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ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
Metascore
73 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    88
    What stands out, not surprisingly, is the work and passion that goes into the shows. But seeing all this from the inside creates an extraordinary level of empathy for those involved.
  2. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Noel Murray
    83
    ShowBusiness is a smart, highly entertaining piece of cinema-reportage, but it never quite rises to the level of penetrating insight or emotional catharsis.
  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Matt Singer
    80
    Producer/director Dori Berinstein knows her way around a Broadway show -- she's produced 11 of them, including her latest, Legally Blonde -- and her insider status no doubt helped secure behind-the-scenes access as she tracks one season in the life of four musicals, and explains the unusual level of intimacy between interviewer and subjects.
  4. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Chris Jones
    75
    Much of this strikingly human, rapidly paced and laudably well-rounded film is fascinating.
  5. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    75
    Captures the flavor of putting on a show on Broadway.
  6. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Robin Snook
    75
    It's riveting to watch the shows' respective creators work, clash, whine, celebrate and commiserate as the season and their stories unfold.
  7. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    75
    The film's slick and entertaining, an obvious must-see for musical hounds.
  8. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    75
    Following the shows from rehearsals to Tony Awards night, she gets behind the scenes and does a good job conveying the incessant anxieties and glee of the talents involved.
  9. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Charkes McNulty
    70
    The film is a love letter to theater and the people who make it.
  10. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    70
    ShowBusiness is packed with telling details that the director, Dori Berinstein, was lucky to catch on camera.
  11. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    70
    Along the way Dori Berinstein's cameras catch gallant theater people doing what they've done since Sophocles was a pup: rehearsing, revising, worrying, learning, stretching, struggling to bump things up from good to wonderful and constantly, fervently hoping.
  12. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Philip Kennicott
    70
    ShowBusiness is not so clever nor so entertaining as the popular musical "A Chorus Line," which plied this territory more than 30 years ago, but it does go deeper into the mechanics of the business.
  13. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Albert Williams
    70
    Thrilling rehearsal and performance footage of Idina Menzel in "Wicked," Tonya Pinkins in "Caroline," and Euan Morton in "Taboo" is juxtaposed with thoughtful, funny, and revealing interviews with writers, directors, producers, publicists, and critics.
  14. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    50
    You'll have to look elsewhere than this love letter to the Great White Way to explain why "Wicked" and "Avenue Q" became huge hits, and why "Caroline, or Change" joined "Taboo" as a costly flop.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.7 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. JasonR.
    9
    Great idea to follow so many shows, though it did mean that it didn't get as involved enough in each of the shows separately as I would have liked. Bill S. is right... should have been a series. Even if you haven't seen any of the shows, I'd still recommend it. You'll want to see them afterwards! (unfortunately for me - and all of us I suppose - the two I haven't seen are the ones no longer running).… Full Review »
  2. StephanieR.
    10
    Really loved this doc. It felt like a feature. What a great ride and fantastic characters I really cared about. And funny too! A rock solid 10.
  3. EmilyR.
    10
    I strongly recommend this film! It's not just for theater lovers. It's the best doc I've seen in years. And funny too!!
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