The MasterMovie Reviews

  • So-so Based on 6,607 reviews
    Breakdown:
  • Oh No!
    Written September 15, 2012

    The Master

    by wallythom

    The worst tripe masquerading as some great intellectual character play. Would the sheep write such rave reviews if the critics had not gushed over it? The Emperor has no clothes, folks.
    WT

    • 102 out of 186 found this review helpful.
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  • Oh No!
    Written September 16, 2012

    Master Disaster

    by Lazard

    Master is a self-indulgent exercise in art for art's sake designed to appeal to critics and Hollywood insiders not the ticket-buying public. There is no plot, no narrative arc-just a series of meaningless, disconnected vignettes. Moviegoers who are expecting an absorbing story and well-drawn characters will be disappointed. The showing we attended displayed no discernible audience reaction during or after the film's ending. One of the worst movies I have ever seen.

    • 90 out of 166 found this review helpful.
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  • No
    Written September 22, 2012

    The Master

    by wkr@themovies

    A magnicantly acted waste of time. There is at least one acadamy award nomination hidden amidst the boozy-meandering nonsense. Both of the lead actors do "disturbed" really well.....but to pay money to witness the angst without insight....it was not a good evening spent. No redeeming quality....should have walked out... but kept thinking something would eventually make sense. 2 + hours later....NOPE...

    • 71 out of 130 found this review helpful.
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  • So-so
    Written September 16, 2012

    Lost in It's Own Beautiful Reflection

    by alandm61

    Beautifully shot capturing the postwar period visually in "you are there" color and composition. Music, too...but relentlessly intense as is the film, which is promising for first 1/2 hour. The film, the focus, the "bigger" picture gets swallowed up by the sometimes brilliant performances o its male leads, but--sadly, disappointingly--loses its way in their father son, guru and sycophant, brother, and almost lovers, in this...and the audience is left lost. Not in a productive way. The movie is grossly repetitious, I suppose because it could not find its way out of the force field of these two men. Most important, it is impossible to consider Phoenix's role as that of a seriously mentally disturbed man--even before the PTSD, despite the drinking, so there is little tension really between "master and slave," which it wants to be. Or whatever it wanted to be. Though difficult to tolerate, at times, it's worth seeing.

    • 67 out of 122 found this review helpful.
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  • So-so
    Written September 22, 2012

    Joaquin Phoenix is great, the story..........ehhhh.

    by SCBRoslyn

    In a nutshell, Joaquin Phoenix is the entire entertainment value in this movie. His character development is outstanding!

    I also thought, what I'll call "the psychology," of the film is well done. (Exploring the psychology of cult recruitment and a believable examination of a drifter's mind.)

    But, the movie itself is disappointing. With a terrific cast and a provocative subject matter, the story could've been so much more, but isn't. The promotions make it seem like it's going to not only be a character study, but also a look at the shady underpinnings of a cult.....it does with Phoenix' character, but it is lacking in every other area.

    I think this is the first time I've ever written a response to a movie on this site where I'll suggest that it's OK if you wait for this one to come to cable.

    So, 4 out of 4 stars for Phoenix, 2 out of 4 stars for the movie as a whole.

    • 59 out of 108 found this review helpful.
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  • Go
    Written September 17, 2012

    Not everyone's cup of tea

    by

    This is a tighter film than PTA's There WIll Be Blood. There are some compelling scenes, but the energy gets diluted. Phoenix's character is all Id and Hoffman's all Super Ego. There were a few moments of ambiguity that I relished. But just as the course of history does not have a satisfying trajectory, so, too, the arc of this story.

    • 71 out of 133 found this review helpful.
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  • Oh No!
    Written September 24, 2012

    Gigantic Disappointment

    by R1234

    Great cast, great movie maker, fantastic reviews, but horrific, tortuous experience. My wife and I had no clue of what the story really was about and got nothing but boredom form our 2 hour experience.

    • 19 out of 29 found this review helpful.
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  • Oh No!
    Written September 23, 2012

    SNOOZE ALERT!!

    by kkgnca

    First of all, let me say I LOVE movies and all of their elements... the acting, the cinematography, the directing., the music, everything. But most of all the story. And that is what is missing here. Without it, you are not left with much. Yes, the acting is very good, although a little too nuanced and overblown for my tastes. The directing...well, it's hard to tell since there is no story. There was no investment in the characters. I didn't care what happened to any of them. Personally, this is one of those times I feel like I was sucked in by critics' opinions who need to feel they have discovered the next work of cinematic art. Unforgettable? The only thing that is unforgettable is the fact I wasted too much time and money on this experience. There was no audience reaction at the end of the movie. Unusual for a touted movie in limited release such as this. Stay home and take a nap for free.

