This So-Called Disaster: Sam Shepard Directs the Late Henry Moss
IFC Films | Release Date: April 21, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Almereyda's movie is riveting for several reasons: its inside look at Shepard in action, its vivid account of how a challenging play is brought from printed page to public stage, and its glimpses of Shepard's troubled youth. Read full review
90
The New York TimesDana Stevens
Fascinating. Anyone interested in the challenges and techniques of acting -- which is really to say, anyone interested in human behavior -- should turn off E! and head down to Mr. Almereyda's film. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Turns out to be one of the finer peeks into the creative process of staging a play. Granted, that's a tiny genre, and the film's core audience -- theater majors and the people who love them -- is narrow. The lessons, however, are big. Read full review
80
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Both resonant and skillfully devious. Read full review
80
SlateDavid Edelstein
It's fun to see actors doing what they do and to see them through the eyes of a director. Read full review
80
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The film leaves the viewer with an increased sense of Shepard's exceptional being and talent--a prime playwright of his time who, if he had so chosen, could also have been one of its leading film stars. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
Surprisingly compelling viewing. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Fascinating and instructive throughout. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Among the many skills required by a documentary maker is the ability to make reticent people blossom. Michael Almereyda has done that in This So-Called Disaster with several of the film industry's most notorious iconoclasts. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
This So-Called Disaster was the father's sarcastic term for their relationship. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Almereyda's fascination with creative creatures and their mysterious ways is abundantly clear. And distracting. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
Insightful but unfocused. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill White
As a portrait of a collaborative artist at work, the film is an invaluable document, not to be missed by anyone with more than a passing interest in theater. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
Despite the often insightful comments by the various cast members and Shepard himself -- the film doesn't dig very deeply into the artistic process of putting on a new play. But it does offer a fascinating fly-on-the-wall perspective. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
For all its high-end ambitions, This So-Called Disaster has a tabloid-TV-like appeal: We want to see if these volatile performers get on each other's nerves. Read full review
70
VarietyScott Foundas
Not as insightful as "Topsy-Turvy" or "Vanya on 42nd Street" about the process of putting on a show, it's nonetheless a fascinating meeting of the minds -- between iconic New York indie filmmaker Michael Almereyda and laconic American cowboy and dramatist Shepard. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
It offers a rare opportunity to watch a world-class playwright bringing one of his own works to life; rarer still, Almereyda puts his notoriously reticent subjects so sufficiently at ease that they actually sit down and discuss their craft. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
The scattered insights in This So-Called Disaster aren't worth the sifting it takes to find them. Read full review
More From This Movie

76 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL