Obit Reviews
February 28, 2021
It celebrates those no longer with us as much as it does the journalists who write the stories.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3.5/5
September 24, 2020
I found the poetry and intellectual curiosity of Gould's subjects to be entirely enthralling, and Obit is as entertaining as it is informative.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
June 8, 2020
Filmmaker Vanessa Gould succeeds by approaching her subject with a light, at times almost comic touch that relieves a viewer's natural anxiety.
May 7, 2020
In the end, you wonder if your life's accomplishments would get you such an expertly written obituary. If so, you certainly hope it's written by people who care as much about their work as these folks.
August 8, 2019
'Nothing to do with death, everything to do with life.'
December 28, 2018
It's always the films about death which end up being the most life-affirming, isn't it?
Full Review
| Original Score: 8/10
December 20, 2018
A newsroom doc that manages a lovely exploration of the true craft of writing, and a film that all journalism junkies should seek out.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3.5/5
November 30, 2017
It's almost enough to inspire the reader to go out and do something important
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
September 15, 2017
Far from being depressing, dirge-like or morbid, Obit is vivacious, funny and effortlessly entertaining.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
August 30, 2017
If you're an avid newspaper reader, you won't want to miss this informative and entertaining documentary.
August 29, 2017
Obit. dives deep, into the morgue, into writers' and editors' hearts and minds, into the dead. Obit.'s world is fascinating indeed.
August 17, 2017
While it's worth a flip-through, Obit doesn't merit an above-the-fold headline.
July 20, 2017
Obit isn't a film that strays from the conventional path.
Full Review
| Original Score: B-
June 23, 2017
"Obit" manages to be both about a specific type of journalism and the larger world it reflects while dropping in all manner of colorful lives and circumstances.
Full Review
| Original Score: B+
May 24, 2017
Perhaps it's not the ideal first stop on the New York Times tour, but "Obit" is illuminating.
Full Review
| Original Score: B
May 19, 2017
Its style may be routine, but any flaws will easily be overshadowed by Gould's compelling portrait of a dark corner of noteworthy journalism.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
May 19, 2017
A must-see for newspaper junkies and a eulogy for newspapers of yore.
Full Review
| Original Score: A minus
May 18, 2017
[T]he film is, despite the protests of its subjects, about death. It's just not about death in a way that the people within the film have accepted yet.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
May 18, 2017
Obit makes the point, through its subjects, that obituaries are not as downbeat as their reputation. They are often, in fact, a celebration of life, and focus on the most productive era of a notable person's life.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
May 18, 2017
The real subject here is storytelling, the creation of a stylish, authoritative, highly personal record of "how the world got to be the way it is." One more thing to miss about newspapers when they go.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5