Hard Rain (1997)
46%RT Audience Score: 34%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Hard Rain is an implausible heist movie soaked in disaster movie trappings
Hard Rain is like a bad storm that just won’t let up. The plot is as predictable as the rain in Seattle, but the action scenes are so over-the-top that you can’t help but laugh. The cast is a mixed bag, with some actors giving it their all and others just phoning it in. But the real star of the movie is the flood, which is so impressive that you almost forget how silly everything else is. If you’re looking for a mindless action flick to watch on a rainy day, Hard Rain might just be the ticket. Just don’t expect to remember much about it once the sun comes out.
Production Company(ies)
K T F Films,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Huntingburg, Indiana, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence
Year of Release
1998
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 36m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 16, 1998 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2008
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
Hard Rain, R, Action, 1h 36m, Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Randy Quaid, Minnie Driver, Ed Asner, Richard Dysart, directed by Mikael Salomon, written by Graham Yost, produced by Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, Art Levinson, box office gross $19.9M, reviewed by Mike Clark, Todd McCarthy, Derek Adams, Lawrence Van Gelder, Kevin Thomas, James Berardinelli, Mike Massie, Richard Propes, Dennis Schwartz, Brian Orndorf, Jon Popick, genre, Paramount Pictures, Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Digital, Scope (2.35:1), armored car, heist, flood, sheriff, looting, petty thefts, $3 million, security guards, torrential rains, small town, evacuation, implausible, disaster movie trappings, Mississippi, criminals, delivery, cash, action scenes, ultimate disaster movies, twist, natural disaster thriller, minor holes in the plot, exciting, adventure movie, great actors, top horror movies to watch now, RT Podcasts, most anticipated movies, most anticipated TV & streaming, all MCU movies ranked by Tomatometer, renewed & cancelled TV shows 2022, best 2022 horror movies ranked by Tomatometer, TV premiere dates 2022, worst horror movies of all time, best Netflix series & shows
Worldwide gross: $19,870,567
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $36,465,292
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,477
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,976,586
US/Canada gross: $19,870,567
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $36,465,292
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,202
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,009,024
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $14,697,688
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 800
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $70,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $128,459,870
Production budget ranking: 280
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $69,175,640
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$161,170,218
ROI to date (est.): -82%
ROI ranking: 1,895
Christian Slater – Tom
Randy Quaid – Sheriff
Minnie Driver – Karen
Ed Asner – Uncle Charlie
Richard Dysart – Henry Sears
Director(s)
Mikael Salomon
Writer(s)
Graham Yost
Producer(s)
Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, Art Levinson
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (45) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (31)
Hard Rain is pure water torture.
January 9, 2018 | Rating: 1.5/4
Mike Clark
USA Today
TOP CRITIC
Virtually nothing that takes place here is believable for a moment, beginning with the idea that all these people would expend all their energies trying to shoot one another when they are so imperiled to begin with.
July 17, 2009
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Hard Rain may not be the most inventive of thriller plots, essentially boiling down to an extended chase with all concerned after the moneybags, but it’s extremely impressive as a physical production.
June 24, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
For all the talent and effort involved, ”Hard Rain” turns out to be routine entertainment.
May 20, 2003
Lawrence Van Gelder
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Asner, the film’s strongest presence, exits early.
February 14, 2001
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 1.5/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
A sharply photographed, sparkling little thriller, full of appropriate slow-motion, exciting confrontations in unique settings, and a rip-roaring climax.
January 2, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
In terms of pure visuals, I loved this film.
September 10, 2020 | Rating: 3.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
It impresses because of the way it makes the flood look so vital to the narrative.
April 14, 2016 | Rating: C+
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
It’s big, dumb, noisy, and teeming with idiotic dialogue, yet the finished feature has a certain merry swagger about it that keeps everything motoring right along, and the hook of the film is immaculately presented.
February 11, 2010 | Rating: B-
Brian Orndorf
DVDTalk.com
You know you’re in trouble when Betty White (denture wearer…Rogaine needer) is the big scene-stealer.
January 7, 2009
Jon Popick
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Overall, HARD RAIN is the kind of film that most people will see, enjoy, and forget five minutes later… entirely adequate.
June 25, 2005
Moriarty
Ain’t It Cool Movie Reviews…
Plot
In the small town of Huntingburg, the armored truck with three million dollars driven by Tom and his Uncle Charlie gets stuck in the flooding. They realize that the town has been evacuated since the dam does not have capacity to hold the storm. While waiting for the National Guard, they are attacked by Jim and his gang formed by Kenny, Mr. Mehlor and Ray and the clumsy Kenny kills Charlie. Tom flees with the bags of money and hides them in the cemetery. Then he is hunted down by Jim and his gang and he hides in a church. Out of the blue, he is knocked out and awakes locked in a cell. Soon he learns that the restorer Karen believed he was a looter and hit him. Sheriff Mike Collins and Deputy Wayne Bryce go to investigate Tom’ story while Officer Phil takes Karen out of the town by boat. However she escapes with the boat and goes to the church. Meanwhile Tom is trapped in the cell full of water and Karen rescues him. He decides to return to the armored truck to retrieve a shotgun but he is captured by Jim and his men and learns that Charlie was part of the gang. He tries to retrieve the hidden money for the gang, but Sheriff Collins and his men have already taken it. Soon Tom learns that the Sheriff wants to keep the money for him and his men and Tom and Karen are witnesses and he teams up with Jim.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Morgan Freeman plays the main villain in Hard Rain, a departure from his usual heroic roles.
