Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure
Tribeca Film | Release Date: September 16, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
5
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
The A.V. ClubNoel MurraySep 14, 2011
Bate invites a disparate bunch of SULM true-believers to explain their obsession, and many of them point to the same spirit of voyeurism that makes YouTube videos go viral today: that sense of getting an unfiltered look into how other people live. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisSep 13, 2011
Has to rank right up there as one of the oddest films of the year. But odd in a very good way. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenSep 15, 2011
In making Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure, a documentary that tells the story of not just the tapes but their strange and increasingly sad afterlife, Australian filmmaker Matthew Bate faces the challenge not only of visualizing the audio artifacts but also of finding a way to position their makers and explain all that has transpired since the tapes were initially recorded. Read full review
70
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerSep 15, 2011
A dandy little documentary whether you view the story it captures as a precursor to the flash fame of the Internet age or as one of the last genuine underground phenomena before the Internet made that whole concept obsolete. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlSep 13, 2011
Still, the tapes are great. More than just a flophouse Punch and Judy show, the Raymond vs. Peter dustups elevate cruel bickering to a ritual through which we live life's pain. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianShawn LevySep 22, 2011
Despite the film's claim to be an anatomy of a pop culture craze, it's deeply parochial and has an opportunistic feel at its core. Read full review
63
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottSep 23, 2011
Along the way, Shut Up, Little Man boasts nice technical elements. And it is, admittedly, amusing to a degree. Peter and Raymond certainly know how to turn a phrase. But things begin to wear thin about halfway through. Read full review
60
Time OutDavid FearSep 13, 2011
For once, trying to expand into a bigger exploration of the zeitgeist actually proves to be a misstep; the movie works best when it simply shuts up and concentrates more on the anatomy of a prank gone pop phenomenal. Read full review
60
VarietyDennis HarveySep 13, 2011
Alternately hilarious and discomfiting, and finally rather poignant. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazineSara Maria VizcarrondoSep 13, 2011
Upbeat, bitter, sweet and always gripping, Shut Up! Little Man gives remix culture the ucky origin story it likely won't heed, but could sorely use nonetheless. Read full review
50
New York PostKyle SmithSep 16, 2011
The film achieves near-poignancy in its final act, when we finally meet one of the two elderly tipplers, plus a friend who occasionally stayed at their apartment and endured their shouting matches. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterJames GreenbergSep 13, 2011
Cleverly put together by writer-director Matthew Bate, the film takes a bizarre, cult folktale and turns it into a picture that is more provocative than entertaining. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineNick SchagerSep 12, 2011
Shut Up Little Man! fails to legitimize its topic as one of any significance. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesOct 5, 2011
But most damningly, Shut Up Little Man! fails to convey what was so hypnotic about the original tapes, and Bate's decision to re-enact the transcripts with actors seems weirdly contrary to the spirit of the thing. Read full review
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