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Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

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69

USER SCORE

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tbd

RELEASE DATE: TBA

Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story

Movie Details & Credits

| Release Date: TBA | Not Rated

Summary: Comedian Maria Bamford weaves her mental health experiences into hilarious, uplifting comedy, showing how she channels personal vulnerability into artistic power through raw authenticity.

Genre(s): Biography, Comedy

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 116 min

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Metascore

Negative:

0

Critic Reviews

80

Screen Rant Gregory Nussen

Jan 28, 2026

An essential doc that reveals the origins of her singular voice with exceeding warmth and vulnerability. Read full review

80

Next Best Picture Cody Dericks

Jan 28, 2026

Like the titular woman herself, the film from co-directors Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley is equally hilarious and unafraid to be very, very real, beckoning viewers in like a close friend and rewarding them with laughs and profound insight. Read full review

80

Collider Ross Bonaime

Jan 28, 2026

In just under two hours, Apatow and Berkeley truly do their best to cover every facet of Bamford, and it is an impressive document of her greatness. Read full review

75

IndieWire Kate Erbland

Jan 29, 2026

The honesty with which Bamford approaches all of this (and, yes, surely you must be sick of reading the word “honesty,” but there is simply no better term for who Bamford is and how she lives) is, as her fellow comedians have told us, real and refreshing and actually unique. Read full review

70

The Hollywood Reporter

Daniel Fienberg

Jan 28, 2026

So it’s a good opportunity to fall in love with Maria Bamford if you’re unfamiliar. And even if you know the story, the way Bamford tells it remains refreshing and fully involving. Read full review

70

New York Magazine (Vulture)

Bilge Ebiri

Jan 28, 2026

The peculiar charm of Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story ... lies in the way it’s driven by genuine curiosity about its subject. ... Watching Paralyzed by Hope, we start to understand why other comedians, including Apatow himself, would be so fascinated and electrified by Bamford’s work. Read full review

55

TheWrap

Elizabeth Weitzman

Jan 28, 2026

Bamford seems remarkably at home in her unsettled state, to such a degree that her self-awareness feels downright aspirational. Read full review

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