Beyonce: Life Is But a Dream
HBO | Release Date: February 16, 2013
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
6
Negative:
2

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
SalonWilla PaskinFeb 13, 2013
Season 1 Review: The best parts of Life Is But a Dream are not the confessionals, but watching Beyoncé become Beyoncé. It’s a transformation we see only bits of.... But mostly, there’s no sweat. We hear about her angst, and then we see the finished product. Read full review
50
Denver PostJoanne OstrowFeb 14, 2013
Season 1 Review: The yin and yang of stardom are on display here: The footage from her in concert is breathtaking. The cliches from her interviews are cringe-inducing. Read full review
50
RedEyeCurt WagnerFeb 14, 2013
Season 1 Review: The HBO special comes off more as another managed attempt to forge the legend of Queen B. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandFeb 13, 2013
Season 1 Review: Life Is But a Dream, co-directed by Ed Burke and billed by HBO as "an intimate, revealing documentary," isn't really, but there are enough moments that pass for authenticity to make it a benignly informative glimpse into a rarefied existence. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyFeb 8, 2013
Season 1 Review: Rather than a self-portrait, this is a scrupulously processed diptych. Read full review
40
VarietyBrian LowryFeb 14, 2013
Season 1 Review: Life Is But a Dream simply plays like a video diary, a less-salacious version of the brand of self-confessional "celeb-reality" shows overpopulating cable TV, albeit with lower-octane stars. Read full review
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