CNET Networks Entertainment GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer | Metacritic | MP3.com | TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Film

Upcoming Release Calendar
Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Film In Our Forums

 

Wide Releases

sort by name sort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

 

Limited Releases

sort by name sort by score

85 Alexandra
40 America the Beautiful
66 American Teen
74 Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
65 August Evening
xx Bachna Ae Haseeno
62 Baghead
58 Beautiful Losers
xx Beer for My Horses
47 Before the Rains
80 Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
56 Bottle Shock
75 Boy A
55 Bra Boys
61 Brick Lane
64 Brideshead Revisited
47 Burn After Reading
61 Bustin' Down the Door
49 Children of Huang Shi, The
54 CSNY: Déjà Vu
xx Cthulhu
86 Edge of Heaven, The
66 Elegy
52 Elsa & Fred
80 Encounters at the End of the World
26 Everybody Wants to Be Italian
64 Fall, The
86 Flight of the Red Balloon, The
82 Frozen River
71 Girl Cut in Two, A
62 Girls Rock!
xx Goal II: Living the Dream
73 Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
54 Hamlet 2
25 Hell Ride
44 Henry Poole is Here
76 I Served the King of England
72 I.O.U.S. A
63 In Search of a Midnight Kiss
46 Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
67 Jellyfish
62 Kabluey
63 Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
78 Last Mistress, The
50 Last Stop for Paul
70 Love Songs
61 Man Named Pearl, A
89 Man on Wire
62 Mister Foe
85 Momma's Man
74 Mongol
46 My Mexican Shivah
80 Order of Myths, The
66 Patti Smith: Dream of Life
54 Ping Pong Playa
77 Pool, The
72 Priceless
61 Red
71 Roman de gare
78 Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
51 Savage Grace
55 Save Me
73 Secret, A
57 Sixty Six
58 Sukiyaki Western Django
xx Surfer, Dude
83 Tell No One
56 Then She Found Me
71 To the Limit
72 Transsiberian
81 Trouble the Water
83 U2 3D
86 Up the Yangtze
79 Visitor, The
61 Wackness, The
54 What We Do Is Secret
66 When Did You Last See Your Father?
67 XXY
54 Year of the Fish
xx Young People F**king
75 Young@Heart

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

 



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

William Eggleston in the Real World
Palm Pictures

William Eggleston in the Real World reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 69 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
6.2 out of 10
based on 13 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 4 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring William J. Eggleston

This documentary examines that connection between the enigmatic personality and the groundbreaking work of one of the most significant figures in contemporary photography.


GENRE(S): Documentary  
WRITTEN BY: Michael Almereyda  
DIRECTED BY: Michael Almereyda  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: February 14, 2006 
Theatrical: August 31, 2005 
RUNNING TIME: 87 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
San Francisco Chronicle Kenneth Baker
Filmmaker Michael Almereyda gives the most persuasive possible account of the upswing in Eggleston's critical standing.
Read Full Review
90
LA Weekly Scott Foundas
Almereyda has crafted an uncannily revealing portrait of a major American artist at work, all the more remarkable for the deceptive casualness with which it unfolds, as if Almereyda had just shown up.
Read Full Review
90
Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
An elegantly discursive examination of one of the great modern photographers, a surprisingly intimate portrait of an elusive, laconic man.
Read Full Review
80
Village Voice Ed Halter
Subtle, elegant documentary.
Read Full Review
80
The New York Times Janet Maslin
Mr. Eggleston proves the polished granddaddy who, early on, recognized beauty in a garish wasteland. In this accomplished look at a storied career, he instructs - without words - how to see all that is hauntingly familiar.
Read Full Review
75
New York Post V.A. Musetto
Eggleston doesn't speak much, and when he does, it's usually a mutter, forcing Almereyda to use subtitles. Fortunately, Eggleston's photographs come across loud and clear.
Read Full Review
75
New York Daily News Jami Bernard
Refreshingly offbeat documentary.
Read Full Review
75
Boston Globe Mark Feeney
The documentary is elliptical, with a slow, drifty rhythm. It presents an up-close but impersonal view of Eggleston.
Read Full Review
70
The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck
The result isn't particularly mesmerizing, but it does offer a well-rounded portrait that will be of particular interest to photography lovers.
Read Full Review
70
TV Guide Ken Fox
Without slavishly imitating the photographer's distinctive style, Almereyda also manages to connect his own images to all that's "Egglestonian" in the photographer's world.
Read Full Review
50
The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
The trouble with artists making documentaries about other artists is that art tends to get in the way.
Read Full Review
40
Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
Almost utterly defeated by its subject's sardonic stonewalling.
Read Full Review
40
Variety Ronnie Scheib
Despite Almereyda's strong following in arthouse circles, William Eggleston in the Real World --which requires patient if not repeat viewing -- will probably not venture far into it.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 6.2 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Chad S. gave it a6:
On film, using the same long takes of William Eggleston at work, on his feet with a camera in tow, shooting life, the viewer can imagine that a blow-by-blow account of the artistic process could make for compelling viewing. But "William Eggleston in the Real World" is shot on video tape. For photography neophytes(such as myself), we wait patiently for the narrator to explain his importance in the art world. If Eggleston is a humble man(he seems to hate the word "artist" as did the filmmaker John Ford), "William Eggleston in the Real World" is definitely not his cup of tea. Thankfully, there are the photographs. This original but slightly off-putting documentary shows us why in most biopics, we rarely see the artist at work. Snapping pictures is not dramatic, and it takes the mystery out of the finished product.

Discuss this movie in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: Fantasy Football | Miley Cyrus | MLB | iPhone 3G | GPS | Recipes | Shwayze | NFL

About CNET Networks | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use