Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself
Laemmle/Zeller Films | Release Date: May 22, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyJun 26, 2013
A remarkable doc about a life well lived. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyJun 7, 2013
It's a great trick the filmmakers have pulled off to make us feel as if we're there sorting through the memories with him. The movie's editing is especially artful with Maya Hawke and Casey Brooks doing the nipping and tucking. Read full review
88
Washington PostStephanie MerryJun 20, 2013
He was many things, the documentary reveals, but self-serious was not among the late writer’s lengthy list of descriptors. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzSep 12, 2013
A delightful look at the public career and mostly private life of the ultimate professional amateur. Read full review
80
The New York TimesAndy WebsterMay 21, 2013
A skilled portrait of a literary light shadowed by his public profile. The film, written and directed by Tom Bean and Luke Poling, tacitly suggests a reconsideration of its subject, who deserves it. Read full review
80
Time OutDavid FearMay 21, 2013
It’s to the filmmakers’ credit that we also see how insecurity and proximity to fame both drove him and drove him crazy, resulting in a layered look at a man who was a jack of all trades, but a master of one: being George. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoJul 25, 2013
It's a life worth remembering. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyJun 21, 2013
Tom Bean and Luke Poling’s documentary shows that its subject’s true talent may have been for an occupation no less rarefied than the ones he failed at: movie star. Read full review
70
NPRIan BuckwalterMay 23, 2013
The film portrays Plimpton as someone devoted to illuminating how talent and creativity work — both for himself, and for the rest of us. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlMay 21, 2013
Directors Tom Bean and Luke Poling never shy away from the possibility that Plimpton at times was more a personality than a serious writer. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMay 17, 2013
The ironies of Plimpton's life are handled delicately, made just obvious enough for viewers to mull themselves. Read full review
70
VarietyEddie CockrellMay 17, 2013
An entertaining profile of the self-avowed participatory journalist and his tumultuous life and times. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanMay 23, 2013
Plimpton recorded many of these adventures in books that are well worth seeking out. But if you don’t have enough time to do so, Bean and Poling have assembled a delightful cheat sheet. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineJoseph Jon LanthierMay 17, 2013
Its looseness adequately portrays Plimpton as an inwardly conflicted figure, but it fails to make much of a case for his legacy outside of The Paris Review's still-noticeable brand. Read full review
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