# Rottentomatoes Tomatometer Frightens and Confuses Me

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rottentomatoes-tomatometer-frightens-and-confuses-me/360951>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 16, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rottentomatoes-tomatometer-frightens-and-confuses-me/360951 "2006-06-16T16:45:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rottentomatoes-tomatometer-frightens-and-confuses-me/360951/1 "2006-06-16T16:45:57Z")

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OK so I am reading the front page blurb reviews (the intial screen for a movie that has dozens of one line excerpts from reviews) for _Nacho Libre_ on Rottentomatoes. Each review is adorned with a ripe (red) tomato (good review) and a rotten (green) tomato (a poor review). So I read this blurb:

“The only gag here, as far as I can tell, is Black squeezing himself into a pair of red tights and prancing around like a mental patient. Funny yes, but over the course of an hour and a half, it wears a wee thin.” - Bill Muller, Arizona Republic

Green tomato, right? Wrong, they gave it a ripe red tomato. Now you may think that the blurb misrepresents what may be a positive full review. Nope, the review is decidedly not in favor of the movie.

Makes you wonder hwo those ripe/rotten rankings are developed and how accruate they really are.

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rottentomatoes-tomatometer-frightens-and-confuses-me/360951/2 "2006-06-16T17:00:04Z")

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It’s only a very crude rating, and do not account for mixed reviews (i.e., the movie is good, but drags badly in the early section). It is good for getting a consensus, though.

In the case you mention, it could simply be an error. Is there a way to point it out?