacks a certain fire, the acting is superb.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Feb 16, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 83% | The Founder (2017) |
In the end, "The Founder" is little more than a deflating reminder, as if we needed one, that the winner takes all, and integrity isn't always the key to success.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jan 19, 2017
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| 1.5/4 | 23% | The Bye Bye Man (2017) |
The derivative work doesn't deliver scares so much as a few starts, all while ripping off such genre classics as "Candyman" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street."‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jan 12, 2017
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| 3/4 | 86% | A Monster Calls (2017) |
The movie is memorable for its stunning and inventive imagery, especially when the tree-monster's tales spring to life as little works of art set in motion.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jan 5, 2017
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| 3/4 | 86% | Lion (2016) |
"Lion" is a complex movie, with its profound themes of home and identity, and its tonally disparate halves. A smartly understated approach to Brierley's story holds it all together.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Dec 23, 2016
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| 2/4 | 14% | Collateral Beauty (2016) |
The movie manages to be simultaneously superficial and heartbreaking. That's no easy feat - nor is it a laudable one.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Dec 15, 2016
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| 1.5/4 | 46% | The Duelist (Duelyant) (2016) |
Most fans of costume drama don't head to the movies expecting explosive exit wounds, and few action fans are going to be wowed by ostentatious lapels.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Dec 1, 2016
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| 2/4 | 57% | Rules Don't Apply (2016) |
None of the visual flourishes can make up for the way the story sags in its final stretch.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Nov 22, 2016
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| 2/4 | 70% | Bleed For This (2016) |
No amount of feints will change one fact: "Bleed for This" has no new moves.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Nov 17, 2016
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