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America the Beautiful
Metascore
40 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 13
  3. Negative: 4 out of 13
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    America the Beautiful carries a persuasive message, and is all the more effective because of the level tone that Roberts adopts.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Leba Hertz
    75
    Mostly succeeds in unmasking the flaws of fetishizing skin-deep beauty.
  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    75
    A sprawling, messy, frustrating and impassioned examination of the psychological fallout from America's obsession with a highly artificial and all-but unattainable standard of beauty.
  4. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Reece Pendleton
    70
    Unexpectedly witty and affecting exposé of the American beauty industry.
  5. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Bill White
    67
    A wide-ranging, disturbing look at our obsession with our looks.
  6. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    60
    Often insightful and more than a little depressing, this is a story that only gets uglier as it goes on.
  7. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    50
    Gerren's story is fascinating, but Roberts dilutes it by going off on tangents about unsafe cosmetics and phony plastic surgeons. Both topics need exploring - just not here. There's more than enough drama in Gerren's life.
  8. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Stan Hall
    50
    Takes its point -- our nation has an unhealthy obsession with beauty and physical perfection -- and uses it as a bludgeon.
  9. Variety
    Reviewed by: Ronnie Scheib
    50
    Wide-ranging educational documentary attaches itself to the rise and fall of a 12-year-old fashion model, and indeed, its sincere, cautionary tone seems best suited to younger auds and small screen exposure.
  10. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Abele
    30
    With so many pointless detours ripping you away, the film feels as lamely digressive as the proverbial one-track guy whose head won't stop turning as each new temptation walks by.
  11. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Nathan Rabin
    25
    Roberts blunders amiably and cluelessly through his amateurish eyesore of a documentary on society's obsession with beauty, perpetually searching for a thesis that will transform a shambling mess of half-baked thoughts and pointless digressions into a real documentary.
  12. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Nick Pinkerton
    20
    The scattershot America the Beautiful recapitulates vintage "Beauty Myth" trumpery.
  13. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Jeannette Catsoulis
    0
    Clueless, directionless and altogether pointless.
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User Reviews

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User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Awaiting 2 more ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 1 out of 2
  1. jaimed
    0
    la pelicula es mala.... simplemente carece de todo sentido posible y la actuacion de jessica simpson da fe que como actriz es una de las peores que he visto...… Full Review »
  2. David
    9
    I focused on the message which I felt was very clear.