Critic Reviews

Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, The (2005) Rank 4 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

Movie critics combined give Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, The (2005) a score of 2.6806 out of 4

based on (98) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(12)

Very Good

(60)

Good

(22)

Fair

(4)

Poor

(0)

Reviews by Score:

Tony Medley

I had no sooner awarded the 2005 Best Actress award to Gwenyth Paltrow for her scintillating performance in "Proof," when I saw Julianne Moore playing Evelyn Ryan, the mother of 10 in this moving story based on her daughter, Terry ...read the complete Prize Winner of Defiance movie review at Tony Medley

RopeofSilicon (Laremy Legel)

Can you hear the rumbling? It was Dan Bern who said "I feel like things are turning like a cool country kiss," or on a more grandiose note it was JFK who said "So let us begin anew." What the hell am I talking about? What do these whispers on the wind ...read the complete Prize Winner of Defiance movie review at RopeofSilicon (Laremy Legel)

Decent Films Guide (Steven D. Greydanus)

[Offers] an almost subversively idealistic subtext to a now-familiar ritual exposé of the American dream. ...read the complete Prize Winner of Defiance movie review at Decent Films Guide (Steven D. Greydanus)

EDGE Boston (David Foucher)

Julianne Moore delivers another hard-hitting performance as a 1950s housewife � and despite being too earnest to be entirely believable, it�s a highly rewarding film. ...read the complete Prize Winner of Defiance movie review at EDGE Boston (David Foucher)

Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies (Nell Minow)

Moore's radiant performance does for this movie what the real-life Ryan's "contest-ing" did for her family in the 1950's -- it holds it together with mesmerizing grace. ...read the complete Prize Winner of Defiance movie review at Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies (Nell Minow)

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

"The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio," said to tell a true story, subtitles itself: "How my mother raised 10 kids on 25 words or less." And she does; in an era when companies gave valuable ...read the complete Prize Winner of Defiance movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Ed Blank)

Easily one of the film year's great saving graces, "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" nips along for 90 minutes and then moves you so suddenly, you want to step into the picture and participate in the reunion of the real Ryan family. A lot ...read the complete Prize Winner of Defiance movie review at Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Ed Blank)

Boston Globe

Julianne Moore has never looked as relaxed as she does in ''The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio." This is a major accomplishment, since she's playing mother to 10 children and wife to one very childish man.Evelyn Ryan lives in the movie's titular burg ...read the complete Prize Winner of Defiance movie review at Boston Globe

DVD Talk (Preston Jones)

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio is a handsomely mounted film about a woman undeterred by the complexities of life, whose indomitable spirit lights up writer/director Jane Anderson's tragically little-seen movie. Despite the seemingly thin extras, ...read the complete Prize Winner of Defiance movie review at DVD Talk (Preston Jones)

MovieWeb (J.P. Mangalindan)

Once, the traditional patriarchal idea of family was black and white: men were once expected to be breadwinners; women should serve as stay-at-home mothers and that was that. So, itâ��s even more remarkable that Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore) stood out: ...read the complete Prize Winner of Defiance movie review at MovieWeb (J.P. Mangalindan)

Palo Alto Online (Jeanne Aufmuth)

Lindsay Leese, Tracy Hoyt, Laura Dem and Julianne Moore in The Prize Winner of Defiance, OhioJulianne Moore is sure to hear Oscar calling for her captivating performance as 1950s housewife Evelyn Ryan, who raised 10 kids on 25 words or less. That's the ...read the complete Prize Winner of Defiance movie review at Palo Alto Online (Jeanne Aufmuth)

Now Playing Magazine (Brent Simon)

The quality and sympathetic nature of Moore�s performance makes it a worthy tug at the heartstrings. ...read the complete Prize Winner of Defiance movie review at Now Playing Magazine (Brent Simon)

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