Iris
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: April 29, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
80
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
25
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Portland OregonianJeff BakerMay 22, 2015
At the heart of Iris is love, between Iris and the camera, Maysles and his subject, and Iris and Carl. They nailed it, this crazy life, and they're still getting a kick out of it. Read full review
91
The PlaylistKimber MyersApr 30, 2015
Set to a rock-and-roll soundtrack, with titles featuring the bright colors Iris adores, Maysles' documentary is energetic and vibrant. Iris is the cinematic equivalent of a party, with its titular character as its host. Read full review
90
The New York TimesManohla DargisApr 28, 2015
What is clear is that while there are several stories folded into Iris — a marriage tale, an ode to multiculturalism and a fashion spectacular — it is also about the insistent rejection of monocultural conformity. Read full review
90
Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekApr 28, 2015
Like all good documentaries, Iris is about much more than what we see on the surface, no matter how dazzling that surface may be. Read full review
90
The New YorkerRichard BrodyApr 27, 2015
Maysles endearingly reveals Apfel’s blend of blind passion and keen practicality, her unflagging enthusiasm for transmitting her knowledge to young people, and her synoptic view of fashion as living history. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaMay 15, 2015
There's a fine line between bag lady and belle of the ball, and Apfel instinctively knows it. Her sense of style is uncanny. Read full review
88
Washington PostAnn HornadayMay 14, 2015
Iris serves as a spirited, often dazzling primer in how to fight the dying of the light and feel fabulous while doing it. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineChuck BowenApr 26, 2015
Albert Maysles's portrait of Iris Apfel gradually emerges with cathartic clarity without compromising her inherent mystery. Read full review
85
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeMay 1, 2015
For those looking for regrets or profundity, Iris doesn’t dig particularly deep in that regard. But if you want merely to revel in the life of a singular figure who approaches her look and her life very much on her own terms, you’ll be charmed and delighted — and maybe even inspired to try something risky next time you get dressed up. Read full review
80
EmpireAnna SmithJul 28, 2015
Late director Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter) beautifully captures her personality and her passion for creativity. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonCath ClarkeJul 27, 2015
This woman has plenty of blunt wisdom to share. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMay 14, 2015
Maysles gets to the heart of what is important to Apfel: truth, in a world in which it's in increasingly short supply. Read full review
80
Time OutJoshua RothkopfMay 1, 2015
Apfel is constantly chatting to “Albert” off camera, not to us, and the affection adds an unusual meta level to Iris, a conversation between two old-timers who have gone from making history to becoming it. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranApr 30, 2015
Maysles' portrait of Iris Apfel, a 93-year-old self-described "geriatric starlet," is surprisingly memorable, graced with an unforced but unmistakable charm. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyApr 28, 2015
What makes the sharp-as-a-tack nonagenarian Apfel such splendid company is that beneath the busy prints and multi-layered accessories is a woman who is less an eccentric than an ineffably sane, sensible commentator on her own colorful life and the world she inhabits. Read full review
80
VarietyRonnie ScheibApr 28, 2015
A joyous celebration of creativity and razor-sharp wit sustained into old age, as evinced by outspoken nonagenarian fashion icon Iris Apfel, Iris also offers proof of Albert Maysles’ continued vitality as a documentarian. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesStaff [Not Credited]May 18, 2015
Maysles gets to the heart of what is important to Apfel: truth, in a world in which it’s in increasingly short supply. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoMay 7, 2015
The chief virtue of Iris is its amiability — it’s a delight to spend time in Apfel’s company, and thanks to Albert Maysles, we can. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireApr 29, 2015
Al Maysles, a great fixture in the New York film scene and an influence on several generations of documentary filmmakers, was a keen, understanding observer of human nature and behavior from the 1950s up until his death last month at age 88. Iris and another recently completed film, “In Transit,” will stand as testaments to his unique talents and contributions to the documentary form. Read full review
75
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeApr 29, 2015
This is the penultimate film of Albert Maysles, who died on March 5, and Iris has a bit in common with “Grey Gardens,” his masterpiece. Apfel, unlike the Edies of that movie, is sane — so much so that the movie’s main flaw is lack of conflict. Iris’ marriage to Carl, who turned 100 during filming, is incredibly sweet. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 27, 2015
Maysles could have made this another “Grey Gardens,” seeing Apfel as just a well-heeled hoarder. But Apfel never comes off as eccentric, just singular. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyApr 27, 2015
Although the film does hint at Apfel’s creeping sense of mortality as she donates her clothes for posterity, it never gets deep enough under her skin. Read full review
70
The DissolveTasha RobinsonApr 28, 2015
Iris isn’t groundbreaking doc filmmaking, but it’s amiable and jovial in a way rarely seen in the field, which tends more toward drama, trauma, and forwarding big causes. Maysles doesn’t seem to have an agenda, beyond capturing Apfel as she is in this moment, as a complete, highly specific, and thoroughly charming character. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesMay 13, 2015
The cult of Iris caught like grassfire, and the film catches this nonagenarian nonpareil, ever in her defining owl glasses and heavy jewelry, at peak heat. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubVadim RizovApr 29, 2015
It’s a happily modest movie that, while frequently edging toward boredom, is never actively off-putting. Read full review
More From This Movie

80 Critic Reviews

7.4 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL