Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It
Roadside Attractions | Release Date: June 18, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
77
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonJun 16, 2021
Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It has a lot of star power: Spielberg, Gloria Estefan, Eva Longoria, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Whoopi Goldberg and her Electric Company co-star Morgan Freeman. But none outshine the feisty subject herself. Read full review
91
IndieWireJude DryJun 16, 2021
This charming documentary is more than an IMDb-scroll come to life, avoiding the usual pitfalls of generic biopics thanks in no small part to Moreno’s surprising candor and vulnerability. Read full review
90
CNNBrian LowryJun 17, 2021
Like everything else she's done, Rita Moreno is an exceptional storyteller, turning Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It -- an "American Masters" documentary hitting theaters first -- into a dazzling look at the much-adorned star's career, and the doors left shut, despite her success, by being a Latina in Hollywood during the days of the studio system. Read full review
90
TheWrapCarlos AguilarJun 16, 2021
At once an affecting celebration of a truly peerless icon and a critique of the industry that almost broke her, Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It has the enormous responsibility of synthesizing the grandeur of a life well lived, bumps and all, and the unbreakable, giving spirit that took to get her to the pinnacle of respect and recognition. Read full review
87
Paste MagazineAmy AmatangeloJun 17, 2021
What truly sets the movie apart is Moreno’s unwavering honesty. While obviously proud of her accomplishments, she doesn’t gush about herself. It would have been so easy for the movie to have been a puff piece. But Moreno refuses to let that happen. Read full review
80
Little White LiesEmma FraserDec 14, 2021
Through all the accolades bestowed by colleagues, critics and even presidents, the documentary is at its strongest when it speaks to Moreno’s impact on future Latin American performers, giving them the role model she never had. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJun 17, 2021
This delightful and useful documentary by Mariem Pérez Riera catches its subject at a piquant point in her career Read full review
80
The New York TimesBeatrice LoayzaJun 17, 2021
Moreno is given full rein of her story, which doubles as a case study in the highs and lows of showbiz for a woman of color. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJun 16, 2021
The film might be conventionally structured, but the singular ebullience and warmth of its resilient subject make it highly entertaining. Read full review
80
Screen DailyAllan HunterJun 16, 2021
Mariem Perez Riera’s celebratory documentary covers the full sweep of Moreno’s seven decades long career but also addresses her significance as a trailblazing Latina woman and political activist. Read full review
80
VarietyChris WillmanJun 16, 2021
Coming away from “Just a Girl,” it’s impossible not to be convinced that Moreno is the rare screen legend who found a way to stick the Hollywood landing. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 16, 2021
Moreno felt as if she didn’t have much worth as she struggled, she says. One of the most satisfying things about the film is that through decades of struggle she clearly has found that worth. It’s in her confidence, the confidence of someone who has come out the other end of a long struggle with the knowledge than nothing is going to get her down. You can’t get the best of her. It’s inspiring. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiJun 17, 2021
The film, anchored by interviews with Moreno and her co-stars and contemporaries, positions Moreno as a trailblazer, a barrier-breaker, and a role model, but more interestingly, it ultimately tracks a journey of self discovery. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comDanielle ScruggsJun 18, 2021
Moreno, who is brash and self-effacing, thoughtful and charismatic, has such a commanding presence on camera; every time she speaks, you unintentionally lean in a little closer, hanging on to every word she has to say. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJun 16, 2021
The first Latina actress to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony — the “EGOT” superfecta — Moreno doesn’t just seem to keep getting better and better, but more and more interesting. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangJun 18, 2021
Even in a film that makes no bones about presenting its subject in a flattering, softening light, this 89-year-old stage and screen legend has refreshingly few qualms about saying exactly what she thinks. Read full review
70
Film ThreatNorman GidneyJun 16, 2021
I think what sets Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It apart from other end-of-life docs is that this one is just so honest, so forthcoming, and so remarkably detailed. Mariem Pérez Riera has perfectly captured an American icon at the moment we need her the most. Read full review
60
The GuardianLeslie FelperinDec 1, 2021
[A] televisual but still touching documentary tribute. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubTatiana TenreyroJun 17, 2021
The film is often unfocused, and—at a highly condensed 89 minutes—it makes only a cursory attempt to uncover aspects of this legend’s story not already included in her memoir. Maybe those interested should just read that instead. Read full review
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