The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 22, 2017
User Score
5.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 5 out of 14

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User Reviews

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  1. TheShrike222
    Apr 25, 2017
    8
    Well done. I bumped this movie up two points right off because the story of Henrietta, the Lacks family and the HeLa cells is so amazing that it grabs your attention and won't let go. Like Hidden Figures, this covers an extremely crucial piece of scientific history that has been neglected for far too long.
    The style of direction, a little unpolished or raw, works for the material though    Well done. I bumped this movie up two points right off because the story of Henrietta, the Lacks family and the HeLa cells is so amazing that it grabs your attention and won't let go. Like Hidden Figures, this covers an extremely crucial piece of scientific history that has been neglected for far too long.
    The style of direction, a little unpolished or raw, works for the material though some of the dialog was hard to follow. All the acting was competent, I recognized several of my favorite go-to character actors in there, and they presented the characters well.
    The biggest problem with the movie is that it is a book to movie adaptation. These are notoriously difficult because you can't fit a book in 90 minutes of film. I could see the gaps where the director skipped portions of the book that went into greater detail, and those moments detracted from the rest of the movie. I think the director did a good job representing the sections that ended up being dramatized, but I definitely need to go out and read the book to find out the rest of the story.    … Expand
  2. Cinemaphile
    Apr 24, 2017
    8
    Powerful ....................................................................................................................................................................
  3. LeZee
    Feb 4, 2018
    6
    You will know everything, but Henrietta Lacks!

    It's a good biographical drama, but the only problem is its not what exactly the title says. If you believed to learn about Henrietta Lacks and went to see it, you might end disappointingly. Because she was the only topic of the story, not the actual story, except a few glimpses. It is like you watched 'Infamous' or 'Capote', instead of 'In    You will know everything, but Henrietta Lacks!

    It's a good biographical drama, but the only problem is its not what exactly the title says. If you believed to learn about Henrietta Lacks and went to see it, you might end disappointingly. Because she was the only topic of the story, not the actual story, except a few glimpses. It is like you watched 'Infamous' or 'Capote', instead of 'In Cold Blood'. That's what like this film. Yet not a bad film.

    A writer pursuing the family members of a person who lived in the mid 20th century, because she was a medical phenomenon. Her cells used to treat cancer, despite she had died of cancer, leaving her young kids behind. Her descendants not aware of how things work in the medical research, only misguided by others, finally, set to discover the truth themselves about all the fuss.

    It was nominated for the Emmy, but did not win. Oprah was okay, but Rose Byrne impressed me. Except a misleading title, it is a good film, but I really wanted/want to know the Henrietta Lacks. That's funny, because they have told us an unnecessary story. I hope somebody would make a film about actual Henrietta Lacks!

    5.5/10    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Lenika Cruz
    Apr 24, 2017
    50
    Winfrey’s performance as Deborah gives The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks its one bit of genuine brilliance. ... Beyond Winfrey, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has the markings of a standard TV movie, though there’s a clear mismatch between form and content.
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  2. Vox.com
    Reviewed by: Aja Romano
    Apr 24, 2017
    70
    Though the film’s writing tends to make too much of Rebecca’s bafflement and culture shock as she peers into the lives of the Lacks family, Wolfe never frames the Lacks as sheer spectacle.
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  3. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    Apr 24, 2017
    75
    The script and the pacing do not always serve her well, but [Oprah Winfrey] delivers her very best, as fans--and Winfrey herself--have come to expect.
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