Very Semi-Serious
HBO Documentary Films | Release Date: November 20, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshNov 19, 2015
It's a very, very funny film but also sweetly sad and poignant, echoing the mix of humor and pathos that marks a New Yorker cartoon exactly what it is. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comMatt FagerholmDec 10, 2015
Catnip for writers and humorists of all stripes, Wolchok’s film provides delightful breakdowns of various cartoons, examining the comedic rhythm of their design and detail. Read full review
80
The GuardianJordan HoffmanNov 19, 2015
It’s a minor work that knows its place in the margins, but is thought-provoking and surreptitiously insightful – and very funny. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeNov 19, 2015
Buzzing attentively but not exclusively around cartoon editor Bob Mankoff, director Leah Wolchok strikes a pleasing balance between office minutiae and comic greatest hits; she gets enough face time with individual artists to please comedy nerds while keeping things wholly accessible to casual fans. Read full review
80
The New York TimesGlenn KennyNov 19, 2015
If you’ve ever been curious as to how a cartoonist gets into The New Yorker and what happens then, Very Semi-Serious offers very satisfactory info. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoNov 19, 2015
With more than a hint of the magazine’s trademark insouciance, the film gives us a close look at how the selection process works and introduces us a to a handful of younger artists, as well as such stalwarts as George Booth and Roz Chast. Read full review
70
VarietyScott FoundasNov 19, 2015
A delightful if never particularly deep survey of an American comic institution. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChristopher GrayNov 17, 2015
It doesn't seem to aspire to much more than proving that there are nice, talented people behind the New Yorker's walls. Read full review
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