The Battle of Shaker Heights 2003

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: It's too much going on, but I think that as was the case with Stolen Summer, the actors rise above the material and make it worth seeing. Read more

Allison Benedikt, Chicago Tribune: Without any of the dramatic transitions, we're left with a pileup of scenes, none of them very funny, and a thin, linear plot. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: It's a very minor Catcher in the Rye, featuring clever but overcooked dialogue, two-dimensional supporting roles, and a disarming generosity toward its characters. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: After the movie scored poorly at a test screening, Miramax vice president Rick Schwartz bullied directors Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin into playing up the comedic elements and soft-pedaling the family drama. Read more

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: The film is well-acted and looks good, but it's so inconsequential and bland that you wonder what was it about the script that made anyone think it would make an interesting movie. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: The filmmakers ended up with a teen flick of Tinkertoy sensitivity in which the assorted story arcs ... are all setup and no follow-through. Read more

Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: It's a nice little movie, amateurish in some expected first-time-filmmaker ways but usually competent and never a disaster. Read more

Bob Campbell, Newark Star-Ledger: The half an idea in Erica Beeney's script is reduced by another half through the disjointed directing of Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Surprisingly sweet and smart. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: You get the sense of too much input, too many bright ideas, too many scenes that don't belong in the same movie. Read more

Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle: The movie is bad in a boring way: tepidly paced, disjointed and lacking any emotional hook. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: For most of its length it coasts by with above-average charm and a solid grasp of messy adolescent emotions. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: The characters talk like smart, unpredictable people, and Kelly Ernswiler is one of a kind. Read more