King of the CornerMovie Reviews

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 55 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 OK for kids 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

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

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    King of the Corner is not plot-driven. It's like life: just one damned thing after another Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    A warm, unexpectedly moving portrait of a man on the verge of what could either be a dreadful or delightful second chapter. Read full review

  • 60
    Los Angeles Times | Kevin Thomas

    Warm and wise comedy of middle-age malaise. Read full review

  • 60
    L.A. Weekly | Ella Taylor

    I've never quite figured out what the poker-faced Peter Riegert does as an actor, but his matter-of-fact minimalism is always funny and affecting. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Frank Scheck

    King of the Corner has been adapted from Gerald Shapiro's "Bad Jews and Other Stories" and suffers from an odd, disjointed quality. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    It's all pleasant but fairly unimportant, and then -- POW -- comes the great scene, almost out of nowhere. Read full review

  • 50
    Village Voice | Akiva Gottlieb

    An average film starring an average character actor, but maybe that's the point. This is a story about the benefits of just showing up. Even at its most sentimental, Riegert's pet project possesses a lived-in integrity that nearly offsets the staleness of the material. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Dennis Harvey

    Lacks the stylistic attention to psychological distress that might have lent it maximum impact. Instead, the pic is amiable, kinda charming, visually routine, and incisive in individual sequences. Read full review

  • 40
    The Onion A.V. Club | Tasha Robinson

    It's a low-key actor's showreel, harmless and toothless and sleepy. It'd go pretty well with a glass of warm milk. Read full review

  • 38
    New York Daily News | Jack Mathews

    But look up the word "slight" in the dictionary and you could find a still from this film. Read full review

View more reviews for King of the Corner on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 16+ A story of maturity and consequences -- teens OK
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this film's central character is a man who has a good relationship with his family until he has an extramarital affair. This is followed by the death of his dad, and a crisis in the workplace, although this chain of events affords him greater appreciation for his family and career by the end of the film. The movie handles mature themes including infidelity, death, and caring for an elderly parent. There is some strong language and a few sexual references.
  • Families can talk about the relationship between Leo and his daughter. Why is her mother hesitant to get involved? Is it out of character for this man to have an affair? How realistic is his wife's reaction to this news? How does Leo's relationship with his dad affect his life?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Dad is very involved with teen daughter and they have open communication, Leo travels regularly to see his aging dad, appears to have a good relationship with his wife until he meets his high school crush.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Main character gets punched for admitting he slept with another man's wife.
  • sex false3 Sex: Main character cheats on his wife (off-screen) with high school flame, sexual references.
  • language false3 Language: Four letter words including f-word.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
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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