John Lewis: Good Trouble
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date (Streaming): July 3, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
89
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisJul 1, 2020
Director Porter has done an excellent job assembling archival footage and interviews to tell Lewis’ story; she has the markings of a great storyteller. Read full review
80
CNNBrian LowryJul 10, 2020
Lewis -- who is battling pancreatic cancer -- was not much more than a kid when he marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr., and has seemingly lived three lives since then. That's why despite the documentary's uneven aspects, his legacy is ample motivation for any student of history to see Good Trouble as a good investment. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchKatie WalshJul 2, 2020
Porter’s film is a warm biography and depiction of Lewis’ life, but there are moments where one wishes it had a bit more bite. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireJul 2, 2020
Director Dawn Porter’s film is an intimate homage to both the legend and the man, as spry and lively as Lewis himself. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 2, 2020
It’s an adoring portrait, covering Lewis’s early life (he started wearing a tie in elementary school, and has never stopped) and the breadth of his career, letting him tell the folksy story of “the boy from Troy, Alabama” to crowds of fans and peers. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJul 1, 2020
A rambling documentary that freely moves back and forth through time but maintains interest and cohesion by virtue of its subject. The more you watch Lewis, the more fascinating he gets. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyJul 1, 2020
John Lewis: Good Trouble isn’t a great film, but it has a great subject — and excellent timing. Read full review
75
TheWrapSteve PondJun 29, 2020
The man is certainly worthy of this kind of celebration, and it’s hard to imagine that anybody who watches the movie won’t agree with Ava DuVernay’s push to rename that bridge. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineMark JenkinsJun 29, 2020
The film is well-outfitted with telling, thematically rich shards of historical information. Read full review
75
IndieWireEric KohnJun 19, 2020
Lewis was fighting for America’s future long before any recent conflicts, and the documentary makes a welcome case for keeping hope alive. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyMarc BernardinJun 18, 2020
John Lewis: Good Trouble is absolutely inspiring — but it stops a bit short of being illuminating. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergJul 2, 2020
Although the film uses a conventional format, it makes an urgent argument: that a new wave of voter suppression has threatened the rights that Lewis labored to secure. Read full review
70
TimeStephanie ZacharekJun 30, 2020
John Lewis: Good Trouble shows us an activist and an effective politician — as well as a powerful and passionate public speaker — who has devoted his life to public service, often putting himself at risk to defend basic human rights. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterBeandrea JulyJun 29, 2020
Good Trouble is more symbolic than it is eye-opening, and that’s not necessarily a problem. It’s the film equivalent of a textbook, telling us everything we want to hear about Lewis — even though most of it we already know — and arriving at a moment when reflecting upon America’s long history of racism is more relevant than ever. Read full review
67
The PlaylistChris BarsantiJun 19, 2020
At its best, John Lewis: Good Trouble is a portrait in courage that pairs the past with the present. Read full review
63
The Associated PressLindsey BahrJul 6, 2020
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the film is how prophetic it is. Although it doesn’t offer any reflection on the current moment, it also won’t come as a surprise how we got here. Read full review
60
Rolling StoneDavid FearJul 3, 2020
The subject’s virtues, however, outweigh any of the film’s weak spots. Read full review
60
VarietyTomris LafflyJun 30, 2020
A detailed yet paint-by-numbers study of the living legend who believes in the necessity of making good trouble as an instigator of societal change. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubVikram MurthiJun 30, 2020
The result is an uneven paean to a man who deserves a more complicated portrait. Read full review
More From This Movie

70 Critic Reviews

7.8 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 71 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL