49
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierTo eavesdrop on Bernardo Bertolucci, Stephen Frears, Ken Loach and John Sayles, as they talk politics; David Lynch and Todd Haynes, discussing inspiration; and Catherine Breillat, Agnès Varda, Richard Linklater and Liliana Cavani as they riff on controversy and aspiration, even for a little while, is a real treat.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterNatasha SenjanovicThe Hollywood ReporterNatasha SenjanovicWhat is most interesting is hearing the directors speak of their work in general, rather than any film in particular.
- 70VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibSome viewers will doubtless argue over Ismailos' choices or balk at her adherence to a romantic single-vision theory of a highly collaborative art. Still, her eclectic pantheon weighs in with entertaining anecdotes and illuminating comments, illustrated with well-chosen samplings of the artists' work.
- 70MovielineMichelle OrangeMovielineMichelle OrangeThough the movie is largely vanilla in its pleasures, film lovers will eat it up.
- 60Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichHer (Angela Ismailos) heart's in the right place, but her subjects' ruminations demand a much larger canvas.
- 50The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisAs an interrogator Ms. Ismailos is no Torquemada; she lobs softballs that her subjects genially accept.
- 50Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranIt shouldn't be surprising, but some of these directors are more interesting than their work. French director Breillat, never a personal favorite, is an absolutely hypnotic speaker who holds the screen the way her films rarely have.
- 45But more often, the film jumps around in dizzying disorganization, illustrating the fact that part of what a director provides to a film is not just vision and leadership, but also, as the word suggests, a narrative direction.
- 25New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickApprently novice filmmaker Angela Ismailos' definition of a Great Director is one who's willing to sit or walk with her while she lobs innocuous questions and gives herself lots of awed close-up reaction shots.
- 20Village VoiceNick PinkertonVillage VoiceNick PinkertonTen interviews with 10 "name" American and European directors--including Todd Haynes, David Lynch, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Catherine Breillat--diced into a documentary as asinine and fawning as its title suggests.