Always at The Carlyle
Good Deed Entertainment | Release Date: May 11, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
49
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
3
Negative:
4
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 7, 2018
Through Short’s American Songbook jazz, I knew about the place long before I ever visited New York. And Miele’s documentary lets us know it even better, even if we can’t afford the cheapest rooms (not head-spinningly expensive). That would be, of course, the “Harrison Ford Suite.” Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaMay 24, 2018
It’s one part history lesson and one part ode to the rapidly fading quality of refinement. But mostly, it’s a chance to indulge in juicy celebrity stories, catnip for those who love that kind of thing. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMay 17, 2018
[An] insightful and occasionally revealing look at the 88-year-old Manhattan institution where the rich and famous enjoy being rich and famous. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedMay 16, 2018
As docs go, it’s not as informatively or entertainingly good as it should have been and not as shamefully self-serving as it could have been, but as wistful as it made me feel about the New York I once loved that will never come again, it put a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversMay 10, 2018
Dazzling, sometimes hilarious and surprisingly emotional documentary. Read full review
63
Boston GlobePeter KeoughMay 10, 2018
Though sometimes it seems like a promotional video, the film offers a glimpse into the vagaries of class, culture, celebrity, and social mores since the hotel was first established back in 1930. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisMay 23, 2018
Turns it into a 90-minute infomercial, with nary a revelation in sight. Read full review
50
The New York TimesJason ZinomanMay 9, 2018
Discretion may be a virtue in the upscale hospitality business, but not in documentary film. If you are going to make a movie that hints at scandal and celebrity gossip and behind-the-scenes glamour, then it’s not too much to ask that some secrets be revealed and a glass or two of juice poured. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKimber MyersMay 16, 2018
Each moment in Always at the Carlyle feels like a pitch. Though it's effective in presenting the hotel's appeal, the salesman's greasy fingerprints linger, a stain which would never be welcome at the pristine spot. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMay 10, 2018
The doc is so eager to tell you who's visited the hotel and eaten at the restaurant (JFK allegedly trysted here, which didn't keep his widow from enjoying the Cobb salad) that it shares very little about the hotel's origins and operations. Read full review
25
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerJul 5, 2018
Unfortunately, because filmmaker Miele also places value in discretion, his snazzy documentary is celebrative – not investigative. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleDanielle WhiteMay 31, 2018
Hamm is also the only interview subject who touches on what I found to be the film’s most egregious flaw: Considering most people barely make a living wage and food insecurity is on the rise, it seems rather tone-deaf to make a film about a hotel that charges $4,000 to $20,000 per night. Read full review
20
Village VoiceSimon AbramsMay 10, 2018
A tone-deaf celebration of Manhattan’s ritzy Carlyle Hotel. Read full review
More From This Movie

49 Critic Reviews

4.5 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 71 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL