Six by Sondheim
HBO | Release Date: December 9, 2013
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
85
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
New York Magazine (Vulture)Matt Zoller SeitzDec 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: This is one of the best movies about the artistic process I've seen--a film that can engross and illuminate even if you know nothing of Sondheim. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandDec 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: Lapine's direction is almost the star of Six by Sondheim. Not only has he used the six songs to illuminate the composer's life, he organizes years and years of interviews as if they are an ongoing conversation--which, in many ways, they are. They are the monograph of the life and art of a singular man, perfectly assembled, bit by bit, piece by piece. Read full review
100
NewsdayLinda WinerDec 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: Riveting, important and lots of fun. Read full review
100
Entertainment WeeklyJessica ShawDec 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: A delicious deep dive into six Stephen Sondheim songs. Read full review
90
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushDec 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: Lapine uses a half-dozen of Sondheim's most notable songs as a springboard for a biographical study that's contemplative, analytical and transcendentally emotional. Read full review
80
Boston GlobeSarah RodmanDec 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: Given how sharp his songwriting is, it’s little surprise that Sondheim makes an excellent storyteller, always candid and precise, and by turns funny and rueful. And it’s a remarkable tale, one that could probably make for a great musical. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf SmithDec 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: Despite the music in James Lapine's documentary, Six By Sondheim, it is archival clips of Mr. Sondheim describing how he writes that make the film a treasure. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyDec 3, 2013
Season 1 Review: To longtime fans, much of this material and many of the anecdotes will be familiar. But folded together in this wide-ranging assembly they make for an emotional appreciation of a singular artist. Read full review
80
The New YorkerEmily NussbaumDec 3, 2013
Season 1 Review: Sondheim’s frequent collaborator James Lapine directs, and he does an excellent job of stitching together interviews from more than four decades, including ones with Mike Douglas and Diane Sawyer, to form a portrait of the composer as both a young and an old man. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubEmily VanDerWerffDec 6, 2013
Season 1 Review: Six By Sondheim is just barely more than the sum of its parts, but when it finally adds up, it feels like many of the master’s best songs and shows: a puzzle that assembles itself right in front of your eyes. Read full review
70
VarietyBrian LowryDec 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: It’s always challenging to capture the essence of such artistry on film, and Lapine comes pretty close. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleyDec 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: Sondheim comes off as distant and a bit cool here, reluctant to make eye contact and often speaking with a professorial air even when he’s talking about himself. But what most people want in Sondheim isn’t a drinking buddy. It’s a musical composer, and in that he qualifies on all counts. Read full review
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