Public Speaking
HBO | Release Date: November 22, 2010
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
New York PostLinda StasiDec 9, 2010
Season 1 Review: The Lebowitz film, Public Speaking, directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Graydon Carter--combines hilarious, contemporary interviews with Lebowitz about life in NYC, mixed with old clips of her in the Andy Warhol days, and great clips of her appearances on old talk shows. Read full review
100
USA TodayRobert BiancoDec 9, 2010
Season 1 Review: She's a smart, funny, eccentric elitist who isn't afraid to tell us what she thinks of us or herself. Listen with an open mind, and you should find her sometimes scathing honesty is bracing rather than off-putting. Read full review
80
SalonHeather HavrileskyDec 9, 2010
Season 1 Review: Scorsese's documentary offers us a long overdue taste of her unique, queasily accurate perspectives on our culture--always right, never fair and never disappointing. Read full review
80
The New York TimesGinia BellafanteDec 9, 2010
Season 1 Review: Public Speaking perfectly captures the pleasure she takes in observing the world while subtly revealing the crippling dimensions of perfectionism, the outsize ego it requires to achieve a certain kind of creative failure. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandDec 9, 2010
Season 1 Review: This may not be Martin Scorsese's most sophisticated film, but it actually takes a smart filmmaker to understand that, with a subject like Fran Lebowitz, the best thing you can do is let her talk. Read full review
60
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertDec 9, 2010
Season 1 Review: Without any framing background information, this affectionate documentary and its continual monologues can feel a little too insidery and indulgent. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleyDec 9, 2010
Season 1 Review: She seems distant and a little wary, like someone who has carefully built a comfortable life and sees no reason to invite a lot of strangers in. Her relationship with us is what she sees and shares. In the end, that seems fair enough. Read full review
60
VarietyBrian LowryDec 9, 2010
Season 1 Review: Given the number of dunderheaded pundits holding forth nightly, Lebowitz does feel like a throwback to a wittier era. That said, Scorsese could have gotten his point across in a third less time--as Public Speaking demonstrates, twice over, how even ballsy Manhattan artist types can benefit from an editor's touch. Read full review
60
Washington PostHank StueverDec 9, 2010
Season 1 Review: Public Speaking often seems to be trying to relaunch the Fran Lebowitz brand, 25 years past its expiration date. It feels like the kind of movie that old friends would make about an old friend. Which is precisely what it is. Read full review
Current TV Shows
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 92 The Pitt: Season 2
2 90 The Celebrity Traitors UK: Season 1
3 87 Hacks: Season 5
4 87 Industry: Season 4
5 87 Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal:...
6 85 The Beatles Anthology
7 85 The Traitors [UK]: Season 4
8 85 Bait: Season 1
9 84 Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
10 83 Lord of the Flies
11 83 Riot Women: Season 1
12 83 For All Mankind: Season 5
13 81 The Muppet Show (2026)
14 80 Outlander (2014): Season 8
15 80 The Other Bennet Sister: Season 1
16 80 The Mighty Nein: Season 1
17 80 The Comeback: Season 3
18 80 The American Revolution
19 80 One Piece (2023): Season 2
20 80 Dark Winds: Season 4
SEE ALL