Chapter 27Movie Reviews

Poster art for "Chapter 27."

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Avg. Critic Score: 32 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 Iffy for 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Chapter 27 is far from flawless, but Leto disappears inside this angry, mouth-breathing psycho geek with a conviction that had me hanging on his every delusion. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    High praise to the cast and crew. Jared Leto is mesmeric as the bloated, deranged Chapman. It's a brilliantly measured performance, evincing the tale of a madman through his own awful rhyme and reason. Read full review

  • 63
    New York Daily News |

    It's a transformative role, but how widely seen it is depends on how strong a stomach one has for wall-to-wall paranoid ravings. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    An uncomfortable ride. Read full review

  • 40
    Austin Chronicle |

    The presence of Lohan a celebrity whose every move is tracked by the media like an endangered species of hawk only serves to highlight the point that the truly fascinating story behind the murder of Lennon wasn't Chapman's madness (and certainly not his weight) but the depths of our celebrity mania and the influence we're willing to concede to personalities larger than our own. Read full review

  • 40
    Salon.com | Andrew O'Hehir

    There's virtually no context provided here, about Lennon or the Beatles or New York or Chapman himself. To put it another way, the film's entire context IS Chapman. Read full review

  • 40
    The New York Times |

    Except for Judah Friedlander's earthy, funny work as a paparazzo, most of the performances are vague and dull, including Lindsay Lohan's supporting turn as a fictional Beatles fan who befriends Mr. Chapman. Read full review

  • 38
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Don't hammer this film for trying to get inside the head of Mark David Chapman before he shot John Lennon outside the rock legend's New York apartment on December 8th, 1980. Hammer it instead for failing to do so with any depth or insight. Read full review

  • 38
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Carrie Rickey

    Judah Friedlander and Lindsay Lohan are striking, respectively, as a Lennon paparazzo and a fan creeped out by Chapman. Read full review

  • 30
    Variety | Dennis Harvey

    Jared Leto gained some 70 pounds. Seemingly following his lead, the pic itself is heavy, lethargic, and exasperating. Read full review

View more reviews for Chapter 27 on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 15+ Mature, slow-moving Lennon assassination drama.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this slow-moving assassination drama deals with mature themes, including insanity, obsession, and murder. The primary violence is the shooting of John Lennon, which is shown in an impressionistic but still briefly disturbing scene. Chapman rails against a gay couple (there are audible sounds of sex off-screen) and hires a scantily dressed prostitute who gets into bed with him (nothing explicit, just creepy). Language includes "f--k" and "c--t" (both spoken by a background character), and other mild obscenities. Characters smoke cigarettes, and Chapman drinks beer.
  • Families can talk about how media attention to the assassination of public figures is appealing to some killers, who desire fame. Can you think of other potentially negative consequences of media news coverage? How about positive ones? Families can also discuss the lingering interest in John Lennon and his murder. How is the act symbolic beyond its time and place? What are the various prices of celebrity culture, both for celebrities and for consumers, who might lose track of their own lives in pursuing information about their idols?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Chapman is plainly delusional and angry; a photographer at the Dakota is focused on his paparazzo mission.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Throughout the film, Chapman plans to shoot Lennon: He practices in front of a mirror with his gun, describes his scheme, and finally shoots (blasts and screaming are heard). The scene is loud and distressing, but brief.
  • sex false3 Sex: Mark listens to a gay couple in the next room at the YMCA as they make love (audible moaning and gasping). A magazine shows a woman's breasts. Chapman hires a prostitute who wears a low-cut dress, then removes it at his behest (cleavage, nude back, body silhouette visible). Chapman appears in his underpants, seated on the bed with the prostitute.
  • language false3 Language: A couple of background uses of "f--k" by a man on the sidewalk who also calls a woman a "bitch" and a "c--t." Other language includes "goddamned," "hell," and "s--t."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Chapman drinks beer; several characters smoke cigarettes.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

2.0

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… watching Leto try to become a method actor. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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