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Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg
Metascore
69 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Leba Hertz
    100
    Kempner once again educates and entertains with unexpected tidbits and just plain good old-fashioned filmmaking.
  2. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    88
    Watching Loeb opposite Berg, you're reminded of the miracles of chemistry and the luck of the draw when it comes to casting a show -- any show.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    80
    There's far more to this groundbreaker who built an empire in the face of formidable challenges. So why would you miss it? Go already.
  4. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    Berg was the pioneer for an indie TV entrepreneur like Lucille Ball.
  5. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    75
    In Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, Kempner gives us a balance of artist and alter ego, introducing us to a woman we'd like to know even better.
  6. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Liam Lacey
    75
    Well-spoken but humorously self-deprecating, Berg admits that, between the hours spent writing, rehearsing and performing, she spends more of her life as Molly than she does as herself.
  7. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    75
    It's absolutely charming to be reminded of -- or, in most cases, introduced to -- Berg and her particular genius.
  8. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    75
    In Aviva Kempner's affectionate documentary Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, Berg, who once polled second only to Eleanor Roosevelt as one of America's most respected females, is given her due. Or at least her showbiz due.
  9. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Doris Toumarkine
    70
    Kempner has done everything right by organizing her bountiful material into a fascinating portrait of a worthy personality and her era and touching upon related issues like the impact of the blacklist and the alchemy of celebrity.
  10. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Ella Taylor
    70
    Celebratory but clear-eyed portrait of Gertrude Berg.
  11. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Gary Goldstein
    70
    Entertaining, nostalgic and well-organized documentary.
  12. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    70
    The film could be described as Exhibit A in a study of media celebrity and collective forgetfulness in the age of information overload.
  13. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Paul Farhi
    70
    As is, this generally excellent portrait does much to fill the void, restoring an unfortunately forgotten figure to her rightful place among broadcasting's trailblazers.
  14. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Andrea Gronvall
    70
    It is only in the sequence about Berg's popular costar Philip Loeb that Aviva Kempner's documentary resonates. Loeb, an ardent union activist who was blacklisted during the McCarthy hearings, comes across as more identifiably human than the workaholic Berg, for all her fictional character's warmth and her many admirers' tributes.
  15. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    67
    Best of all, though, is the kinescope footage of the televised version's early episodes, which eerily resemble nothing so much as every other TV sitcom to follow, Seinfeld included.
  16. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Mark Feeney
    63
    The documentary, like the series, is haimish in the extreme - cozy, warm, homey.
  17. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    63
    We're left with an impression of a vivacious pioneer; but warm shouldn't have to mean fuzzy.
  18. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Phil Hall
    60
    For those who never heard of "The Goldbergs" and its amazing star, Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg will provide a special introduction to a special person.
  19. Variety
    Reviewed by: Ronnie Scheib
    60
    Director-producer Aviva Kempner's well-researched but unchallenging docu, like "The Goldbergs" itself, has cross-cultural appeal for Jews and goyim alike.
  20. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Noel Murray
    58
    Listening to Berg's characters talk so naturally, honestly, and colorfully about the small, surmountable problems of their daily life is so engaging that whenever Kempner cuts away to another dry historian or fervent fan, it's doubly aggravating.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.7 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. MarkM.
    10
    After watching the film a group of friends and I debated at length why we had never heard of Gertrude Berg. Here is our hypothesis. The reason that Gertrude Berg is not remembered -- besides the inability to make a permanent record of her show except for a few kinescopes, is that the history of the 20th century is by and large written by men. And her show appealed to women in their domestic scope. And judging from some of the ugly comments made on your site about her appearance the judgment by the male run networks and critics was that because she was not beautiful in the anorexic image seen on TV (Donna Reed, Lucy, Alice in The Honeymooners were damn skinny) and therefore she was not worthy of discussion. She made men uncomfortable. So does Oprah. So does Roseanne. Your review is right in that the film doesn't delve in to the reasons she wasn't remembered. The reasons are all about religious and sexual bias of the male controlled media. She was too Jewish, too old and too fat to be worthy of her tremendous accomplishments being recorded and recognized for posterity. She reminded men in power of their immigrant mothers who sacrificed for them. It wasn't cool. Thank goodness Aviva Kempner is finding a way to make sure she is not forgotten for her achievements. The narrow scope of beauty that the media seems to recognize is one reason why Gertrude Berg has been stricken from the record of cultural history. I think C plus is way too low a grade for this doc.… Full Review »
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