The Way I See It
Focus Features | Release Date: September 18, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
5
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Original-CinKaren GordonSep 21, 2020
Porter and Souza together, in this film, are using his images as a reminder that a true leader can bring more than just relief from a chaotic time, and that the best leaders have always had a deep and measured well of compassion. Read full review
88
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanSep 16, 2020
There’s some very, very funny stuff here. But the laughs gradually give way to a feeling of not just sadness and loss for a quality we no longer seem to see very much of in political life and public discourse, but a sense of creeping despair that we may never see it again. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comTomris LafflySep 10, 2020
Expect to be moved to tears during this reflective film as clear-eyed as Souza’s photo books, reliving the memories of dignity that once piloted the country and often pondering, “How could we have gone from this to Trump?” Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattSep 18, 2020
What it does have in happy excess is Souza’s affable presence, and his remarkable trove of images. Read full review
81
TheWrapSteve PondSep 13, 2020
The Way I See It is a marvelous portrait of Souza and of two administrations that not coincidentally also works as a scathing rebuke of Donald Trump. It is decidedly not a film for Trump fans, but others may well find themselves moved and saddened by the contrasts between then and now. Read full review
80
CNNBrian LowrySep 17, 2020
Simply in terms of presenting a draft of history through his earlier work and scalding commentary via his more recent endeavors, Souza's aim has been true. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperSep 17, 2020
The Way I See It tells Souza’s remarkable story in straightforward and effective fashion, as even Souza himself seems surprised at the turn his life has taken. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsSep 15, 2020
Souza comes off as a genuine and genuinely humble talent. There is, however, an element of intentional or inadvertent image-packaging that goes with any White House photographer’s beat. One wishes Souza were heard on the subject of the fine, tricky line between reportorial authenticity and visual flattery. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 18, 2020
The Way I See It mostly feels like a love letter to Obama. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennySep 17, 2020
The movie is impeccably crafted and consistently engaging. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberSep 10, 2020
The greatest documentaries cut deeper and more unflinchingly. But if The Way I See It sometimes skims along the surface, the potent images of a truly gifted president in action offer a welcome journey back to a more hopeful era. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneySep 24, 2020
What’s best about the documentary is all that Obama sun. It’s hard to come by these days, even in retrospect. The shade, however, and what occasions it, is all too available. Read full review
58
IndieWireKate ErblandSep 17, 2020
While Souza and his life and work are more than interesting enough topics for a documentary, what The Way I See It is really about — what it really wants to be about — is not the man who took the photographs, but the man who was the subject of those photographs. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenSep 17, 2020
The film does much more than showcase eight years of a top photojournalist’s career. This is a film about evolution, about how Souza learned to use his voice. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzSep 10, 2020
There is certainly much to celebrate and remember about the former U.S. president’s tenure, but Souza, and Porter, don’t seem much interested in anything approaching nuance. Read full review
42
The PlaylistWarren CantrellSep 17, 2020
While there is always value in highlighting the importance of empathy and good temperament in a leader, there’s nothing inherently vital or fresh about what’s seen in The Way I See It. Read full review
40
Time OutStephen A. RussellSep 17, 2020
If you think Donald Trump is a better POTUS than his predecessor, then fair warning: this is most certainly not the documentary for you. The problem is, if you’re of the exact opposite opinion and are, indeed, an irrepressible President Obama stan, you might just find it a bit hard to stomach too. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineChris BarsantiSep 13, 2020
The final product feels like it would have been most appropriate as a video presentation for the Democratic National Convention. Read full review
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