Gleason
Open Road Films (II) | Release Date: July 29, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
80
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
28
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJul 28, 2016
Gleason is so powerful in its cumulative effect that it should be accompanied by a consumer advisory — something along the lines of “This documentary may cause sudden alterations of mood and attitude.” Read full review
100
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottJul 28, 2016
The deeply resonant Gleason isn't a football movie. Rather, it traffics in universal themes that effectively drill down to the very core of the human condition. As such, everybody has something to gain from what ends up being a multilayered mediation on life. Read full review
100
VarietyGeoff BerkshireMay 30, 2016
Tweel masterfully assembles roughly four years of footage, much of it shot by Gleason himself, and the result is painfully raw at times but undeniably rewarding. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenJul 28, 2016
If this film portrait stirs deep emotions, they spring from a breathtakingly unsentimental embrace of life at its most challenging. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter TraversJul 30, 2016
It promotes an awareness of ALS that goes beyond the best-intended any ice-bucket challenge — and ranks as a profound achievement. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzJul 29, 2016
This is a tearjerker of a film but also a joyous one. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldJul 28, 2016
There are moments in Gleason where it’s very hard — whether you know ALS or are new to it — to look at the screen; moments so devastating you wonder how this couple, and those who love them, can bear it. But there’s also, in this remarkable film, evidence of astonishing courage and miraculous love. Read full review
83
The PlaylistGary GarrisonAug 1, 2016
From a purely objective standpoint, the film’s pacing sags at times, and its energy deflates, as is so often the case in trying to turn a chronological story into a cohesive narrative. But above all, Steve’s spirit soars. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyDevan CogganJul 28, 2016
The result is a candid testament to not only Gleason himself but the many people who love him. Read full review
80
Total FilmMatt LookerMar 30, 2017
This moving docu-portrait of former NFL player Steve Gleason’s battle with motor neurone disease is as much heartrending home video as it is awareness-raiser. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonMar 13, 2017
As an insight into the way families cope with adversity this is both razor-sharp and completely heartbreaking. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaAug 4, 2016
Gleason is disturbing, brave and compelling, which is exactly what it needs to be. Read full review
80
Village VoiceBilge EbiriJul 28, 2016
So while Gleason is the slick, moving, sincere documentary you might expect from this material, there’s something else going on beneath the Oscar-friendly polish: This is a remarkably physical film. Read full review
80
The New York TimesGlenn KennyJul 28, 2016
Gleason is incredibly frank about Gleason’s physical suffering and the toll his terrifyingly implacable physical deterioration takes on his marriage. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMay 30, 2016
Focused much more intently on video journals Gleason made as his illness progressed, the film both documents his rapid physical decline and ponders the many existential issues it raises — especially for a married couple expecting their first child in a few months. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiAug 10, 2016
Brutally frank, and with a biting sense of humor and an earnest love for her husband, Michel, at least for me, becomes the emotional center from which the film radiates. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 16, 2016
The film’s unblinking and unfiltered look at the indignities and horrors of ALS and its impact on a loving marriage is without parallel. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerAug 11, 2016
It’s a tough watch, but inspiring. Read full review
75
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallAug 10, 2016
The man's goodness and his support team's devotion are quickly obvious; Gleason is nearly two hours long. Tweel could get to every uplifting turn his movie makes a bit sooner. Read full review
75
Boston GlobePeter KeoughAug 4, 2016
Tweel has edited this material into a complex and emotionally exhausting vérité-like tapestry. Read full review
75
Washington PostPat PaduaAug 4, 2016
Gleason portrays great strength and great suffering in equal measure, lending vivid credence to tired platitudes about what it means to live life to the fullest. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerJul 29, 2016
The documentary Gleason, a big Sundance hit, is difficult to watch – and that’s the point. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonJul 28, 2016
Ultimately, while Gleason can be tough to watch, it has a strong message about the value of relationships and how to spend a life doing meaningful work against great odds. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeJul 27, 2016
He can afford the best treatments and technologies and — by the end — even to extend his life, because he’s a well-off former NFL player. Most patients don’t have these luxuries. Read full review
75
IndieWireEric KohnMay 30, 2016
While fairly straightforward in its attempts to galvanize viewers around efforts to combat the disease, Gleason hits those familiar marks with superb aim. Read full review
74
TheWrapMichael NordineJul 27, 2016
Clay Tweel’s Gleason documents the agony and the ecstasy of its subject’s life, and is similarly exceptional in its avoidance of the cliches so common among inspiring documentaries. Read full review
67
ConsequenceBlake GobleAug 4, 2016
Here’s a documentary with plenty of courage in its convictions, and a teachable exercise about modern health problems. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineChuck BowenJul 25, 2016
It has an irritating habit of depending on our natural reactions, letting the subject matter do the heavy lifting. Read full review
50
The Film StageDaniel SchindelJul 28, 2016
If I go on about how Gleason’s convention-bound filmmaking and drawn-out running time dampened my reaction to Steve Gleason’s journey, am I being a good critic, or just a dick? Read full review
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