Critic Reviews
| 91 |
Entertainment Weekly Ari Karpel
Thank you, HBO, for airing Australia's outrageous Office-like, eight-part high school mockumentary, rather than getting a lesser comedian to do an American version. |
| 80 |
Washington Post Tom Shales
Lilley's script and performances are rife with recognizable personalities, neuroses and human absurdities. |
| 80 |
Salon Heather Havrilesky
The only bad thing about Summer Heights High is that it makes a lot of American comedies look pathetically unoriginal and lackluster by comparison. |
| 80 |
Wall Street Journal Nancy DeWolf Smith
It is funny in the manner of "Best in Show" or "A Mighty Wind," but much more biting. Although that means there are some truly painful moments, the talent of Mr. Lilley, a brilliant mimic, is a divine salve. |
| 80 |
Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert
The nonfictional veneer feels authentic, and so does Lilley's talent. |
| 80 |
Los Angeles Times Robert Lloyd
All in all, it's a rich work, full of detail and small moments, and grounded in reality by an utterly believable supporting cast partly drawn from the school where the series was shot. |
| 75 |
San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman
The documentary look is engaging, and Lilley's wildly over-the-top performance as three distinct characters is made all the more funny as it clashes against the reserved nature of the nonactors. |
| 75 |
TV Guide Matt Roush
A funny/sad Office-style mockumentary depicting a year in the life of an Australian public high school, this wildly talented writer-star loves making you squirm (à la Gervais) while submerging himself inside the skin of characters so diverse (à la Ullman) you can hardly believe it's the same guy. |
| 67 |
Time James Poniewozik
Summer Heights High is not a perfect comedy, and those offended by crossed boundaries will feel their boundaries crossed. But it's a welcome, if sometimes familiar, HBO comedy while we wait for the return of "Flight of the Conchords." |
| 50 |
New York Daily News David Hinckley
In the end, while its outrageous characters are often amusing, their palate of jokes runs thin. |
| 50 |
Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall
Much as I admire Lilley's ability to pull off a sort of one-man Christopher Guest movie, only one of the three Summer Heights High leads is funny on a consistent basis. |
| 40 |
The New York Times Mike Hale
It’s easy to admire Mr. Lilley’s writing and performing talent, and some jokes work anywhere. But if he’s interested in really connecting with audiences here--something HBO probably has in mind for the future--he needs to do some more research. |
| 30 |
Variety Brian Lowry
Cultural distinctions notwithstanding (will U.S. viewers double over at a Tongan accent?), Summer Heights High seldom rises above silliness and mostly proves just plain irritating. |
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