Beyonce: Life Is But a Dream
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Feb 16, 2013
Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 2 out of 14

Critic Reviews

  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Feb 8, 2013
    83
    What gives this film grit are the visual displays of her work ethic and her fierce determination to "bring R&B music back" to the center of current pop music, to "forget being cool" and reveal naked passion. [15 Feb 2013, p.60]
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  2. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Feb 13, 2013
    75
    Life Is But A Dream in reality doesn't give all that much. Still, it's a watchable film for those who just can't get enough of a pop music jewel to behold who's still just 31 and likely not even in her prime yet.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Gerrick D. Kennedy
    Feb 15, 2013
    70
    Ultimately, Life Is but a Dream remains a victory for her fans. Casual viewers will most likely glean the same sense of the superstar's life as one might from a magazine feature. But for serious fans of the fiercely private superstar, this remains a window into her life.
  5. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Glenn Gamboa
    Feb 14, 2013
    67
    Sure, it's a glossy, well-produced infomercial filled with powerful live performances, but it feels designed to make us want to buy more Beyoncé stuff.
  6. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    Feb 15, 2013
    63
    Life Is But A Dream is a vanity project that could have been a helluva film--if she had given up control and let the story tell itself.
  7. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    Feb 8, 2013
    63
    A gauzy, pretty documentary. [18 Feb 2013, p.43]
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  8. Salon
    Reviewed by: Willa Paskin
    Feb 13, 2013
    60
    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.
  9. Denver Post
    Reviewed by: Joanne Ostrow
    Feb 14, 2013
    50
    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.
  10. RedEye
    Reviewed by: Curt Wagner
    Feb 14, 2013
    50
    The HBO special comes off more as another managed attempt to forge the legend of Queen B.
  11. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Feb 13, 2013
    50
    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.
  12. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: David Rooney
    Feb 8, 2013
    50
    Rather than a self-portrait, this is a scrupulously processed diptych.
  13. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Feb 14, 2013
    40
    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.
  14. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    Feb 15, 2013
    30
    It’s an oddly unnecessary piece of work, a vanity production from top to bottom with very little that feels genuinely candid.
  15. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Alessandra Stanley
    Feb 14, 2013
    30
    Beyoncé: Life Is but a Dream is as contrived as “Madonna: Truth or Dare,” but probably for good reason it is neither daring nor entirely truthful.

Awards & Rankings

81
#81 Most Discussed TV Season of 2013

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 55 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 55
  3. Negative: 16 out of 55
  1. LadeeLibra
    Feb 17, 2013
    2
    This was nothing but a full-on Beyonce infomercial. It really didn't reveal anything about her that we didn't already know. The best part ofThis was nothing but a full-on Beyonce infomercial. It really didn't reveal anything about her that we didn't already know. The best part of this "documentary" was the last 5 minutes or so. That's it. It's the same song and dance of many other celebrity docs--"Woe is me. Why was I given this life? My life is not perfect. Even though I'm a celebrity I have feelings like everyone else." Blah blah blah. This was nothing but smoke and mirrors, giving us nothing but the Beyonce that she wants the public to see, not what's actually there. I'm waiting to see a deeper Beyonce. But it does bring up the question: Is there a "deep" Beyonce? Probably not. If we scratch beneath that surface, there's probably nothing but more surface. Sad, really.… Full Review »
  2. smokesouljah420
    Feb 20, 2013
    0
    this is utter trash, the message stop turning young girsl into money grubbing whores,beyonce is garbage, who's real motives are pay my bills,this is utter trash, the message stop turning young girsl into money grubbing whores,beyonce is garbage, who's real motives are pay my bills, and ppl watch this trash, her husband is a gangsta rapper, so lets have a kid, i mean don't you ppl get it you've been lied 2, these ppl are just rich spoiled ppl, and please beyonce put some clothes on i don't wanna look at your nasty jiggly loose body, please wear clothes, yuck… Full Review »
  3. moviemaker10
    Feb 17, 2013
    10
    Never saw a doc that made me laugh and cry so much. Enjoyed it immensely and I highly recommend people to watch it even if they're not BeyoncéNever saw a doc that made me laugh and cry so much. Enjoyed it immensely and I highly recommend people to watch it even if they're not Beyoncé fans. A must see!… Full Review »
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