John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection
Oscilloscope Laboratories | Release Date: August 22, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
82
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The New York TimesWesley MorrisAug 21, 2018
Mr. Faraut’s impressionistic conflation of humor, wonder, horror and sympathy whisks this movie to the deluxe suite of the pleasure palace. Read full review
100
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 11, 2018
John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection is quite simply the greatest tennis film ever made and one of the finest documentaries to honor any sport. Read full review
100
The Film StageRory O'ConnorMar 27, 2018
In The Realm of Perfection is in essence about that most slippery of topics: the beauty of the game. Sport might tell the truth, but perhaps only cinema can capture it. Read full review
90
The New YorkerAnthony LaneAug 27, 2018
What lingers, when this movie is done, are not the regular rallies, during which we survey the whole court, but those moments when we focus on McEnroe alone — on the dancing shuffle of his feet as he bobs and races for a return. Swap the sneakers for tap shoes and the dusty clay for a mirrored floor, and we could be watching Fred without Ginger, lost in the delirium of his art. Read full review
90
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlAug 21, 2018
Faraut’s film doesn’t just put us courtside — it steeps us in the legend’s boiling mind. Read full review
90
Screen DailyNikki BaughanMar 27, 2018
Director Julien Faraut, who oversees the French Sport Institute’s 16mm film collection, showcases masterful command of the documentary form. His insightful, entertaining and often humorous film will appeal to fans of McEnroe, tennis and sport in general. Read full review
83
IndieWireDavid EhrlichAug 22, 2018
Faraut is able to conflate the cinema’s quixotic obsession with reality with the athlete’s similarly impossible dream of perfection. In its own playful way, his film celebrates the beautiful folly of both pursuits. Read full review
80
The GuardianMike McCahillMay 24, 2019
McEnroe makes a fascinating focal point. Read full review
80
The TelegraphTim RobeyMay 23, 2019
With its thickly-accented voiceovers, re-recorded into English by Mathieu Amalric, the film is a pleasingly eccentric watch, and one full of rare insights. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranAug 30, 2018
An idiosyncratic, metaphysical meditation on tennis, cinema, human behavior, maybe even life itself, "Perfection" at times risks being too pleased with itself for its own good, but its one-of-a-kind credentials are never in doubt. Read full review
80
VarietyJessica KiangMar 27, 2018
What on paper might be a standard sporting bio-doc, largely relevant only to tennis aficionados or fans of John McEnroe at the height of his powers, instead becomes a lovely meditation on time and movement, dedication and obsession, image and perception. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiSep 5, 2018
It is at times a beguiling and compelling piece of cinema, but it’s not without its frustrations. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyNov 8, 2018
So it’s a sort of grace note that Julien Faurat’s unusual and absorbing documentary, John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection, includes a snippet from the soundtrack of “Raging Bull,” probably the greatest and certainly the fiercest and most aestheticized of boxing movies. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonAug 29, 2018
An invaluable piece of sports history, with 16mm images by de Kermadec that are succulently detailed. Read full review
75
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenAug 27, 2018
On the surface a sports documentary about the titular tennis legend, John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection is also a call to watch things more closely. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMar 27, 2018
Spry and playful at times, pedantic and ponderously repetitive at others, the film is French down to its sweaty tennis socks and ultimately a touch too self-satisfied in its clever unconventionality. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineJosh WiseAug 17, 2018
The documentary's labored juxtapositions create fission, the feel of a director scrambling to dictate the game. Read full review
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