68
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerThe documentary includes peerless clips of Billie Holiday and Lester Young from a TV show Hentoff coproduced as well as snatches of an interview with a young Bob Dylan, a clip of Hentoff on William Buckley’s “Firing Line” TV show, and lots more worth your time.
- 75RogerEbert.comRogerEbert.comOne might not think that bouncing back and forth between Jazz Hentoff and First Amendment Hentoff would make for consistently engaging viewing, but the movie is in fact remarkably fluid and never less than compelling.
- 70Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlThe film has its insights, but perhaps its greatest value is in how it offers something of a record of what time with the talkative, tireless Hentoff is like.
- 70The New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe New York TimesNicolas RapoldThis succinct documentary sticks smoothly to its beat.
- 70Los Angeles TimesGlenn WhippLos Angeles TimesGlenn WhippDirector David Lewis' movie functions as mostly a highlights reel rather than an exhaustive look at Hentoff's life.
- 70VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibHentoff presides over a film rich in the sounds and occasional sights of legendary cultural figures, from Lenny Bruce and Malcolm X to Bob Dylan and Coleman Hawkins.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeA sharp-looking and enjoyable doc that celebrates the writer's legacy but, in its willfully obscure structure, seems a bit too bent on echoing his famous nonconformity.
- 60New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierThis mellow chronicle of Nat Hentoff is like a tour through New York’s past.