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Movies / Upcoming / Hats Off
Hats Off

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Hats Off (2008)

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Reviews Counted:14

Fresh:6

Rotten:8

Average Rating:5.1/10

Rated: Not Rated

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:Mar 28, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: With the style and grace of Katharine Hepburn, the smoky wit and wisdom of Dorothy Parker, and her own personal philosophy, “rise above it,” Ms. Weddell is truly an iconic American original, rising... With the style and grace of Katharine Hepburn, the smoky wit and wisdom of Dorothy Parker, and her own personal philosophy, “rise above it,” Ms. Weddell is truly an iconic American original, rising above the mundane and difficult confines of her own daily life to reach for the stars and fulfill her dreams.

Directed by Jyll Johnstone (Martha & Ethel, Throwing Curves), Hats Off captures the essence of this most unusual woman, named at age 90 by New York Magazine as one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in New York,” whose full-time acting career began at age 65 upon the passing of her husband, and whose daily routine mocks the traditional image of old age. From grueling 14-hour days at cattle call auditions to her weekly gymnastics and dance workouts, Ms. Weddell exudes a ‘can-do, will do’ attitude in the face of life’s trials and tribulations, and moves through her challenges with grace, encouraging us all to be more than we are.

When her beloved husband dies, “leaving nothing behind but bills, poor man,” Ms. Weddell does what she has to do to stay afloat; even attending an audition on the way to his memorial and landing the lead role in the cult film Dracula's Last Rites, which marks the beginning of her career. Since that time, 25 years ago, Ms. Weddell has been seen in print ads for Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Juicy Couture and Nike, to name a few; in photo spreads for Vanity Fair and Vogue; on TV series including “Sex and the City,” and “Law and Order;” and in feature films such as Across the Universe, Hitch and The Purple Rose of Cairo. --© Official Site
[More]

Director: Jyll Johnstone

Director: Jyll Johnstone
Studio: Abramorama

Reviews for Hats Off

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1 - 15 (sorted by comments)
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Overall, Hats Off feels like a scripted documentary that avoids the full story.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
03/28/08
Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson
Boxoffice Magazine

Sometimes, a story is just not worth telling, and while Mimi's life is definitely an unusual one, it's not iconic.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
05/16/08
Bill Gibron
Bill Gibron
PopMatters

Johnstone, a friend of the family, maintains too discreet a distance from her subject.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/28/08
David Noh
David Noh
Film Journal International

It's obviously not all because of her drive and determination, but we come away from Johnstone's film believing attitude may play a role in the theater of at least one woman's life.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
08/22/08
David Wiegand
David Wiegand
San Francisco Chronicle

Although it's highly effective at conveying the amusing aspects of its subject's quirky personality, Hats Off is less than meaningful in terms of terms of getting under her skin.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
04/09/08
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter

It doesn’t take long for Mimi Weddell’s elegant aura to crumble, disarmingly, in this documentary about the 93-year-old actor who once played Stanford’s grandmother on Sex and the City.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
03/27/08
Gia Kourlas
Gia Kourlas
Time Out New York

Hats Off is a documentary tribute to the 93-year-old actress Mimi Weddell, one of those people for whom the word 'individual' seems especially apt.

comment Comment
03/28/08
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment Comment
10/18/08
Jonathan W. Hickman
Jonathan W. Hickman
Entertainment Insiders

The face may be vaguely familiar, and if the name 'Mimi Weddell' doesn't ring a bell it will after you've seen Jyll Johnstone's affectionate documentary portrait of this unstoppable nonagenarian model and actress.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/28/08
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Jyll Johnstone's irresistible Hats Off documents Mimi Weddell, a Manhat tanite who, at 93, has pretty much cornered the market playing elegant, very old ladies in movies, TV, commercials and print ads.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
03/28/08
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Quaint and slight.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
03/25/08
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine

Despite intimate, prolonged access to her subject, director Jyll Johnstone seems to have missed the most interesting wrinkles of Weddell's story in favor of fuzzy life's-a-stage affirmations.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/27/08
Peter Debruge
Peter Debruge
Variety

A wonderful continuation of Johnstone's previous age-is-but-a-number twilight documentaries Martha & Ethel and Throwing Curves.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
03/28/08
Richard Horgan
Richard Horgan
FilmStew.com

If you're not tickled and stirred by the sight of her 95-pound frame kicking off sheets and leaping out of bed to answer a phone -- a gig, maybe! -- then shame on you.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
05/02/08
Robert Abele
Robert Abele
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[Actress] Weddell isn't really representative of an older generation of actors; she's one of a kind. But this visually indifferent documentary never explains why that matters.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
03/25/08
Vadim Rizov
Vadim Rizov
Village Voice
 
 
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