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46%
Jingle All the Way (1996)
46%RT Audience Score: 40%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 4 nominations
Arnold Schwarzenegger tries his best, but Jingle All the Way suffers from an uneven tone, shifting wildly from a would-be satire on materialism to an antic, slapstick yuk-fest
Jingle All the Way is the perfect movie to watch when you’re feeling a little crazy during the holiday season. It’s loud, it’s ridiculous, and it’s full of Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to be a good dad. Sure, it’s not the best movie out there, but it’s definitely worth a watch if you’re in the mood for some pure madness. Plus, who doesn’t love seeing a grown man dressed up as a superhero trying to find a toy for his son? It’s the perfect mix of family-friendly and adult humor, and it’s sure to put a smile on your face.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Lakeshore Entertainment, Malpaso Productions,
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
7th Place Mall – St. Peter & Wabasha Streets, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for action violence, mild language and some thematic elements
Year of Release
1996
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Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital DTS
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 28m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 16, 1996 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 3, 1998
Genre(s)
Holiday/Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson, Robert Conrad, Martin Mull, directed by Brian Levant, written by Randy Kornfield, holiday, comedy, PG, box office, $60.6M, reviewed by Chris Stuckmann, Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe, 20th Century Fox, Turbo-Man, Christmas, toy, materialism, satire, slapstick, family, Myron, mailman, moral code, meaning of Christmas, workaholic, son, wife, Jamie, Liz, Officer Hummell, D.J
Worldwide gross: $129,832,389
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $247,816,989
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 589
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 27,024,753
US/Canada gross: $60,592,389
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $115,655,450
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 654
US/Canada opening weekend: $12,112,267
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $23,119,235
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 583
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $60,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $114,524,730
Production budget ranking: 331
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $61,671,567
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $71,620,691
ROI to date (est.): 41%
ROI ranking: 1,191
Sinbad – Myron Larabee
Phil Hartman – Ted Maltin
Rita Wilson – Liz Langston
Robert Conrad – Officer Hummell
Martin Mull – D.J.
Director(s)
Brian Levant
Writer(s)
Randy Kornfield
Producer(s)
Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (39)
That rare family-themed Christmas movie that isn’t really aimed at kids. It’s actually aimed at adults… It’s a family Christmas movie that’s completely honest about what family Christmases tend to be like!
December 21, 2020 | Rating: B+
Chris Stuckmann
ChrisStuckmann.com
TOP CRITIC
The film is very loud, and festooned with the sort of comic violence far more disturbing than anything in an 18-rated movie.
November 27, 2017
Anne Billson
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C+
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
In this formulaic star vehicle, Schwarzenegger gets to fly like Peter Pan, act like Superman–and fulfill all the fantasies kids may have about their fathers.
December 18, 2006 | Rating: C
Emanuel Levy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
September 29, 2005 | Rating: 1/5
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
You’ll need an awful lot of Christmas cheer to forgive Arnold Schwarzenegger for his fourth, and hopefully last, venture into comedy, a turkey that needs stuffing on the most inaccessible shelf of your local video store.
April 17, 2001 | Rating: 2/5
Neil Smith
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
Schwarzenegger’s charisma helps somewhat. [Full review in Spanish]
January 3, 2022
Mikel Zorrilla
Espinof
…the movie benefits substantially from Schwarzenegger’s go-for-broke turn as the progressively frantic central character…
December 14, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Watching Arnold Schwarzenegger take a stab at light-hearted comedy is often like watching a whale try to maintain its balance on a gymnastics beam.
December 29, 2018 | Rating: 1/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Regardless of how crazy it was, it is actually still entertaining. You can’t help but laugh at some of the madness. Pure madness.
December 8, 2018 | Rating: 2/5
Justin Brown
Medium Popcorn
I have a soft spot for it, because I saw it so many times as a kid, but this is not a good movie.
December 8, 2018 | Rating: 2/5
Brandon Collins
Medium Popcorn
Ahnold terminates the holiday spirit.
December 18, 2010 | Rating: 1/5
Heather Boerner
Common Sense Media…
Plot
Howard Langston, a salesman for a mattress company, is constantly busy at his job, and he also constantly disappoints his son, Jamie. After he misses his son’s karate exposition, he tries hard to come up with a way to make it up to him. Jamie says he all he wants for Christmas is an action figure of television hero Turbo Man. Unfortunately for Howard, it is Christmas Eve, and every store is sold out of Turbo Man figures; now Howard must travel all over town and compete with everybody else including a mail man named Myron to find a Turbo Man action figure, and to make it to the Wintertainment Parade, which will feature Turbo Man.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny comments were made about Jingle All the Way by Fresh Kernels.
