The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part
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Critics Consensus: The dysfunctional interaction between director and subject is fascinating, poignant, and revealing of both men and of father-son relationships in general.
Critic Consensus: The dysfunctional interaction between director and subject is fascinating, poignant, and revealing of both men and of father-son relationships in general.
All Critics (65) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (8) | DVD (2)
It works as a portrait of a father-son relationship that's awkward, volatile, uneven and always painfully real.
What we really get from son Mark's unusual take is a sterling movie about fathers (especially famous fathers) and offspring.
[A] tremendously moving documentary.
A real gem of a film.
A vivid picture of a relationship that, like most, isn't quite picture-perfect.
A lively, often hilarious yet profoundly moving experience.
Tell Them Who You Are radiates dignity, the unusual warmth given off by the frustration of trying to know someone.
It's a remarkable documentary, thoroughly enjoyable and one of the most powerful films I've seen in quite some time.
In the end this is a great movie about a filmmaker. It's also a great movie about fathers and sons.
A desperately sad look at two men whose determination to rebel against their heritage and succeed in their artform has rendered them unable to communicate. Compelling stuff, though.
With dad calling junior's filmmaking skills into question at every turn, this is a fascinating blend of fact and friction.
a rare film of startling sincerity
For the record, I believe that family members should never be involved in recording the life stories of loved ones due to the combination of distance and past closeness which can lead to a skewed perspective and usually involves at least one person with an axe to grind or deep-seated issues. Case in point with the latter is the documentary "Tell Them Who You Are" wherein Mark Wexler attempts to document the career of his father, Haskell, the famed cinematographer. That's the case until Haskell hijacks the proceedings to make it more about him as a person, leaving whatever footage in which would normally be cut and vice versa, as Mark forgets that the first rule of the documentarian is to stay behind the camera as much as humanly possible. Admittedly, there is some great stuff here about "Medium Cool," with a neat anecdote about "Coming Home." And some of Haskell's lesser known movies like "Latino" and "Introduction to the Enemy" definitely sound intriguing. But getting back to those issues, the documentary seeks to portray Haskell as irascible and whose left wing politics which did not stop him from working with Elia Kazan stopped him from accomplishing much more in a career full of accomplishments.(At the age of 87, apparently he is still working.) Personally, any discussion of paternal issues by the participants only serve to make me feel well-adjusted which is quite the accomplishment. Look, I am not saying we should venerate all artists or gloss over their shortcomings. It's just that I don't care.
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