Nothing Compares
Showtime Documentary Films | Release Date: September 23, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The TelegraphNeil McCormickJan 28, 2022
Some might criticise its narrow focus, but on its own terms Nothing Compares is the most potent and hard-hitting film about the travails of a woman in the pop industry since Asif Kapadia’s 2016 Oscar-winning Amy. And what makes it ultimately more heartening than that anguished documentary about Amy Winehouse, is that O’Connor offers a story of survival. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattSep 29, 2022
As an intimate, often infuriating portrait of an artist and era, it's hard to argue with the raw power of the story on screen — and the timeliness of it too, no matter how long overdue. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeOct 11, 2022
It’s small wonder that she effectively torpedoed the stardom she never much wanted anyway. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeOct 7, 2022
Sadly, Prince’s estate refused the rights to the audio of Nothing Compares 2 U. That could have been a big problem, but her famous version’s status as the ghost that didn’t come to the feast adds mystery to an already hugely engaging film. For fans and the uninitiated alike. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawOct 6, 2022
This is a bracing guide to a brilliant individual who declined to conform. Read full review
80
Film ThreatSabina Dana PlasseJan 28, 2022
With Nothing Compares, Ferguson captures the fire which fuels the still relevant singer. By honing in on a specific time frame but contextualizing it within Sinéad’s life, the film allows us to get to know the subject intimately. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenJan 28, 2022
Sympathetic and perceptive. Read full review
80
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganJan 28, 2022
[An] empathetic documentary ... It can’t be classified as triumphant but, with Ferguson’s editorial savvy, Nothing Compares reclaims O’Connor’s rights to her own narrative in a film which ends on a proud note. It’s also a reminder of how genuine she has been throughout decades of struggle. Read full review
80
VarietyOwen GleibermanJan 28, 2022
[An] incisive and poignant documentary ... Sinéad O’Connor was a fire that went out too fast. "Nothing Compares" makes you see it’s still burning. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 4, 2022
It’s an invaluable look at a complicated and often misunderstood artist who is more than the usual talking points of “Nothing Compares 2 U” and “ripped up a picture of the pope on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ ” Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comNell MinowSep 23, 2022
A compilation of quick clips at the end is not entirely persuasive about O’Connor’s impact, but her story and her voice are impact enough. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 19, 2022
Her sound, her look, her fashion sense and her politics are discussed and marveled at by those interviewed, who see her as a woman decades ahead of her time whom the passage of time has largely validated and exonerated. Read full review
75
IndieWireJude DryJan 28, 2022
What emerges is a more ephemeral portrait of the time and place that O’Connor sprang from and was rebelling against. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurraySep 30, 2022
Nothing Compares stays confined to the six-year whirlwind when O’Connor was at her most famous, and steers clear of the decades of scandals that followed. This is clearly a conscious — and astute — choice by Ferguson, who means to show that even at the peak of her commercial powers, O’Connor was questioned, mocked and belittled. Read full review
70
Paste MagazineNatalia KeoganSep 23, 2022
What remains so compelling about O’Connor is that she actually used her popularity to challenge powerful institutions well before anyone else was even remotely comfortable with doing so. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennySep 22, 2022
Nothing Compares is a worthwhile appreciation of the artist. Read full review
70
TheWrapSteve PondJan 28, 2022
It’s a potent film that explores the roots of the brilliant but troubled Irish singer ... but it also turns her recent years into an afterthought, bypassing many of the highs and lows that led her here over the last two decades. Read full review
65
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaJan 28, 2022
At times, "Nothing Compares" can feel like hagiography. It's all a little too slight — so much of O'Connor's life is left out, and the entire thing feels a little bit like the CliffsNotes version of the story. And yet, you also get the sense that if anyone deserves such lionized treatment, it's O'Connor. Read full review
60
The GuardianJordan HoffmanJan 28, 2022
Nothing Compares is simply more about the Sinéad you already know. But a critic’s original sin is to review the movie you want to see, not the movie that exists. To that end, with expectations managed, Nothing Compares is a quite engaging document. Read full review
50
The PlaylistJonathan ChristianJan 28, 2022
Depriving “Nothing Compares” of any mention of O’Connor’s more recent life irreparably wounds the film. Had Ferguson bothered to cast aside her rose-tinted gaze, the documentary might have, akin to O’Connor’s rebellious spirit, broken the mold of what’s expected from cinematic works of biographical nonfiction. Read full review
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