Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent
CNN Films | Release Date: April 21, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
TheWrapTricia OlszewskiApr 22, 2017
Tower himself contributes to the film’s appeal. Still elegant in his mid-70s, there’s no doubt of his arrogance, though that seems to be a prerequisite of the trade. He knows that his work has been extraordinary, he’s well-spoken, and he cares intensely about decorum and class. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternApr 20, 2017
An unusually engaging portrait of a legendary chef who can be insufferable, as his most ardent admirers acknowledge, but who is also a brighter-than-life charmer, raging perfectionist, world-class hedonist, self-styled dandy and all-too-human survivor of the highest-end restaurant wars. Read full review
80
Village VoiceCraig D. LindseyApr 20, 2017
Just like high-wire showman Philippe Petit, Tower is a brilliant, dedicated artist who has spent most of his life wowing people with his talents — but is ultimately always out there by himself. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rebecca TuckerMay 4, 2017
The result is an oddly compelling documentary that sheds light on an important – albeit forgotten – cornerstone of modern, contemporary cuisine. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesBethany Jean ClementMay 4, 2017
Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent posits a revision of food history, chronicling the life of the magnetic, repellent man who changed American dining, then disappeared. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleApr 27, 2017
The documentary takes Tower through his much publicized recent stint as the chef at New York’s Tavern on the Green, a rather hopeless assignment for a perfectionist. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckApr 20, 2017
Despite its missteps and occasional pretensions, Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent provides a compelling portrait of the chef as tortured artist. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranApr 20, 2017
A film that finally fascinates despite some initial bumps in the road. Read full review
70
The New York TimesAndy WebsterApr 20, 2017
Throughout, the solitary Mr. Tower maintains an unflappable refinement, dedicated, a college friend says, to “looking for some utopian possibility of living, because that’s what kept the darkness away.” Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesMay 17, 2017
The Tavern footage is terrific stuff – unstaged and unmediated and the closest the camera gets to penetrating the enigmatic yet magnetic chef. Read full review
63
Boston GlobePeter KeoughMay 3, 2017
Over-stylized and overly re-enacted documentary. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineChuck BowenApr 19, 2017
Lydia Tenaglia's direction is occasionally flashy and cluttered, but her empathy for Tower is evocative and poignant. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyApr 14, 2017
This documentary directed by Lydia Tenaglia is a conspicuously imperfect movie that turns more compelling after trying your patience, then yields a final half-hour that’s as engrossing as a finely-wrought suspense drama. Read full review
60
TimeStephanie ZacharekApr 20, 2017
The best sequences are those incorporating vintage footage from the 1970s-era Chez Panisse, where Tower, as a young, rakish beauty — quite clearly gay, but also pansexual in the dashing way people were allowed to be in those days — was the crown prince of the kitchen. Read full review
50
Washington PostMaura JudkisApr 27, 2017
It’s a languorous look at the ups and downs of a career gone awry, and the mysteries and confused culinary disciples left in the wake of the chef’s abrupt disappearance to Mexico for several years. Read full review
More From This Movie

68 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL