Average Rating: 6.9/10
Reviews Counted: 78
Fresh: 63 | Rotten: 15
This affectionate, casually framed portrait of the acclaimed architect reveals him to be an engaging, likeable subject.
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Critic Reviews: 27
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 7
This affectionate, casually framed portrait of the acclaimed architect reveals him to be an engaging, likeable subject.
liked it
Average Rating: 2.9/5
User Ratings: 18,561
Acclaimed film director Sydney Pollack took a five-year break from the realms of fiction to assemble a lovingly crafted tribute to longtime friend and acclaimed architect Frank Gehry in this documentary born from the sketches of its talented subject. A notoriously shy craftsman whose impressive body of work includes the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Ghery is shown working in his studio unobstructed as Pollack attempts to capture the very essence of the
May 12, 2006 Limited
Aug 22, 2006
$0.2M
Sony Pictures Classics
All Critics (80) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (65) | Rotten (15) | DVD (7)
A refreshingly small-scale film, almost a home movie made by the director of such films as Tootsie, Out of Africa and The Way We Were.
Not just instructive, but reassuring for anyone who does creative work, and who worries, as everyone does, about being equal to the task.
As fascinating and faceted as its subject.
What the filmmaker omits are precisely the laymen the movie set out to explain Gehry to.
What benefits the picture early on, giving it a casual air, becomes cloying in the later going, making it feel like a smug exercise in mutual admiration.
It is a few meaningful glimpses into the mind and life of a man who resists being seen as complex and singular.
(...) Un documental que debería ver todo aquel que alguna vez haya sentido la necesidad o las ganas de crear algo, ya sea una pieza de cerámica, un edificio o una película.
The result is a persuasive movie which proves beyond doubt that at least some geniuses are intensely practical as well as intuitive.
While Pollack continually favours celebrity gush over objective analysis, the shots of Gehry's buildings - the Guggenheim in Bilbao being the centrepiece - and his stunning use of light do make a case for him as a genuine visionary.
The questioning is skin-deep and Pollack's handheld DV approach doesn't show the buildings at their best.
What's missing is a critical edge.
an intelligent piece of partisan adoration - although he gives some space to Gehry's detractors, too.
Ultimately the picture is as revealing about the director as it is about the subject. But it won't appeal to those who like their documentaries to come armed with teeth.
A fond and always accessible portrait, but the lack of objectivity and drooling images of Gehry's work deprives this documentary of any objectivity.
More a thumbnail than a full portrait.
too vague for real insight, too conventional to match its subject's iconoclasm, and too affectionate to offer a truly critical account of the Gehry phenomenon.
[Pollack] and Gehry share a long friendship, which is evident in this elegant, diverting, affectionate documentary.
Watching Frank work in his studio is a lesson in creativity. He seems to pride himself on buildings with no right angles; it all comes together to create facades that stand out in a skyline.
The film is a credit to Sydney Pollack, whose warm and intelligent style infiltrates this fascinating documentary allowing us the pleasure of spending some time with an architect whose approach to design is as fundamental as to life itself
Pollack's documentary is a friendly affair that presents some stunning footage of several Gehry projects.
Sketches isn't for everyone, as enjoyment requires at least an elementary interest in architecture or art. Anyone who meets that requirement will receive not only a nice portrait of Gehry the person, but a great survey of his work.
..curious and sometimes magical.
How to analyze a documentary? What to take into consideration? When most documentaries follow the same structure and format, and considering that the main objective was reached, the subject ends up being the determinant. At least, for me.Frank Gehry is a Canadian architect who acquired both critical acclaim and popular
March 6, 2011Super Reviewer
I met Sydney Pollack when he came to New Orleans to introduce and discuss this film. I actually worked at the mall where the cinema was, and I couldn't work up the nerve to say anything at the screening, but the next morning he came into my workplace and I got a tete-a-tete with someone who was very much an academic
February 2, 2008Super Reviewer
| 35% | The Hangover Part II |
| 25% | Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Par... |
| 81% | Kung Fu Panda 2 |
| 44% | Cowboys & Aliens |
| 83% | Rise of the Planet of the Apes |
| 25% | Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Par... |
| 88% | Lady and the Tramp |
| 69% | A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas |
| 21% | Fireflies in the Garden |
| 45% | The Rebound |
Journey 2 Not Worth the Trip
What are his 10 best movies ever?
See the all-new action-packed trailer!
Five new Marvelous pictures