Mr. Scorsese

Scorsese and Spielberg were the great exemplars of the “film school generation” of “New Hollywood” directors. As “name” directors all but vanish from business model (Ari Aster is the youngest filmmaker interviewed here), “Mr. Scorsese” stands as a five part monument to the auteur theory of filmmakers, and why in his case, it’s the only explanation for his art that we need.

Miller's series offers a chance to understand Martin Scorsese's movies in a new way. What a gift.

This is an engaging portrait of one of the greatest directors of all time – a long-form love-letter that does what every good cinematic tribute should. It makes you want to stop watching and go back to explore the films themselves.

Spielberg says that his friend is nothing less than “a cornerstone of this entire art form”. In a glossier Netflix-style puff piece this statement might seem like one more slab of branded guff. But here, in the context of an unflinching yet ultimately loving exploration, it lands with unassailable truth.

As exhilarating, urgent, invaluable, and perpetually rewatchable as Mr. Scorsese’s own work. It is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the definitive look at our greatest living filmmaker.

“Mr. Scorsese” confronts her subject’s lifelong dichotomies while defining how each of his films helps unite and define them.

Mr. Scorsese is an eye-opening and deeply moving viewing experience, one that had me crying within the first three minutes of the premiere episode. .... The docuseries is so successful in hitting these points that I wanted to see more of the connections Miller was making.

Mr. Scorsese is a fantastic encapsulation of what has made Scorsese a pillar of film history.

By the end of five long and detailed episodes, you feel like you’ve gotten to know him, inside and out, in ways you never thought you could.

Miller is an expert interviewer and has given cinephiles a real gift as a candid Scorsese talks about his battles with drugs and his connection to faith.

As comprehensive a biodoc as any recent artist has received, and it benefits from the enthusiastic participation of its subject, who revisits his life with warmth, humor, and critical thoughtfulness.

Miller rushes through some chapters of Scorsese’s filmography, especially the last era, but her simple, refined interviewing skills are what really hold “Mr. Scorsese” together. Well, that, and stories about some of your favorite films of all time.

"Mr. Scorsese” is, like most documentaries about great artists, a deep, well-researched appreciation, even if it isn’t a mash note. Miller honors her subject by addressing his flaws frankly, cinematically reinforcing them such that they become undeniable and, in the end, withholding judgment.

We run the risk of praising Marty and not how entertaining Mr. Scorsese is, with its murderer’s row of talking heads, reiterations of bits familiar to cinephiles and smart analytical revelations – and inevitably will be in future installments. .... Probably should be 10 hours. At least.

“Mr. Scorsese” isn’t flashy, nor does it need to be. Scorsese, now 82, faces Miller’s camera, relaxed, chatty, and quick to laugh at his foibles and the vagaries of his career.

Miller is far more interested in examining the roots of Scorsese’s genius rather than celebrating its breadth. Behind-the-scenes anecdotes and insights from Scorsese’s longtime collaborators — Schoonmaker, De Niro, Pileggi and, later, DiCaprio — as well as surprising interviews with the aging tough guy who was the inspiration for “Mean Streets’” Johnny Boy and, of course, Mom’s meatball-making scene, more than make up for any gaps in the canon.

Mr. Scorsese isn’t a particularly groundbreaking documentary, and in fact, the biggest criticism you can level against it is how by-the-numbers it is. What’s included is the sort of material you’d expect of a documentary about the filmmaker – new interviews, old clips, archival footage. But what a treasure trove of material it is.

Despite its obvious delights and its occasional shortcomings, the real value is "Mr. Scorsese" is simpler: It makes you want to watch his movies.

Too deferential? Maybe. But no true cinephile would dare miss Rebecca Miller’s hypnotic odyssey into the life and times of the legend that is Martin Scorsese

“Mr. Scorsese” has the momentous feel of a definitive biography. Both Scorsese and De Niro open up about the filmmaker’s near-fatal overdose, a topic they otherwise rarely discuss in interview.

It is, again, a portrait, and an essential one if only because it allows Scorsese to reflect on his life and work at length. But for a five-hour look at a master filmmaker, “Mr. Scorsese” still feels like it’s missing the bigger picture.

This overview of Scorsese’s career is thorough, peppered with warmth and affection, but perhaps just a shade more conventional and, yes, deferential, than the subject matter might ideally require.

The results are charming and insightful, although to be fair, if you're a Scorsese nerd like me, there's not a whole lot revealed here that you likely haven't heard before.

What keeps Scorsese up at night? Who does he see when he looks in the mirror, besides the underdog? Those are questions left unaddressed in the docuseries. But perhaps some of the answers were always there in his movies.