Phil Spector
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Mar 24, 2013
Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 30
  3. Negative: 3 out of 30

Critic Reviews

  1. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: John Semley
    Mar 21, 2013
    50
    Despite the more honest pleasures of something like You Don't Know Jack, Phil Spector's nominal entertainment value proceeds almost entirely from its status as an explosive camp object, buoyed by the promise of seeing Pacino yell his way through Mamet's dialogue as the eccentric record producer turned convicted murderer in an overstated wall of sound.
  2. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Mar 21, 2013
    42
    A frustrating film that leaves the questions--pretty much all of them--unanswered.
  3. Sioux City Journal
    Reviewed by: Bruce Miller
    May 29, 2013
    40
    Both actors [Al Pacino and Helen Mirren] could thrive with this story (Pacino's a ringer for Spector) but Mamet speculates a bit too much. Had he eliminated the title character entirely, it might have been more intriguing.
  5. Salon
    Reviewed by: Willa Paskin
    Mar 26, 2013
    40
    Phil Spector is missing dramatic tension. It’s staged as a movie but it’s constructed more like a play, with plenty of scenes of two people exchanging Mametian dialogue in claustrophobic spaces.
  6. Zap2it (Inside the Box)
    Reviewed by: Geoff Berkshire
    Mar 26, 2013
    40
    While it's never as silly or artless as HBO's overpraised "Game Change," Spector is low-stakes, procedure-oriented and deliberately claustrophobic, lacking in the sort of sharply pointed dialogue one may expect from Mamet
  7. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Mar 22, 2013
    40
    Claustrophobic, stagey and muddled, the movie offers two memorable set pieces.
  8. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Mar 22, 2013
    40
    Phil Spector is watchable, but given the lofty expectations raised by HBO movies, it’s also the cinematic equivalent of a bad hair day.
  9. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    Mar 22, 2013
    40
    Phil Spector is a wordy and unappealingly clinical character sketch.
  10. Philadelphia Daily News
    Reviewed by: Ellen Gray
    Mar 22, 2013
    40
    As good as the performances are and as fascinating it might be to see the inner workings of a celebrity trial where money was apparently no object, Phil Spector plays like a docudrama.
  11. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    Mar 21, 2013
    40
    Everything aside from Pacino in this movie is surprisingly ordinary and lacking.
  12. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Alessandra Stanley
    Mar 21, 2013
    40
    In Phil Spector the facts of the case and the characters are molded to allow viewers to doubt Mr. Spector’s guilt. But even with a Mamet screenplay and actors like Mr. Pacino and Ms. Mirren there is not much anyone can do to make the audience care.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 16
  3. Negative: 5 out of 16
  1. beingryanjude
    Sep 1, 2014
    6
    Regardless of whether it is true or not--it's held together by two strong performances and wonderful writing. Phil Spector is a bold view of aRegardless of whether it is true or not--it's held together by two strong performances and wonderful writing. Phil Spector is a bold view of a nationally recognized court case--by the end, you'll have plenty of opinions.… Full Review »
  2. MikaelZ
    Mar 18, 2014
    10
    Pacino and Mirren are absolutely fantastic in this! And Mamet wonderfully captures Spector's tortured soul and Linda's determination, which isPacino and Mirren are absolutely fantastic in this! And Mamet wonderfully captures Spector's tortured soul and Linda's determination, which is just as strong as her (Mirren's) performance.… Full Review »
  3. heyitsmegrif4
    Apr 2, 2013
    3
    Nothing about this film pops out. It seems like any other HBO show. Sure it features big names but they give dull performances rarely evenNothing about this film pops out. It seems like any other HBO show. Sure it features big names but they give dull performances rarely even shaping a character. The story is plain and would have been the same difference as a documentary.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »