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(1 - 38) of 38 OFCS Rating: 47% Rotten Page   1   B+ "Most of the reason why Ladder resonates so much is the cast, led by a tender, gripping performance from Joaquin Phoenix."   FilmJerk.com   Brian Orndorf "Sentimental and surprisingly uncomplicated, Ladder 49 seems a disservice to the very folks it wants to extol. "   PopMatters   Cynthia Fuchs D+ "Filmmaking of least resistance, in which true heroism is exploited for emotional spare change."   EDGE Boston   David Foucher 2.5/4 "...Ladder 49 makes Ron Howard's Backdraft look gritty by comparison, which is really saying something."   Reel Film Reviews   David Nusair 2/4 "A film that loves and respects the country's firefighters, but makes the mistake of not getting to know them in a meaningful or substantial way."   TheMovieBoy.com   Dustin Putman 1.5/4 "As for the soulless fire sequences, they’re so big and suspenseful you half expect to see Celine Dion standing on top of a building wailing “My Heart Will Go On.”"   Slant Magazine   Ed Gonzalez B "If the film loses itself midstream, forgetting where it's going and which paths it needs to take to get there, Phoenix saves it with equal parts heroism and humanity."   EricDSnider.com   Eric D. Snider 2/4 "'Why do we run into a burning building while everyone else is running out?' is the same as asking 'Why do I go see crap movies like Ladder 49?' Because it’s my friggin JOB!"   eFilmCritic.com   Erik Childress 2/4 "...[a] toxic tearjerker. As a showcase meaning to be both actively flashy and introspective, Ladder 49 succeeds in blowing smoke up one’s pant leg"   Movie Eye   Frank Ochieng C+ "Smothered by the heart-on-sleeve melodramatics of the storytelling, which seems intent on leaving no cliche unused and pounding each of them home."   One Guy's Opinion   Frank Swietek 2.5/4 "I would classify Ladder 49 as a 'safe' movie. There's nothing daring about it, but it offers a solid emotional core and there is a touching payoff."   ReelViews   James Berardinelli 7/10 "It's slick and it honors firefighters as obviously as the first wave of WWII films paid tribute to America's fighting men and women."   DVDTown.com   James Plath 1/5 "Any spark of drama that might have caught ablaze is smothered by a thick blanket of earnestness."   Netflix   James Rocchi 5/10 "Ladder 49 is just about the most ironed-flat fireman tribute a group of people could make."   ReelTalk Movie Reviews   Jeffrey Chen "I probably would be less troubled if it weren’t so effective; filmmakers who can drive audience responses this well should be able to find more depth in the material."   Pajiba   Jeremy C. Fox 7/10 "I liked this film. It's nothing extraordinary, but..."   JoBlo's Movie Emporium   JoBlo 23/100 "Ridiculous fabrications that, in no way, reflect real life."   FilmFocus   Joe Utichi "Packaged and marketed like heroic action figures, Ladder 49 does a good job of putting firemen up on pedestals."   Light Views   John Larsen 5/10 "Baltimore’s firemen are way less interesting than their cops (see The Wire and Homicide: Life on the Streets), or New York’s finest (see Rescue Me)."   Planet Sick-Boy   Jon Popick 3/5 "What touched me was the fact that this is about real people doing the work of heroes."   7M Pictures   Kevin Carr B+ "If Phoenix is destined for greatness, this, his upcoming Johnny Cash biopic and last year’s Buffalo Soldiers may be looked back on as the time he finally hit his stride."   FilmStew.com   Larry Carroll C "over reliance on images too freshly familiar and frequent from September of 2001 disconnect the viewer from its more everyday heroism"   Reeling Reviews   Laura Clifford C "Ladder 49 wants to honor firefighters for their courage and selflessness...yet at every turn [the film] undercuts itself."   Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema   Mark Pfeiffer "[M]ight be feel-good, old-fashioned, cornball melodrama, but it’s a kind of feel-good that I guess I needed, that maybe more people than me still need."   Flick Filosopher   MaryAnn Johanson 2/4 "An overly manufactured would-be tearjerking package that will surely give less savvy moviegoers the illusion that they've watched an Important and Meaningful Film."   Mr. Brown's Movies   Michael Dequina 4/4 "There’s no “high concept” at work here - just a heartfelt, meaningful examination of simple everyday heroism."   Aisle Seat   Mike McGranaghan B+ "The fire-fighting sequences are excitingly staged and I'll freely admit to a couple of tears. "   Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies   Nell Minow 4/5 "Uma produção triste e – sim – uma bela homenagem aos combatentes do fogo."   Cinema em Cena   Pablo Villaca 2/5 "A fairly routine firefighter drama, with burning-building sequences that more or less all look alike."   eFilmCritic.com   Rob Gonsalves C "Good acting, and well-staged action scenes, but the characters are thinly drawn, and the story is dull."   Laramie Movie Scope   Robert Roten B- "...a much more thoughtful story that expresses the deserved good feelings we have for the best of the best."   Reeling Reviews   Robin Clifford 2.5/5 "It's a safe little bet-hedger and a movie that will allow the multiplexers to "truly appreciate" the actions of our nation's firefighters - for at least 120 minutes, anyway."   eFilmCritic.com   Scott Weinberg 4/5 "The further Ladder gets into the story of Jack’s past, the deeper we care about his uncertain present."   Filmcritic.com   Sean O'Connell "Ladder 49 might have been an oversized Hollywood dazzler. Phoenix keeps it firmly and modestly on a human scale."   Salon.com   Stephanie Zacharek B- "Heartfelt, predictable, and finally surprisingly poignant."   Decent Films Guide   Steven D. Greydanus 0.5/4 "I hate this film."   Film Freak Central   Walter Chaw 2/4 Read review   Big Picture Big Sound   Joe Lozito 7/10 Read review   Modamag.com   Susan Granger  (1 - 38) of 38 OFCS Rating: 47% Rotten Page   1