65
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlThe directors plant a camera in front of Roth and get him talking. To smooth over edits, they show us book covers and old photos—Roth was dashing, charming, a little dangerous, one of his college friends tells us, but she doesn't need to say it. It's manifest, and it's still true. The film is especially recommended to anyone who thinks they hate him.
- 80The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottFittingly enough, given that his great subject has always been himself, it is Mr. Roth who dominates the screen...He is, for 90 minutes, marvelous company — expansive, funny, generous and candid.
- 67The A.V. ClubSam AdamsThe A.V. ClubSam AdamsThough it might be unreasonable to expect Karel and Manera to succeed where others have failed, simply punting on the amount of autobiography in Roth’s novels seems like a cheat. Sticking to what’s on the page pays off, especially with regard to Roth’s undervalued late novels, but also means he has them just where he wants them.
- 63Slant MagazineSlant MagazineIn spite of the film's exhaustive chronology, those who deduce from its title that they're in for an unveiling, or an unraveling, of a major literary figure may come out empty-handed.
- 60Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichFortunately, Roth himself proves to be a fascinating presence — soft-spoken, sharp and bearing a vague air of melancholy that offsets the surrounding adulation.
- 60New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanPhilip Roth turns 80 next week, and what better way to celebrate than to serve as the hero of his own story? It’s too bad, though, that this dully conventional biography doesn’t do justice to its subject.
- 38New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithA great writer deserves a more penetrating and inquisitive documentary: Reverence is not the path to understanding.