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Metascore
47 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critics What's this?

User Score
4.4 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 95 Ratings

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10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Cameron Diaz, Frank Langella, James Marsden
  • Summary: What if someone gave you a box containing a button that, if pushed, would bring you a million dollars...but simultaneously take the life of someone you don't know? Would you do it? And what would be the consequences? The year is 1976. Norma Lewis is a teacher at a private high school and her husband, Arthur, is an engineer working at NASA. They are, by all accounts, an average couple living a normal life in the suburbs with their young son...until a mysterious man with a horribly disfigured face appears on their doorstep and presents Norma with a life-altering proposition: the box. With only 24 hours to make their choice, Norma and Arthur face an impossible moral dilemma. What they don't realize is that no matter what they decide, terrifying consequences will have already been set in motion. They soon discover that the ramifications of this decision are beyond their control and extend far beyond their own fortune and fate. (Warner Bros.)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 24
  3. Negative: 6 out of 24
  1. Empire
    Reviewed by: Mark Dinning
    80
    Movie Marmite. Many will be perplexed. Donnie Darko fans should lap it up.
  2. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Matthew Sorrento
    60
    The revelation of the film's mystery just barely makes sense. Yet, we dismiss it as an extended MacGuffin, and thus can delight in the film's devious turns.
  3. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    38
    The pacing throughout is languid. Your eye becomes fixated on the hideous 70s wallpaper behind them. If only the story's interstellar narrative developments had the intensity of that wallpaper. Rod Serling might've gotten a great hour out of it (the story, that is, not the wallpaper). It simply is not two hours' worth, no matter how many quantum leaps into the unknown Kelly takes.

See all 24 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 47
  3. Negative: 12 out of 47
  1. HCorrell
    8
    This movie as not as bad as people make it out to be. I'll admit, there are some vaguely explained moments, unconvincing acting (thank you Cameron Diaz), an ending that leaves you unsatisfied, and some plot points that aren't tied together. But for everything that is isn't, it's really good. It's creepy. It's thought provoking, and it achieves that purpose very well. If you're reading this review, you know the plot. If you don't know the plot, don't look it up; I feel like people who went into this movie expecting something came out the most unsatisfied. I bought my copy for around 4 bucks and it was very worth it. -If you go into this movie with an open mind, you'll leave more satisfied and intrigued than not. -If you enjoyed Donnie Darko, you'll enjoy this. -If you're looking for something cheap, creepy, and thrilling, grab this. -If you like twists and ambiguity, grab this. -If you're looking for a blood and guts horror, look elsewhere. -If you enjoyed Saw, you prob won't like this. -If you enjoyed From Paris with Love, you prob won't like this. -If you like a plot that's easy to follow, you prob won't like this.… Expand
    • 2 of 2 users said yes
  2. JonnyFendi
    5
    Lewis family finds a box on the porch of their house. It is an ordinary box with a button. Later, mysterious old man comes to tell them how the box works. If they push the button, someone on somewhere will die, and they received one million dollars. They have 24 hours to decide. Norma and Arthur Lewis starred by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. The mysterious old man played by Frank Langella, that we recently see him act impressively in FROST/NIXON (2008). The Director is Richard Kelly. The Director of DONNIE DARKO (2001) whose received many good reviews from movie critics. Personally, I did not enjoy DONNIE DARKO that much. The most interesting in thiz movie is our curiosity about what is really happens. Too see this kind of movie, we had to put aside our logic for a while. Because anything we see in thiz movie is very absurd. Thiz story had been told in one of the episode of TWILIGHT ZONE series in 1980s era. The film has setting in 1976. I think the Creative Designer Team already done their job very well. Everything we see is truly 70s. The music was also thrilling, like we had been watching 70s horror movie. In the end, there will always be dilemma in our life: Is there something we already done? Or, something that we did not do? Visit My Blog on JONNY'S MOVEE : http://jonnyfendi.blogspot.com… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. JoeS.
    1
    "Disconnected mess" describes this confusing piece of garbage perfectly. The first 30 mins are promising and then it all falls apart. The only reason it gets a 1 is that there has to be a lower rating for movies like Christmas with the Kranks.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 47 User Reviews

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