Critical Review

Introduction

A Writer’s Checklist

Choosing a subject for your review

Identifying your criteria and evaluating

Writing your thesis statement

Supporting the reasons for your opinion

Restating your opinion

A Writer’s Model

Your Turn: Write a critical review

Introduction

Wouldn’t it be great to get paid to watch movies, read books, listen to music, or watch TV?

Be a professional critic—earn $$,

share your opinion!

Professional critics can earn money doing these things. Like a professional critic, you can write a critical review and share your opinion about a work of art—a movie, a TV show, a book, or a piece of music.

Introduction

Writing a critical review involves much more than just giving an opinion.

When you write a critical review, you use

to convince people that your opinion is correct.

analysis

evaluation

persuasion

A Writer’s Checklist

When you write a critical review, you should:

Choose a subject for your review. Identify the evaluation criteria important to the

type of work are reviewing. Carefully evaluate the work you will write about. Write a thesis statement that states your opinion

about the work and your reasons for that opinion. Support your reasons with specific details and

examples from the work. Restate your opinion by making a recommendation.

Choosing a subject for your review

Your first step in writing a critical review is to choose a subject to review. Answer these questions as a way to explore possibilities.

Have you seen any movies lately about which you had a strong opinion (good or bad)?

Do you have a favorite television program that you could review and recommend to others?

Is there a new song or musical artist that you have something important to say about?

Identifying your criteria and evaluating

To create a successful critical review you must focus on elements and criteria. Elements are the “building blocks” that make up a specific work.

For example, elements of a song may include the music, the lyrics, the quality of the vocal, the quality of the musicians’ playing, and more.

Identifying your criteria and evaluating

Each element (or selected elements) of a work will be evaluated based on specific criteria. Criteria are standards for evaluating the quality or effectiveness of something.

People will be more likely to agree with your critical review if you evaluate the work based on established criteria—standards that everyone accepts.

Identifying your criteria and evaluating

TV Show Element Evaluation CriteriaPlot: series of events that are a result of conflicts within and between characters

The plot should be interesting and original.

Setting: location where the show takes place

The setting should be recognizable to regular viewers.

Characters: fictional people in the show

The characters should be sympathetic. They should interact well together.

Juanita will review her favorite TV show, examining the elements on the left based on the criteria on the right.

Identifying your criteria and evaluating

TV Show Element Evaluation CriteriaActing: performances of the key actors in the series

The actors should be believable and should give consistent performances.

Theme: underlying message conveyed by an episode of the show

The show should contain themes that are relevant to viewers’ lives.

Writing: the script the actors follow

The show’s writers should write entertaining and believable scenes.

Juanita will review her favorite TV show, examining the elements on the left based on the criteria on the right.

Identifying your criteria and evaluating

Before you can evaluate a work, you must watch it (if you are reviewing a film or TV show) or listen to it (if you are reviewing a piece of music).

Next, begin to narrow the focus of your critical review by deciding which review elements you would most like to include in your paper.

Identifying your criteria and evaluating

To narrow the focus of her paper, Juanita reflects on which elements were most instrumental in shaping her opinion about the TV show.

Juanita decides to review a comedy, Harper & Lee, about a man and his dog who live in New York City.

Identifying your criteria and evaluating

Writing a reviewing log is a helpful way to develop your opinion and the reasons for it. Here is a sample of Juanita’s reviewing log.

Elements of a TV show

Plot

Characters

Acting

Reviewing LogQuestions based on evaluation criteria Reviewer responses

Is the plot entertaining and original? Does it capture your attention?

Are the characters funny? Do they interact well?

Are the actors believable? Are they fun to watch?

The plot is hilarious, entertaining, and original.

The characters are funny and likeable; they interact well.Both the actors and the dog are believable and fun to watch.

Identifying your criteria and evaluating

Juanita decides to focus mainly on the characters of her sitcom, Harper & Lee, because what she enjoys most about the show are the lead actor and his interaction with his companion, an English bulldog named General Lee.

Juanita will also focus on the elements of plot and setting.

Writing your thesis statement

Your thesis statement should indicate the elements you are discussing in your review and should give your overall opinion of the subject.

