Weird Pull Quote Theater: ‘And Now a Word From Our Sponsor’

And now, it’s time for another installment of Weird Pull Quote Theater!

From: The Village Voice, Vol. LVIII No. 19

Movie: “And Now a Word From Our Sponsor”

Criticwire Average: D (1 critic)

Pull Quote: “Appealing performances.”

Author: Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

Original Quote, in Context: “Despite appealing performances, this comedy suffers from its derivative premise.”

Why It’s Weird: Because, as I’ve noted before in Weird Pull Quote Theater, this sort of half-hearted praise is the kind of thing you write in a negative review to qualify or soften other complaints. If a critic really likes a movie, they call the performances outstanding or exceptional or unforgettable or transcendent. If a critic uses the word “appealing” to describe actors that usually means a but is coming — as in “Lassie is appealing here, but ‘Lassie Meets Sharktopus’ is one ugly mutt of a movie.” Sure enough, a look at Frank Scheck’s review of “And Now a Word From Out Sponsor” reveals he found very little to like about the movie beyond the appealing performances from Bruce Greenwood and Parker Posey. Side note: if anyone wants to make “Lassie Meets Sharktopus,” they can email me for my 115 page scriptment at sharktolass@gmail.com. It will have a lot more than just appealing performances.

Suggested More Accurate Pull Quote: “Its one-joke premise wears thin very quickly!”

This has been another installment of Weird Pull Quote Theater!

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