You Don't Nomi
RLJE Films | Release Date (Streaming): June 9, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
The PlaylistJonathan ChristianJun 9, 2020
You Don’t Nomi cuts through the excessive nudity and stylized hyper sex of “Showgirls” to reveal the heart hidden behind the grime, relishing in the entrancing panache that has fascinated and charmed viewers for years. Read full review
80
Film ThreatChuck FosterMay 5, 2020
While far from a straightforward documentary about a widely marginalized film, You Don’t Nomi reminds us that it’s okay to like things with rough edges, that streamlined perfection is overrated and, more than anything, it’s okay to deeply love something that most other people loathe. Read full review
75
Original-CinKim HughesJun 18, 2020
With its first half a kind of post-mortem of this so-called accidental masterpiece and the second devoted to its cultural influence on everyone from drag queens to film scholars, You Don’t Nomi — its title a snappy riff on lead character Elizabeth Berkley’s name — is impressive for its breadth and depth. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzJun 17, 2020
Maybe arguing the merits of a quote-unquote bad movie through the means of an imperfect documentary is the only option that makes sense. I have the distinct feeling, though, that somewhere in Europe, Verhoeven is laughing his ass off. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubAlex McLevyJun 9, 2020
It may not be as bizarrely entertaining as the film it obsesses over, but You Don’t Nomi is a captivating document of how a piece of art—especially one this deeply, powerfully weird—can take on a life wholly beyond its original intentions. Read full review
75
The Film StageChristopher SchobertJun 8, 2020
You Don’t Nomi is another essential chapter in the Showgirls story–and completes the cultural reappreciation the film deserves. How can one not appreciate a film so devoted to “doggy chow,” chips, and ice cubes? Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 5, 2020
You Don’t Nomi makes some points, misses the mark attempting to make others, but keeps us entertained as it encourages film buffs to view “Showgirls” within the framework of a filmmaker’s career, to accept that notion that “An artist is someone pounds the same nail, over and over again.” Read full review
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanJun 10, 2020
The fascination of You Don’t Nomi is that it doesn’t find some fatal contradiction among the three views. “Showgirls,” it says, is a bad movie that also is a tasty slice of kitsch that also is a flawed but honestly bracing drama. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergJun 9, 2020
If not revelatory, You Don’t Nomi is likely to persuade viewers that “Showgirls” is more than a “bare-butted bore,” as Janet Maslin wrote in The New York Times 25 years ago. Read full review
70
Rolling StonePeter TraversJun 5, 2020
In the context this documentary provides for the cult classic, it makes you want to see "Showgirls" again regardless of whether you belong to that cult or not. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMay 5, 2020
McHale has been shrewd in declining to offer a definitive verdict on the movie, instead giving equal time to both negative and positive responses. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerAug 23, 2020
Often the discussion about a film is more interesting and worthwhile than the film itself, and that's why You Don't Nomi exists. Read full review
67
TheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanMay 5, 2020
Jeffrey McHale’s feature debut, the Showgirls appreciation documentary “You Don’t Nomi,” works awfully hard to justify both its subject and its mission. But if you instantly appreciated the cleverness of its title, you’ll enjoy commiserating with fellow travelers. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJul 7, 2022
Although McHale’s theories are interesting to listen to, there’s a smoke-and-mirrors quality to them. One thing is certain, however: You Don’t Nomi is a much better motion picture than the movie it profiles. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineEric HendersonJun 10, 2020
Has the time come to ask if the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction? Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawJun 11, 2020
I’m not sure that this documentary completely nails the movie’s attraction, and it can’t quite bring itself fully to condemn the misogyny or the rape scene, in which a woman of colour is assaulted (so that the white heroine can get her revenge) and is then forgotten. But there are plenty of insights. Read full review
58
IndieWireJude DryMay 5, 2020
It’s a shame that You Don’t Nomi, a new documentary about the failure and reevaluation of Paul Verhoeven’s 1995 pulp film “Showgirls,” doesn’t live up to its truly inspired title. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyJun 9, 2020
A documentary that wants to appear inventive but too often comes off as affected, directed by Jeffrey McHale. Read full review
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