A Cantor's Tale
A Cantor's Tale Image
Metascore
70 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critics What's this?

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  • Summary: The tradition of Eastern European Jewish cantorial music is alive and well in modern America in no small part thanks to the efforts of Brooklyn-born Cantor Jacob Mendelson. "Jackie," as he is affectionately called by everyone, explores the American roots of "hazzanut"( Jewish liturgical music) while taking us on a musical voyage that spans the Atlantic, originating in his birthplace of Boro Park, Brooklyn and reaching all the way to Jerusalem. (Ergo Media)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    75
    Both a biographical portrait and an exploration of the tradition of Jewish liturgical music in America.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Dennis Harvey
    70
    Delightful documentary A Cantor's Tale casts a fond eye back at the "golden age" of chazzanut (Jewish liturgical music) and its star performers in the Brooklyn of yesteryear.
  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Matt Singer
    70
    With its outlandish stories, obsession with masculine ego, and focus on an absurd, forgotten subculture, A Cantor's Tale is the stuff Ben Stiller movies are made of: All that's missing is the part for Owen Wilson.
  4. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Jeanette Catsoulis
    70
    The movie is most engaging when following Mr. Mendelson around his old neighborhood, Borough Park, which, we learn, is simply teeming with bakers whose singing is on a par with their knishes.

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
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  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. ErikC.
    10
    Funny, engaging, a story of a man and of music. Some of the more subdued moments may get lost at times through the humor (of which there is a plenty), but on a second viewing, one can appreciate the pathos of this great art form through the eyes of a lover and purveyor of this sacred music.… Expand

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