Stephanie Merry

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

T-Meter Title | Year
1.5/4 50% Flower (2018) "Flower" can't quite nail the necessary tone, aiming for dark, but missing the comedy. - Washington Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 20, 2018
1.5/4 51% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 14, 2018
2/4 45% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 28, 2018
2.5/4 85% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 22, 2018
2.5/4 80% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 13, 2018
3/4 86% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 31, 2018
1.5/4 25% Forever My Girl (2018) A by-the-book redemption story for a guy who hardly deserves it. - Washington Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 18, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 11, 2018
2.5/4 57% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 20, 2017
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 30, 2017
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 21, 2017
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 16, 2017
2.5/4 60% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 8, 2017
32% A Bad Moms Christmas (2017) Maybe they should take a lesson from the movie itself: Stressed out moms deserve better. - Washington Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 1, 2017
2.5/4 68% Wonderstruck (2017) It takes some patience, but eventually "Wonderstruck" delivers real awe. - Washington Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 26, 2017
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 19, 2017
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 12, 2017
3/4 97% Lucky (2017) Stanton, as "Lucky" reminds us, remained capable of carrying a movie even to the very end. - Washington Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 5, 2017
3/4 90% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 21, 2017
2.5/4 51% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 21, 2017
2.5/4 72% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 7, 2017
2/4 28% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 31, 2017
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 24, 2017
3.5/4 97% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 17, 2017
2.5/4 52% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 10, 2017
2.5/4 82% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 3, 2017
2.5/4 91% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jul 20, 2017
3/4 97% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jul 13, 2017
2/4 68% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jul 6, 2017
2.5/4 73% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jun 29, 2017
1.5/4 16% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jun 8, 2017
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jun 1, 2017
1/4 17% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted May 25, 2017
3.5/4 92% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted May 11, 2017
3/4 95% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted May 4, 2017
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 20, 2017
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 13, 2017
2/4 51% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 6, 2017
2/4 64% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 30, 2017
1.5/4 19% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 9, 2017
1.5/4 25% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 2, 2017
2.5/4 84% A United Kingdom (2017) Although the relationship lacks a certain fire, the acting is superb. - Washington Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 16, 2017
2.5/4 80% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 19, 2017
1.5/4 19% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 12, 2017
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 5, 2017
3/4 84% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 23, 2016
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 15, 2016
1.5/4 43% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 1, 2016
2/4 55% 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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 22, 2016
2/4 69% Bleed For This (2016) No amount of feints will change one fact: "Bleed for This" has no new moves. - Washington Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 17, 2016