Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and 'To Kill a Mockingbird'
First Run Features | Release Date: May 13, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanMay 27, 2011
Harper Lee hasn't been interviewed in 47 years, but this meditation on her only novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird," puts you inside her skin. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerMay 21, 2011
It would have been wonderful if Lee had consented to an interview for this documentary, but at least we have, among many others, her 99-year-old sister Alice, until recently a practicing lawyer in their hometown of Monroeville, Ala. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranMay 14, 2011
Though it's more than a little awestruck and feels padded even at 82 minutes, the story it tells remains completely fascinating Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierMay 13, 2011
Murphy also reveals one more gem when she interviews the New York couple who gave their friend Nell Harper Lee a financial gift in the '50s that allowed her to quit her job and finish the book, an act of generosity that is also one more kindness surrounding this most humane of artworks. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedMay 17, 2011
Hey, Boo solves the mystery of Boo, and also, to some degree, the mystery of Harper Lee. It's a fine film, well worth seeing. Read full review
75
New York PostLou LumenickMay 13, 2011
Lee hasn't given an interview in 45 years, and even her 99-year-old sister (still practicing as a lawyer) only hazards a guess in Mary Murphy's old-school documentary: Her younger sister had nothing to prove, and nowhere to go but down after her astonishing debut novel. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckMay 14, 2011
Occasionally borders on hagiography, but it nonetheless provides wonderful insights into the book's social and literary importance as well as its author's personality. Read full review
70
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerMay 12, 2011
Eventually, though, Hey, Boo settles into a pleasant rhythm. It gives the fascinating history of how the book came to be. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyJun 1, 2011
Hey, Boo is the documentary equivalent of a group hug, right down to the segments showing middle schoolers in Westchester County, N.Y., and Birmingham, Ala., discussing the book in class. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonMay 12, 2011
The filmmaking is prosaic, the pacing sleepy. It's a solid but unremarkable experience, perfect for insomniacs watching the History Channel late at night, but not nearly as satisfying as simply re-reading Lee's book. Read full review
40
VarietyRonnie ScheibMay 14, 2011
An unremarkable documentary about Harper Lee and her single literary masterwork, Hey, Boo features what the French call a "structuring absence," that of Lee herself. Read full review
40
Time OutDavid FearMay 10, 2011
Famous fans (Rosanne Cash! Oprah!!!) attest to the book and film's greatness, but at best, this is a half-hour A&E Biography episode padded out to feature-length with forgetful trivia, frustratingly facile history lessons and far too much fawning. Read full review
40
Village VoiceMark HolcombMay 10, 2011
The overall effect is flattering but shallow, making Murphy's movie the last thing Mockingbird needs-another toothless encomium. No wonder Lee dodges the limelight. Read full review
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