The First Monday in May
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: April 15, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
10
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
89
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesApr 13, 2016
The whole film is a delicious excuse to gawk – at the magnificent costumes, at the diplomatic dance of museum personnel and party planners, and at the sumptuous squish of so many egos sharing space. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMay 3, 2016
The movie has been smartly built to satisfy hardcore fashionistas and red-carpet gawkers in equal measure. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldApr 21, 2016
It’s a film that effectively combines two distinct — and very different — pleasures. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckApr 14, 2016
The First Monday in May should prove catnip to fashionistas. Read full review
67
The PlaylistKimber MyersApr 14, 2016
Though it delves into a number of topics beyond fashion, it refrains from going underneath the glossy surface. It will appeal to fans of Wintour’s brand and style devotees, but it likely won’t make too many converts outside her kingdom. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchElizabeth WellingtonMay 3, 2016
It's very inside baseball about the inner workings of a fashion event. That said, there's a delicious depiction of fashion as fantasy that's worth the price of admission. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorApr 21, 2016
Perhaps if Rossi had begun where he ends, with the bold assertion that this project is not about raising money for art but about using celebs to sell magazines, The First Monday in May might prove as enlightening as it is titillating. What does Rihanna get paid? We don’t know because, as a staffer names the actual sum, the filmmaker bleeps the words. Read full review
63
Washington PostStephanie MerryApr 14, 2016
The First Monday in May isn’t a deep examination of its subjects, but at least it’s breathtaking to look at. Read full review
60
Total FilmStephen PuddicombeNov 2, 2016
Following preparations for the Met’s 2015 exhibition ‘China: Through the Looking Glass’, this modest doc asks: can fashion be art? The answer is ambivalent. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonKate LloydSep 26, 2016
Whether Rossi knows it or not, this is one of the most compelling discussions of appropriation and the ignorance of the fashion world in ages. Read full review
60
Screen DailyWendy IdeApr 13, 2016
From the earnest score to the breathless talking heads to the atmosphere of awestruck reverence, this is a film which takes itself every bit as seriously as its subjects. Read full review
60
VarietyNick SchagerApr 13, 2016
Detailing the eight-month build-up to the show’s debut, First Monday in May is most compelling when simply taking up residence alongside Bolton, Wintour and Wong as they oversee the myriad aspects of their production. Read full review
50
The Film StageMichael SnydelApr 27, 2016
First Monday in May gathers together some of the most influential and radical contemporary figures in fashion, offers a comprehensive view into the creation of a groundbreaking fashion exhibition, and profiles one of the most exclusive figures in the world. And yet, somehow it all feels incredibly familiar. Read full review
50
Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghApr 21, 2016
The film’s focus is too easily distracted by celebrity and turns less documentary and more fawning love letter to an industry already in love with itself. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comMark DujsikApr 15, 2016
The movie's conclusion is: of course, fashion is Art, or at least that's what we're apparently expected to garner from the montage of intricately, ornately designed pieces from famous designers of the contemporary and modern eras. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayApr 14, 2016
As with Rossi's acclaimed documentary "Page One: Inside the New York Times," "First Monday" covers too much ground. Read full review
50
Village VoiceAbbey BenderApr 14, 2016
Rossi provides an attractive overview of the exhibition for those who did not attend it, but we are left feeling something like Wong, seeing a lot of pretty things surrounded by vapidity. Read full review
40
The New York TimesGlenn KennyApr 14, 2016
The movie is sloppy. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineClayton DillardApr 13, 2016
Andrew Rossi pays sporadic lip service to recognizing cultural specificity before returning to his star-gazing ways. Read full review
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