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46%
A Stranger Among Us (1992)
46%RT Audience Score: 39%
Awards & Nominations: NA
A disappointing misfire for director Sidney Lumet, A Stranger Among Us tries to tell a murder mystery and a fish-out-of-water love story, doing a disservice to both
A Stranger Among Us is like a Harlequin romance novel, but with more Jewish characters and less steamy scenes. Lumet’s direction is solid, but maybe he should stick to Manhattan instead of Brooklyn. The film tries to be both a love story and a whodunit, but it’s not quite successful at either. The soft, amber-tinged scenes of Hasidic life are pretty, but they start to feel a bit comical after a while. Overall, it’s a decent movie to watch if you’re in the mood for something light and easy. Plus, it’s got some great cinematography.
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Studio Canal, Working Title Films,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Forest Avenue, Ridgewood, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for language and violence
Year of Release
1992
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English, Yiddish, Hebrew
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jun 3, 2003
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Melanie Griffith, Eric Thal, John Pankow, Tracy Pollan, Lee Richardson, Mia Sara, directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Robert J Avrech, produced by Steve Golin, Sigurjon Sighvatsson, Howard Rosenman, mystery, thriller, PG-13, box office gross $12.1M, budget unknown, reviewed by Peter Rainer, Desmond Ryan, Jay Boyar, John Hartl, Dave Kehr, Michael Sragow, Nicholas Bell, David Nusair, Roger Hurlburt, Stephen Hunter, Gary Thompson, Andrzej Bartkowiak, Hasidic community, diamond-robbery murder, fish-out-of-water love story, New York policewoman, critic reviews, audience score, Fresh Kernels
Worldwide gross: $12,282,994
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $26,292,063
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,602
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,867,182
US/Canada gross: $12,282,994
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $26,292,063
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,317
US/Canada opening weekend: $2,886,082
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $6,177,732
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,059
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $18,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $38,529,460
Production budget ranking: 985
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $20,748,114
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$32,985,512
ROI to date (est.): -56%
ROI ranking: 1,722
Eric Thal – Ariel
John Pankow – Levine
Tracy Pollan – Mara
Lee Richardson – Rebbe
Mia Sara – Leah
Director(s)
Sidney Lumet
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Steve Golin, Sigurjon Sighvatsson, Howard Rosenman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (41) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (9) | Rotten (32)
A Stranger Among Us isn’t emotionally on a much higher level than a Harlequin romance, but Lumet keeps the actors in front of us, and we enjoy watching them.
May 3, 2014
Peter Rainer
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
[Lumet] may be the quintessential New York director, but A Stranger Among Us argues that he should stay out of Brooklyn.
May 3, 2014 | Rating: 1.5/4
Desmond Ryan
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Director Sidney Lumet is obviously fascinated by the Hasidic community, and he displays this fascination by presenting the Jewish characters and settings with affection and respect.
May 3, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Although it’s enjoyable as a bittersweet, fish-out-of-water love story, Sidney Lumet’s A Stranger Among Us is less effective when it transforms itself into an exotic whodunit.
May 3, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
A Stranger Among Us is eerily devoid of precisely the kind of urban detail and atmosphere that has always given Lumet`s work its authority, even when his storytelling falters.
May 3, 2014 | Rating: 1/4
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Griffith’s artless embodiment of the script’s deranged idea of tough-gal gumption isn’t as amusing as it should be. She’s a B-picture heroine stuck in an absurdly self-conscious prestige project.
May 3, 2014
Michael Sragow
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
While Avrech’s script, which might as well be a sci-fi film in its depiction of NYPD operations, is mostly at fault, Griffith casts a dubious shadow over the proceedings.
August 10, 2020 | Rating: 2/5
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
A Stranger Among Us is rife with laughably heavy-handed instances of plot and character development…
February 3, 2016 | Rating: 2/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
A Stranger Among Us is an unwieldy yarn that plays passion against faith and tradition in a most unconvincing manner.
May 3, 2014
Roger Hurlburt
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
If I were a rich man, I wouldn’t have had to see A Stranger Among Us.
May 3, 2014 | Rating: 2/4
Stephen Hunter
Baltimore Sun
Scenes of life among the Hasidim are soft and amber-tinged, in keeping with Lumet’s idealized conception of their lives. The effect is so pronounced that it begins to grow comical.
May 3, 2014 | Rating: 2/4
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News
It’s a great-looking picture, photographed in glowing tones by Andrzej Bartkowiak, a regular collaborator on Lumet’s films.
May 3, 2014
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor…
Plot
Detective Emily Eden is a tough New York City cop forced to go undercover to solve a puzzling murder. Her search for the truth takes her into a secret world of unwritten law and unspoken power, a world where the only way out is deeper in!
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Melanie Griffith stars as a New York policewoman in A Stranger Among Us.
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