    • 39 out of 70 found this review helpful.
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  • Oh No!
    Written September 25, 2012

    You've got to be kidding !!!!

    by stewski

    I love intelligent, thought provoking films. This was not it. I went to this movie yesterday and came out wondering why this movie was creating so much positive feedback. It shouldn't have been called The Master, but should have been called The Nut Jobs Who Join Cults. The acting was excellent especially with what they had to work with but this was babble for the sake of babble. This was one of those movies where people are told they are supposed to think it's wonderful so they say it's wonderful - hmmm sounds like a cult. It is scary how easily the public can be led along by the nose and convinced they should think a certain way. Well, the emperor has no clothes and this movie has no THERE there. Save your money.

    • 52 out of 96 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written September 17, 2012

    "The Master": Unlike Any Film You Will See This Year

    by deelow14


    In a year full of hyper-edited, computer-saturated blockbusters coming off the Hollywood assembly line, seeing "The Master" is like getting a dose of much needed oxygen. With genre pictures continuing to try and stuff as much backstory and needless subplots as possible, "The Master" is remarkably simple. It's an actual film for people that like that kind of stuff. Shot on gorgeous 70 mm, with every texture and detail, marveously grafted onto the screen, it is a film that delivers feelings, not answers. For those looking for a scathing indictment of Scientology or even a blood and drug soaked orgy along the lines of P.T. Anderson's other films ala "Boogie Nights," might want to look elsewhere. Instead, if you want to see two of Hollywood's most gifted actors go head to head, in some of the most riotious, real, and bravura displays of acting you're bound to see in the cinema all year...you're in luck.

    • 34 out of 61 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written September 17, 2012

    Epic! Must See!

    by nwportbeach

    Epic! 90% of the film will blow your mind and leave you laughing hysterically. A few slows parts, but the brillance surrounding makes it totally worth the ride. Will linger in your mind continually after walking out of the theater.

    • 66 out of 126 found this review helpful.
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  • Oh No!
    Written September 24, 2012

    Very incomplete film

    by vanker

    Which is surprising considering it felt like I was watching it for longer than the 137 minutes it's slated to be. The acting was great, the cinematography was quite nice, and there were several very powerful scenes. Regardless, the film was missing one big thing. A plot. There was no direction. No character arch. No climax. No real conclusion. People were shouting at the screen once the credits rolled because nobody knew what they had just watched. I have no problem with movies that have symbolism, so long as there's an actual storyline to go with it. I guess the theme of the movie really was to "make it up as you go along", just like Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character.

    • 6 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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  • So-so
    Written September 30, 2012

    A Masterpiece? Maybe pieces of it. Maybe. Good performnces don't overcome a weak script.

    by normdonna950

    Pretty good first half .The second half really fizles out. I sat thre hoping it would end because (1) it was pretty boring and (2) I wanted to see what the ending would be -which was a dud. I'll give it a so-so review only because I'm feeling gnerous. I was really angry at the overblown reviews. Good prformnce don't overcome a weak script.

    • 6 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written September 24, 2012

    The Master

    by mamathomasrowland

    Powerful directing and acting make this psychodrama a sure winner at the next Oscars. Great to see Laura Dern again. Like her 80s roles,this one is an unforgettably weird yet spot on movie, this time about an egomaniacal cult leader's (loosely based on L. Ron Hubbard) relationship with a substance-abusing drifter. What a movie!

    • 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written September 27, 2012

    The Master is masterly

    by msaltz

    What a fabulous movie! Great cast with great acting. Really good story without a clear answer. It isn't often that ambiguity is a characteristic of films but it is in this one and that is all to the good. You are left to make up your mind about what is being presented but whether or not that means you've made up your mind about Scientology is something else altogether. Hooray.

    • 16 out of 27 found this review helpful.
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The Master Movie Reviews + Ratings

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AlanGalinsky Just bought "The Master"... and every fast and furious movie. I didn't want them to think I was pretentious.

9 hours ago.

Marbled_Eyes The Master of Disguise was a hilarious movie

9 hours ago.

osxfactor Saw “The Master” last night. Jesus Christ - there’s 2 hr 20 min of my life that ill never get back. Was there a point that movie?

10 hours ago.

IanBenjamin11 Movie updates. Finally watched "The Master." Joaquin and PSH were great, of course. Amy Adams was nothing special. Bizarre storyline.

1 days ago.

EgyptsLegacy345 So i finally saw the Lincoln movie....how cute the people that thought they was the master race decided the fate of black people.

1 days ago.

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The Frontrunners - Amy Adams The Frontrunners - Amy Adams Fandango's Chief Correspondent Dave Karger interviews Amy Adams about her film 'The Master' in this episode of 'The Frontrunners.' More Films on Fandango's Awards Watch An inside look at Hollywood's race to the Oscars!