The uproarious storylines of the show, the unique

setting, and the hilarious interaction of the title

characters make Harper & Lee one of the best shows

currently on television.

After identifying the criteria for your review and evaluating your subject matter, the next step in writing a critical review is to write your thesis statement.

Supporting the reasons for your opinion

You must back up the opinion in your thesis statement with convincing support consisting of

Another reason to watch Harper & Lee is the unique and interesting setting. The show is set in a private castle in the middle of New York City, near Central Park.

reason

specific detail

reasons based on valid criteria

backed up by specific examples and details

Restating your opinion

At the end of your critical review, restate your overall opinion and make a recommendation to your audience.

It is true that dog really is man’s best friend, in this case Harper’s. I highly recommend you watch Harper & Lee for the original and entertaining plot and the grand setting. More importantly, you don’t want to miss the hilarious interaction between a man and his best friend.

recommendation and restatement of thesis

A Writer’s Checklist

Use the checklist as you look at the following Writer’s Model and then evaluate and revise your own description of a place:

Choose a subject for your review. Identify the evaluation criteria important to the

type of work are reviewing. Carefully evaluate the work you will write about. Write a thesis statement that states your opinion

about the work and your reasons for that opinion. Support your reasons with specific details and

examples from the work. Restate your opinion by making a recommendation.

attention-getting opener

background information

Harper & Lee

Have you ever had a pet that you loved so much that it was practically a member of the family?

thesis statement/criteria

Well, in the comedy Harper & Lee (shown on channel 7, Wednesday nights at 9:00), a bulldog named Lee is literally Matt Harper’s only family. The uproarious storylines of the show, the unique setting, and the hilarious interaction of the title characters make Harper & Lee one of the best shows currently on television.

first reason and support

The weekly storylines of Harper & Lee are one of the best reasons to watch the show. For example, in one memorable episode, Harper arrives home, after having made Lee stay in his dog cage, to find that Lee has somehow managed to unlatch his kennel door and escape. Harper finds, to his horror, that slobber covers his valuable baseball card collection, and his furniture has been torn, scratched, and drooled upon. Somehow, Harper manages to slip in a puddle of the dog drool and land face down in it.

second reason and support

Another great reason to watch Harper & Lee is the unique and interesting setting. Matt Harper was orphaned very young when his parents were killed in a tragic plane crash. He became the sole inheritor of a multi-billion dollar fortune. Matt and Lee live in a private castle in the midst of New York City, near Central Park. Lee is most likely the world’s only slobbering bulldog with his own playroom and butler! There are so many rooms and hidden rooms in Harper Castle that the setting changes from week to week.

third reason and support

The final and best reason to make Harper & Lee a regular part of your viewing schedule is the hilarious interaction between Toby Smith, the actor who plays the long-suffering Harper, and Lee, the audacious bulldog. One of the best examples of this occurs in an episode where Harper decides to get a house cat to take care of a mouse problem that he is having in the wine cellar. While Lee could care less for the intruding cat, he just loves the cat’s food!

continuation of third reason and support

After a series of thwarted attempts, Lee decides that he simply must have the forbidden cat chow. Suddenly, he lunges towards the cat’s bowl, with Harper determinedly hanging onto his massive studded collar. Harper slides across the wooden floor in his silk socks, vainly attempting to restrain a wheezing, but determined, Lee. Of course, Lee makes it to the bowl and gobbles the cat food. An exhausted, but amused Harper looks on helplessly. In the end, Harper gives the cat and its bag of food to his housekeeper.

recommendation and restatement of thesis

It is true that dog really is man’s best friend, in this case Harper’s. I highly recommend you catch Harper & Lee for the original and entertaining plot and the grand setting. More importantly, you don’t want to miss the hilarious interaction between a man and his best friend.

Write a persuasive critical review in response to one of the two prompts below. Remember to use the Writer’s Checklist and the Writer’s Model as guides to writing your review.

1. Write a critical review persuading someone to

see your favorite movie or television show.

2. Write a critical review of a movie, television

show, song or musical group that you don’t like.

Your Turn: Write a critical review

The End