Paul Williams Still Alive
Abramorama | Release Date: June 8, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
New York PostLou LumenickJun 7, 2012
Williams, who was elected president of ASCAP in 2009, speaks frankly and eloquently about his problems dealing with fame, and his recovery. And more important, he earns our thanks by resolutely refusing to let Kessler turn this into a clichéd documentary. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanJun 21, 2012
The movie is fascinating, though it smacks its own lips a bit too much at the tackiness of freak '70s stardom. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJul 28, 2012
What makes the movie so good is Williams' absolute refusal to play along. Read full review
80
The New York TimesAndy WebsterJun 7, 2012
Mr. Williams's quiet integrity trumps Mr. Kessler at every turn. Self-aware and articulate, with a modesty born from confidence, he persistently uses the film to extol - and demonstrate - the rewards of recovery. His conviction brings necessary moral weight to Paul Williams: Still Alive, which transcends caricature to emerge an impressive personal testament. Read full review
80
Time OutKeith UhlichJun 5, 2012
The oft-hilarious push-and-pull between director and subject - Williams wryly notes that the film is turning into "the Steve and Paulie Show" - effectively hacks away at the celebrity-enthusiast divide. By the end of this perceptive dual portrait, both men are content to merely be human. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttJun 5, 2012
The film has a winning combination for all sorts of platforms as the story is highly intriguing and the music speaks, or rather sings, for itself. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe LeydonJun 5, 2012
An engrossing and satisfying picture, one that can be enjoyed even by people who have never before heard of its subject. Read full review
70
Boxoffice MagazineInkoo KangJun 13, 2012
Too bad the film's obscure star will be a hard sell to non-music geeks or anyone born after 1965, because this film's a blast. Read full review
70
Village VoiceChris PackhamJun 5, 2012
Johnny Carson loved him, and Williams had the credits to back himself up: As with Jimmy Webb, you could probably sing many of his songs without knowing that he's the author. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayJun 6, 2012
The footage in Paul Williams Still Alive - old and new - is highly entertaining, even moving. But it's as though Kessler recorded the DVD commentary track first, then made the movie. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerJun 5, 2012
The film too often undercuts its goals by indulging its director's need for self-affirmation at the expense of the movie's far more compelling central subject. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanJun 7, 2012
Kessler has indeed made a film about a fame-chasing narcissist in desperate need of attention. But that has nothing to do with the guy we came to see. Read full review
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