Do I Sound Gay?
Sundance Selects | Release Date: July 10, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJul 23, 2015
Thorpe doesn’t flinch from whatever awkward or controversial findings his subjects offer up, especially when they concern himself. The filmmaker’s curiosity as a reporter is tempered by an unapologetically subjective perspective. Read full review
75
Boston GlobePeter KeoughJul 23, 2015
David Sedaris contributes a story about talking to a hotel clerk over the phone, which doesn’t add much to the discussion but is very funny. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerMolly EichelJul 17, 2015
While Thorpe ostensibly explores the sibilant consonants and careful enunciation that characterize what we have come to think of as "sounding gay," his film is really about his identity. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonJul 10, 2015
What it does explore makes it a satisfying, lighthearted look at one man’s search for perceived vocal machismo. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKeith UhlichJul 9, 2015
It’s a serious topic, but the resulting documentary isn’t an especially severe sit. Do I Sound Gay? is a briskly entertaining 77 minutes, and frequently as mouthy as its title. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJul 30, 2015
It’s an interesting film, consistently entertaining, a mile wide and an inch deep. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen HoldenJul 9, 2015
Mr. Thorpe’s explorations of a painful subject are an exercise in healing. His discovery of how many gay men share his anxiety and discomfort leads him to greater self-acceptance. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlJul 7, 2015
Thorpe offers charming, intimate glimpses of his life, including memorable chats with friends and experts, and he's adept at drawing winning quotes from interview subjects — one of the most moving moments comes from George Takei. Read full review
70
The DissolveNoel MurrayJul 7, 2015
Do I Sound Gay? gets into the mysteries of homosexual attraction and eroticism, and suggests that if Thorpe wants the kind of long-term relationship that Takei, Sedaris, and Savage have, he’ll have to get over his fetishization of the macho and learn to accept himself. That’s a poignant, powerful conclusion, all from asking one question. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianMarc MohanJul 24, 2015
In the end, as gay people and other marginalized groups throughout history have shown, the only real solution is to learn not to be agonized or ashamed over differences, but to celebrate them with pride. Read full review
63
New York PostHaley GoldbergJul 8, 2015
The film looks back at “gay voice” throughout popular culture, starting with films of the 1930s and with TV icon Paul Lynde; it also plays a disheartening clip of a young Louis CK bellowing “f - - - - t!” in a routine. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijJul 20, 2015
The overall result remains quite light, is occasionally funny but finally never manages to probe very deeply. Read full review
60
VarietyAndrew BarkerJul 20, 2015
Thorpe’s documentary can sometimes seem a bit intimidated by the various cans of worms it pries open, but it’s nonetheless a breezy, funny, often quite clever film more concerned with minor epiphanies than big answers. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisJul 23, 2015
It’s cute and easy to watch, though we can’t overcome the feeling that it’s an unambitious film about an ambitious topic. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineClayton DillardJun 28, 2015
Another link in an increasingly tiresome chain of naval-gazing think pieces posing as personal documentary. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinJul 9, 2015
Writer-director-star David Thorpe attempts to probe the whys and wherefores of what he calls the stereotypical "gay male voice," but he ends up crafting a naval-gazing self-portrait that's unflattering, inconclusive and, at times, a bit specious. Read full review
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