Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Absorbing.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Potent and eye-opening documentary.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

It's not a hasty, knocked-together promo job--though it is clearly pro-Kerry.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

It's obviously meant to help his presidential candidacy - why release it a month before the election, otherwise? - and for the first 7 minutes, it plays like a campaign commercial about young John's integrity, hard work and humble roots.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

It's a partisan campaign film, of course, but a subtle one.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

The most powerful and telling image is a black-and-white still of Kerry burying his face in his arms after he threw his ribbons onto the Capitol steps; it's a moment true enough to cost him the presidency.

Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky

It's hagiography, yes, but also powerful and poignant.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Butler's film hopes to confront our national battle fatigue so that we may move on.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Begins and ends as a fulsome Kerry campaign bio along the lines of the famed Bill Clinton convention short, "The Man From Hope."

San Francisco Chronicle Jonathan Curiel

An unabashed paean to Kerry's character at a time in the presidential election when Kerry's character is being questioned. It's also a riveting film.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

The older John Kerry, today's candidate, is conspicuous both by his absence (he's not interviewed here) and by the contrast between then and now, between the hero he was and the politician he's become. That contrast gives the film a nostalgic yet palpable sadness.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

His film is pro-Kerry, yes, but the focus is on history, not polemics, and provides a record of the crucial role of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Guaranteed to engage the decided and undecided alike, regardless of party affiliations.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Butler's film still manages to accomplish what the candidate's foundering campaign has utterly failed to do.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Makes an eloquent case for John Kerry's courage, both during and immediately after his service in Vietnam.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

It's one view of Kerry that seems to have been lost in the present acrimonious shuffle.

The New York Times Dana Stevens

Going Upriver is a small, valuable contribution to the continuing project of sorting out and making sense of Vietnam, a war that, among other things, opened a fissure at the heart of American liberalism that has yet to heal.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

When it steers away from campaign-ad testimonials and considers Kerry's moral awakening in Vietnam and beyond, Going Upriver features some tremendously powerful scenes.

Village Voice J. Hoberman

I got a charge out of Going Upriver, but as more than one person has noted, the movie's ideal spectator would be Kerry himself.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

A lucid, emotionally affecting portrait not just of one man but of his times.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Crisp, informative documentary.

TV Guide Ethan Alter

While the film is unabashedly pro-Kerry --Butler and Kerry are longtime friends -- it isn't simple hagiography; it's also a portrait of Vietnam War-era America.

The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck

A clearly partisan effort -- director George Butler is a longtime Kerry friend and supporter -- the film is nonetheless bound to have some political impact, thanks to its powerful depiction of the young Kerry.

Newsweek David Ansen

It's hard not to be impressed by Kerry's courage and calm leadership--and to wonder if that guy will show up again.

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

Someone should send him (Kerry) a copy, if only to remind the senator of the days when he was willing and able to speak with the courage of his convictions, and when he had a lot less to lose.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Does an excellent job of telling Kerry's side of it.

Philadelphia Inquirer Daniel Rubin

The film leaves the viewer with a more vivid sense of Kerry the man, portraying him as admirable, if not lovable.

Variety Todd McCarthy

Butler is in no way a hot-headed or contentious piece of agit-prop, unlike so many other election year documentaries; like Kerry himself, the film speaks to the mind, not the emotions.

New York Magazine Peter Rainer

It underscores, with ample footage from his rallying speeches and his 1971 testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, just how important it was for the antiwar movement to be represented by someone like Kerry.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

This is the biggest surprise of all -- it's hard to watch Going Upriver without wondering, frankly, what became of the young John Kerry, who comes off so exceptionally well in this film.

LA Weekly Ernest Hardy

The film won't likely change any minds, but there's a taut political essay beneath the blatant campaigning.