Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You
Music Box Films | Release Date: July 8, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoAug 4, 2016
It’s a lot of ground to cover, but if the movie fails to plumb the depth of Lear’s mystery, it succeeds in being an entertaining look at an influential figure. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerJul 28, 2016
The film is poetically structured and Lear is a spry, emotionally involved participant in a lively bio-doc that succeeds eulogistically and contextually. Read full review
75
Boston GlobePeter KeoughJul 28, 2016
In short, the film inserts us into a solipsistic universe of Norman Lear, one that also overlaps many of the most significant social, political, and show-biz issues of the second half of the 20th century. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzJul 8, 2016
While the film works as a primer for viewers who are curious about Lear but don’t know the details of his life and work, it’s more interesting as a movie about age and memory. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineClayton DillardJul 3, 2016
The doc finds pathos in an amiable, fluid construction that chronologically charts the career (and political) ambitions of TV producer Norman Lear. Read full review
70
The New York TimesAndy WebsterJul 7, 2016
Effective topical entertainment, we are reminded, rarely comes without creative conflict. Read full review
70
VarietyGuy LodgeJun 3, 2016
Generally laudatory in its approach to its irresistible human subject — if Lear’s signature white hat remains immovably on his head, the film’s stays very much in hand — this appreciation is nonetheless most fascinating in a brief stretch where the political correctness of Lear’s work is called into question by black performers. Read full review
67
IndieWireEric KohnJun 3, 2016
Lear remains a keen observer of his own ability to inject leftist politics into popular culture. The chief stylistic devices used to bring his experiences to life are a different story. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesGlenn WhippJul 14, 2016
For a movie about the creator of some of the most pointed, controversial comedies in television history, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You has a curious habit of sidestepping some of the thornier and more interesting aspects of its subject’s life. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinJun 3, 2016
The film feels a little too eulogistic, too reliant on hyperbole and too in love with its own gimmicks to make it more than just a serviceable crowd-pleaser. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn HornadayJul 21, 2016
Ewing and Grady insert vignettes featuring a young actor playing Lear as a 9-year-old, wandering an empty theater and trying on his analog’s signature white hat. The conceit might have sounded artful on paper, but it doesn’t work on film. Read full review
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