California Typewriter
Gravitas Ventures | Release Date: August 18, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
80
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerOct 26, 2017
There's a certain nostalgia at work here, but where the film really clicks is on the subject of the creative process and as a meditation on the human-machine dynamic. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinAug 31, 2017
Doug Nichol’s documentary California Typewriter is a rich, thoughtful, meticulously crafted tapestry about the evolution of the beloved writing machine for purists, history buffs, collectors and others fighting to preserve or re-embrace analog life. Read full review
90
TimeStephanie ZacharekAug 24, 2017
People who love typewriters--you know who you are--shouldn't tap the space bar once, let alone twice, before rushing to see Doug Nichol's agile, deeply affectionate documentary California Typewriter. But anyone who loves machines, poetry or, better yet, the poetry of machines should see it too. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeMark FeeneySep 20, 2017
Most of all, California Typewriter is an elegy. “The truth is, no good typewriters are going to be made again,” Hanks laments. There’s a reason that the title of the first tune on the fine musical soundtrack is “Stolen Moments.” Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerAug 14, 2017
The overlong but charming documentary California Typewriter is an ode to the iconic writing instrument. I have to say I feel kind of guilty celebrating it on my word processor. Read full review
80
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottSep 21, 2017
Mostly it's a celebration and a song of hope that maybe the ever-quickening world will see the error of its ways and once more embrace the staccato song of the humble typewriter. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzSep 14, 2017
The best thing is that Nichol doesn’t adopt a luddite stance. He doesn’t try to impart the evils of technology, at least not much. (Some people in the film lean that way.) He’s more inclined to chronicle the joys of a fading delight, one click-clack at a time. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberAug 17, 2017
Nichol has created a loving valentine to all the iconoclasts who resist what the rest of the world defines as progress. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 17, 2017
California Typewriter is a most engaging documentary about the latest wrinkle in the Return of Analog. Read full review
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanAug 18, 2017
A lively and appealing analog-nostalgia documentary. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisAug 17, 2017
This quirky, obsessive documentary is about so much more than broken keys and busted type wheels. It’s really about how we create art. Read full review
70
Village VoiceDaphne HowlandAug 15, 2017
It’s a compelling look at a valuable contraption that’s slipping through our grasp, and will send many viewers to flea markets and eBay for one of their own. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenSep 20, 2017
California Typewriter wanders a bit in its curiosity, but it is hardly a piece of ephemeral nostalgia. Read full review
63
Washington PostPat PaduaSep 7, 2017
Although many of its subjects are endearing characters, the film’s scattered approach undermines its point about the simple endurance of an artifact. Read full review
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