The Kingmaker
Evergreen Pictures | Release Date: November 8, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The GuardianPeter BradshawDec 12, 2019
Lauren Greenfield’s film about the Philippines’ former first lady Imelda Marcos reveals a grotesquely self-pitying, wholly unrepentant and very rich woman. Read full review
90
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 14, 2019
Marcos’ print-the-legend philosophy has particular resonance in a post-truth world, although such sinister undertones sneak up on audiences in a movie that begins, innocently enough, as the latest of Greenfield’s astonishing portraits of wealth run amok. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoNov 8, 2019
Intercutting interviews with Marcos and her son with archival footage and other experts on the Marcos regime, Greenfield has put together her best film yet. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesTara BradyJan 22, 2020
A terrifying reminder that those with absolute power don’t make good retirees. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangNov 7, 2019
The Kingmaker may end on a queasy note of alarm about the Philippines’ future, but it also reminds us that we neglect the past at our peril. Read full review
80
TheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanOct 30, 2019
Though Greenfield is too skilled to overplay her intentions, the picture that emerges gains additional power from its clarifying distance. The Kingmaker is required viewing for anyone concerned about the direction of their own democracy. Read full review
80
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 14, 2019
An enraging portrait of entitlement, opulence and corruption, The Kingmaker starts as a profile of Imelda Marcos but soon widens its perspective to depict a Philippines in peril. Read full review
75
Washington PostMark JenkinsDec 10, 2019
The Kingmaker chills the soul by presenting shantytown residents and school kids who extol the Marcos regime and even endorse its eight-year period of martial law. Read full review
75
The PlaylistChris BarsantiNov 7, 2019
Maybe Marcos imagined this documentary would humanize her. Greenfield did. But not in the way that her subject would have preferred. Read full review
75
IndieWireEric KohnSep 14, 2019
The Kingmaker clarifies the harrowing situation facing the future of the Philippines, but more than that, it’s a warning sign for the entire world. Read full review
70
Rolling StoneDavid FearNov 9, 2019
It’s a documentary that starts as a nonfiction portrait and ends as a horror movie. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisNov 6, 2019
It’s an ugly story shrewdly told, with a sense of humor and also a deeper feeling for history. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthySep 14, 2019
An engaging, appalling but inevitably partial portrait of a woman who has navigated through countless political and personal squalls but remains irretrievably drawn to the flame of power. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubLawrence GarciaNov 5, 2019
While researching the project, Greenfield herself thought she might find a “redemption story.” But the film eventually proves to be a far more troubling examination of the Marcoses’ continued political hold in the Philippines. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineChristopher GrayNov 3, 2019
The film confirms that the ruthless knack of the wealthy and powerful to remain so is a universal impulse. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Simran HansJan 7, 2020
More than 70 civil and criminal charges have been lodged against the family. Marcos flaunted her wealth while her country’s living standards plummeted, and Greenfield’s portrait is damning. Read full review
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