Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union

At its best, this HBO production weds the soaring rhetoric and lofty expectations to the challenge of realizing that "more perfect union," both then and now.

“Obama” is at its strongest early on, in recounting the events leading to the publication of Obama’s first memoir, “Dreams From My Father.” Kunhardt has a careful eye for moments of revelation drawn from archival footage. ... If Obama is represented here as doubly symbolically important, the substance of his presidency is somewhat less amply investigated. ... This film plays up the generative imagination of Obama so much that one hits the end of episode three missing the relative simplicity of his moment.

Kunhardt's docuseries is of a school of thought we need more from, that criticism can enrich one's honest appreciation of a political figure, and that a total, unquestioning allegiance creates a false relationship. Actual patriotism thrives with this nuance; so too does documentary filmmaking.

Director Peter Kunhardt delivers a solid, straightforward, mostly linear work. ... More provocative are the new interviews with some key figures who didn’t always see eye-to-eye with Obama, either during his presidency or while his star was ascending.

While Obama: In Pursuit Of A More Perfect Union is likely more reverent than most people might like, it’s still an effective portrait of a president whose desire was to unite instead of divide.