Been Rich All My Life
First Run Features | Release Date: July 21, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
It's a modest but highly enjoyable tribute. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Good times and bum times, they've seen it all and they're still here. Lucky us. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
Utterly captivating. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
They're frank, funny, resilient and altogether captivating. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
The film could be more adept and probing, but the ladies - Cleo Hayes, Marion Coles, Elaine Ellis, Fay Ray, and Geri Kennedy - are delightful. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill White
This is a film about brave women who left home as teenagers and have been on their own ever since. Now, nearing the end of that road, they face their inevitable decline with a cheerful vivacity. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis Harvey
Providing an inspiration for active retirement, the ex-Harlem Renaissance chorus girls profiled in docu Been Rich All My Life are still shaking booty while most of their contemporaries can only shuffle their walkers. Read full review
70
Village VoiceMelissa Levine
The Silver Belles are bold, brash, and gorgeously awake, and their willingness to live large is thrilling. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen Holden
An admiring portrait of the Silver Belles, a troupe of veteran Harlem tap dancers between the ages of 84 and 96, is a valuable historical document and a useful how-to movie about making the most of old age. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Been Rich All My Life is something like the "Ballets Russes" of tap dancing. I'm delighted to report that the similarities include the fact that the Belles are transmitting their improvisatory "rhythm tap" style to generations of younger dancers. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
A richly uplifting if somewhat rambling portrait of indomitableness in the face of old age and infirmity, Been Rich All My Life will be inspirational to young and old alike. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesSam Adams
MacDonald seems less interested in the Silver Belles' past than their inspirational present. Eventually, the inevitable broken hips and dizzy spells take their toll, but those who remain seem determined to shuffle-step their way into the sunset. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
An invaluable chapter in the story of our city. Read full review
60
Film ThreatPhil Hall
A treasure in celebrating remarkable women with a unparalleled zest for life. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The documentary becomes more poignant and substantial when old age begins to seriously disable some of the dancers. Read full review
50
New York PostV.A. Musetto
The film is generic and uninspired, better suited to public TV than the big screen. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeJanice Page
A so-so documentary about another fascinating, underreported piece of Harlem history. Read full review
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