Who Killed Garrett Phillips?

Name: Who Killed Garrett Phillips?
Genre: Movie/Mini-Series, Documentary
Released: July 23, 2019
Rating: 84

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 5 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 5 Ratings

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6.2

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6.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 5 Ratings

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Series Details & Credits

HBO | Release Date: July 23, 2019

Summary: The two-part documentary directed by Liz Garbus looks into the 2011 murder of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips and the arrest of Nick Hillary, who was ultimately acquitted.

Genre(s): Movie/Mini-Series, Documentary

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Critic Reviews

Hank Stuever

Jul 22, 2019

Season 1 Review: Filmmaker Liz Garbus’s “Who Killed Garrett Phillips?” meticulously and even masterfully brings its viewers to this very place of angry exasperation, laying out the narrative details of a botched murder investigation that some of us might have been vaguely aware of, if at all. ... Ambiguity is not a flaw here; in fact, it’s what makes this story so compelling, so infuriating and so sad. Read full review

John Anderson

Jul 22, 2019

Season 1 Review: The strength of “Who Killed Garrett Phillips?” isn’t just about what’s on screen but how it got there, i.e., the assembling of parts—audio, video, interviews, testimony. These are allowed to speak for themselves. ... Three hours of riveting television. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

Jul 23, 2019

Season 1 Review: At its best, it reminded me of the landmark HBO docuseries “Paradise Lost” or the remarkable “The Staircase” in its level of detail and how it captures how people make the kind of drastic mistakes that allow the answers to get further and further out of reach. Read full review

Daniel Fienberg

Jul 22, 2019

Season 1 Review: Garbus gives a strong close to this three-week series of format experimentation. You may not come away from Who Killed Garrett Phillips? with a clear answer on the title question or with any one single and specific judicial impropriety. You'll just have plenty to ponder and argue about. Read full review

Mike Hale

Jul 22, 2019

Season 1 Review: Oscar-winning director Liz Garbus plays it straight, leaning on recorded telephone traffic and lengthy video excerpts from questionable interrogations. Read full review

User Score

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6.2

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User Reviews

truerock

Sep 16, 2019

I watched The Thin Blue Line in 1988. The originality of that film and the invention of that type of docu-drama struck me as very important work. I've watched several documentaries about The Thin Blue Line. I think it is something everyone should be familiar with.

Subsequent to thatI watched The Thin Blue Line in 1988. The originality of that film and the invention of that type of docu-drama struck me as very important work. I've watched several documentaries about The Thin Blue Line. I think it is something everyone should be familiar with.

Subsequent to that experience I have attempted many times to watch various forms of reality-film/TV - and, I can't do it. I become incredibly bored after watching a few minutes of any (and I mean every) reality film (or TV series). I know many people enjoy the genre and I make no judgements regarding them. I do watch a few minutes of very important reality film to stay abreast of current popular culture - but, it is very unenjoyable work for me.

I saw that "Who Killed Garrett Phillips?" had a Metascore of 84 and I felt I owed it to myself to give a reality-docu-drama another try... at least one scored so highly by so many knowledgeable individuals.

I have watched the first 24 minutes. I am so intensely bored I cannot stand to watch another minute. I am in physical pain from boredom. I must stop watching. Maybe if I continued to watch I would find out why professional critics like this show - but, I just can't take anymore.

So - assuming that 90% of Americans have watched at least a couple of episodes of the TV series "Law & Order" - how do they compare?

"Who Killed Garrett Phillips?" is "reality TV" and therefore has normal, real people as the primary characters and they are therefore not as interesting as professional, charismatic Hollywood quality actors. Just how uninteresting are these normal-reality characters? To, me I would avoid any of them at a standup social event. I would go to the bathroom if that's what I had to do to keep from getting trapped into a conversation with them. They are very nice normal people who no one would want to listen to for more than a short amount of time. And to me - that's the problem with reality TV and "Who Killed Garrett Phillips?"… Expand

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TheONE725

Feb 4, 2023

It’s very clear who killed that poor kid. It wasn’t Nick! It was the sheriff…Tandy’s ex boyfriend who was upset that she left him for an African American.

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Seasons & Episodes

84

Series Overview
Season 1

84
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: July 23, 2019
- No episode information is currently available for this season