Every Little Step
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: April 17, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
2
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A movie as layered and enthralling as its subject. Read full review
100
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
How long has it been since a movie left you literally speechless? Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleDavid Wiegand
The film is as much about the creation of the original show back in 1975 and the genius of the late Michael Bennett, who masterminded it, as it is about the newer version. Read full review
100
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Sensational documentary. Read full review
100
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen Cole
An uncommonly tender and observant documentary on the phenomenon that is "A Chorus Line." Read full review
90
Washington PostPeter Marks
A thoroughly engrossing documentary. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
It's a big ice cream sundae, this one -- not great documentary filmmaking but tasty all the way. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Given that "Chorus Line" is almost the paradigmatic backstage story, I guess Every Little Step is a meta-backstage story, capturing the "American Idol"-scale audition process. Read full review
80
NPRBob Mondello
The result? A briskly self-aware, thoroughly stage-struck portrait of a theatrical portrait. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
It's a can't-miss effort that knows how to please. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
The premise of Every Little Step is no less inspired for seeming so simple and obvious, and it pays tribute to the durability and continued relevance of “A Chorus Line,” which first opened in New York in 1975, before many of the performers in the movie were born. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
The result is an insightful, exuberant, probing, long-winded and even exhausting look at what it takes for a performer to have a life in the theater. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
A thrilling combination of documentary and musical dazzler. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
In Every Little Step, the performers bleed, sweat, cry theater - without having to tell us. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
What we sense in the film is the camaraderie among these hopeful dancers. They've all been through the process before, all been disappointed before, all know better than anyone else what it takes, all believe the best candidates don't always win the jobs. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Do you need to have seen A Chorus Line to understand or enjoy Every Little Step? I think not. This companion piece to one of America's most beloved musicals is about human longings and shortfalls. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
An unexpectedly charming little film. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJesse Oxfeld
For Chorus Line fans, though, the documentary--is a singular sensation. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Modeling the movie after the show itself grows problematic near the end, when Stern and Del Deo, anticipating that climactic, gold-suited kick line, try to whip us into a frenzy on opening night. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
It's a huge improvement over the Attenborough film; given the film’s non-fiction roots, it seems poetically apt that a documentary take is much more satisfying and engaging than the Hollywood treatment. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
Filmmakers nicely mix the historical and the tributary, honoring both Bennett's cultural landmark and the dancers who dream of joining its ranks. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Directors Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern focus primarily on the casting process for the 2006 revival, parading so many personalities past us that we don't really get to know anyone. Bypassing the original for the recreation? That ain't it, kid. Read full review
50
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike Scott
Doesn't boast enough universal meaning to make it truly sing. Read full review
38
New York PostKyle Smith
Every Little Step shows only this: It hurts to flunk an audition, and it's nice to get hired. Everything it has to say about Broadway was said better in Bob Fosse's movie "All That Jazz" -- in its opening five minutes. Read full review
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