72
Metascore
23 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittIt's no accident that this movie is named after both the filmmaker and his subject. It stands with the most thoughtful releases of recent months, and will linger in memory.
- 90Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumThe tragic tale that emerges is full of powerful lessons and impenetrable mysteries
- 90The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsNeither condemning nor forgiving, the film is a model of documentary evenhandedness, even though James makes no claims of objectivity.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanGripping in its intimacy.
- 80L.A. WeeklyHazel-Dawn DumpertL.A. WeeklyHazel-Dawn DumpertIt becomes clear that all this man-child craves is to be loved and, thus, saved.
- 75New York PostMegan LehmannNew York PostMegan LehmannOverly long and uncomfortably intrusive, but never less than compelling.
- 60TimeRichard SchickelTimeRichard SchickelCan one recommend this unblinking film to the average moviegoer, out for a good time? Only in this way: if James and his crew can spend years with these blighted souls, surely you can spend two hours with them, exploring compassion's outer limits.
- 50Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanForeigners often comment on the peculiar American combination of superficial friendliness and profound indifference. Stevie epitomizes a related national trait -- the belief in the curative powers of publicity.
- 50Dallas ObserverBill GalloDallas ObserverBill GalloIn the end, Stevie is a relentlessly messy, sometimes trying picture of family dysfunction, official neglect and personal tragedy, a disturbing redneck soap opera about real people and real consequences in which the protagonist--like the filmmaker--often proves to be as unlikable as he is sympathetic.
- 25San Francisco ChronicleC.W. NeviusSan Francisco ChronicleC.W. NeviusDespite good reviews at this year's Sundance Film Festival, this is the kind of squishy lost cause that gives liberal guilt a bad name.