My Scientology Movie
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: March 10, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The TelegraphTim RobeyOct 10, 2016
It's all wickedly tendentious mischief, but when it's this gloriously funny, the points score themselves. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireMar 10, 2017
This Louis Theroux-starring film belongs to the Michael Moore school of docu-making, in which much hinges on the personal viewpoint and observational wit of the on-camera investigator. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 8, 2017
It’s hardly the last word on this scam and its hilarious embrace of the “Duck Soup” uniforms and the addled imagination and crackpot ideas of L. Ron Hubbard. But that’s the point. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMar 13, 2017
Those whose curiosity wasn't sated by Alex Gibney's highbrow Going Clear will appreciate this sometimes funny but not unserious picture. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayMar 9, 2017
As he uses Rathbun’s old tactics against his observers, Theroux raises troubling questions about psychological warfare and how devoutness shades into fanaticism. Read full review
70
Village VoiceDaphne HowlandMar 9, 2017
The film's a little choppy as Theroux takes side trips to interview other former Scientologists, but it comes together as a chilling look at America's most famous 20th-century homegrown religion. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMar 9, 2017
My Scientology Movie relies on a shaggy, meandering charm. At times it plays like an extended skit on “The Daily Show”; yet its disorder also makes its insights — like how strongly the church’s training sessions resemble acting classes — feel refreshingly organic. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)John SemleyFeb 16, 2017
What enlivens My Scientology is Theroux himself: watching him stumble from one idea to the next, interact with intense actors pulling their best Tom Cruise grins, butt heads with Rathbun, bicker with church insiders and throw their own idiotic lingo back in their faces. Read full review
60
EmpirePhil de SemlyenOct 10, 2016
Theroux’s first big-screen doc is an entertaining affair, peppered with surreal moments and wry wit, but its elusive subject remains out of reach. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Mar 8, 2017
This stunt-driven nonfiction project rearranges the well-reported dirt on the church, placing it into the context of something considerably less useful: a documentary about how hard it is to make a documentary about Scientology. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineJake ColeMar 7, 2017
The only element that significantly differentiates this documentary from its peers is Louis Theroux's good-natured cheekiness. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovMar 29, 2017
Theroux (who co-wrote with director Dower) manages to dredge up some new, albeit not particularly revelatory, intel on the litigation-happy group, and the tack they take to get there is interesting in and of itself. Read full review
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