Being Mary Tyler Moore

Name: Being Mary Tyler Moore
Genre: Documentary
Released: May 26, 2023
Duration: 119 min
Rating: 66
Cast: Beverly Sanders, Bill Persky, Edward Asner, James Burrows, James L. Brooks

2023

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

No score yet

tbd

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

tbd	Your Score
tbd	User Score No score yet

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Being Mary Tyler Moore

Now Playing: Being Mary Tyler Moore

Movie Details & Credits

HBO | Release Date (Streaming): May 26, 2023 | Not Rated

Starring: Beverly Sanders, Bill Persky, Edward Asner, James Burrows, James L. Brooks, John Tinker, Mary Tyler Moore, Rob Reiner, Ronda Rich, Treva Silverman

Summary: With unprecedented access to Mary Tyler Moore’s vast archive, Being Mary Tyler Moore chronicles the screen icon whose storied career spanned sixty years. Weaving Moore’s personal narrative with the beats of her professional accomplishments, the film highlights her groundbreaking roles and the indelible impact she had on generations of womenWith unprecedented access to Mary Tyler Moore’s vast archive, Being Mary Tyler Moore chronicles the screen icon whose storied career spanned sixty years. Weaving Moore’s personal narrative with the beats of her professional accomplishments, the film highlights her groundbreaking roles and the indelible impact she had on generations of women who came after her.… Expand

Director: James Adolphus

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 119 min

See All Details and Credits

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Collider Emily Bernard

May 25, 2023

It’s evident right away that the people responsible for Being Mary Tyler Moore, a two-hour documentary about the personal and professional life of comedic-leaning actress Mary Tyler Moore, cared deeply about its subject. Read full review

The Playlist Emma Fraser

May 26, 2023

While this doc lacks a few crucial interviews, it nonetheless charts the course of one of ’60s television’s most recognizable stars. For fans of Mary Tyler Moore, James Adolphus’ doc is a must-watch. Read full review

Susie Bright

May 25, 2023

Moore’s admirers made this biography an homage, and if you’re not already a fan, you may tire of the valentine. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Nell Minow

May 26, 2023

Mary Tyler Moore knew how to play confident, happy, honest women early in her career, and it is good to see how she finally learned how to be one. Read full review

Dan Fienberg

May 2, 2023

The footage-forward/talking head-free approach is a tough one to get exactly right, and Adolphus doesn’t always nail it. Read full review

John Anderson

May 25, 2023

Directed by James Adolphus (“Soul of a Nation”), the HBO documentary is almost too balanced. Read full review

Amy Nicholson

May 25, 2023

The film itself is so smitten by Moore that it skips over the worst of her self-inflected wounds. Read full review

SEE ALL 7 REVIEWS

Write a Review

Negative:

User Reviews

Brent_Marchant

May 26, 2023

To say that iconic actress/dancer/comedienne Mary Tyler Moore was a gifted, complicated, reserved, often-misunderstood individual is indeed an understatement. However, director James Adolphus’s new HBO documentary presents a reverent, insightful and respectfully candid biography of the famedTo say that iconic actress/dancer/comedienne Mary Tyler Moore was a gifted, complicated, reserved, often-misunderstood individual is indeed an understatement. However, director James Adolphus’s new HBO documentary presents a reverent, insightful and respectfully candid biography of the famed star of TV, stage and screen, showing Moore in all of her magnificent multidimensionality. As the winner of seven Emmys, three Golden Globes, a special Tony Award and the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as an Oscar nomination for her tremendous lead performance in “Ordinary People” (1980), she significantly changed the face of television comedy and demonstrated a degree of acting versatility rarely seen. In her TV roles as Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, she opened doors for actresses by portraying characters who hadn’t been seen on the little screen before. And, in a wider sense, in her role as Mary Richards, she significantly bolstered the growth of the women’s movement in the world at large, a role she championed despite her own somewhat conventional off-screen lifestyle, a way of life for which she was often criticized by feminists. However, Moore’s personal life often ran counter to the perky, cheerful on-screen persona she routinely projected, and she rarely spoke openly about the many challenges she faced – a sometimes-troubled relationship with her parents, two divorces, the loss of her only son in a gun shot accident, the untimely deaths of her two younger siblings, alcohol abuse and coping with complications from type 1 diabetes. As she aged, however, the fighter within her found ways to work through the anguish, such as choosing projects that enabled her to purge her pain, receiving treatment at the Betty Ford Clinic, becoming an advocate for her favorite causes and finding true love in a third marriage. The filmmaker tells Moore’s complex, moving and inspiring story with an array of clips from her work, archive interview footage with renowned journalists and celebrities, and ample voiceover observations from those who knew her and admired her work. The narrative is admittedly somewhat straightforward and formulaic, but it presents an excellent composite of images and insights into the life and work of a legend, one that’s bound to cause her to be seen in a new light and could well introduce her to a new generation of fans who may not have previously been aware of her many accomplishments. Take a bow, Mary.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

alanpotter17

Jun 1, 2023

Além do documentário ser extremamente frio e convencional, tenta todo instante enaltecer a influência feminista pioneira da retratada, como se precisasse de uma autoafirmação constante. É a típica produção que não se sustenta pelas imagens, pelo material em si, precisando de 5 em 5 minutosAlém do documentário ser extremamente frio e convencional, tenta todo instante enaltecer a influência feminista pioneira da retratada, como se precisasse de uma autoafirmação constante. É a típica produção que não se sustenta pelas imagens, pelo material em si, precisando de 5 em 5 minutos reforçar o apelo narrativo.
Não sei também se a diferença cultural entre quem viveu nos EUA e o resto do mundo fez diferença na experiência, mas o fato é que, embora não se possa negar a influência de Mary Tyler Moore para a televisão (porque no cinema seu fracasso foi retumbante), a grande questão é que soou tudo forçado.
Não querendo trazer à tona aspectos multi identitários, mas uma mulher branca e relativamente bem sucedida não precisava de um documentário tão complacente a sua suposta influência. Incapaz de andar com suas próprias pernas, vemos ela vestindo calça em um programa televisivo, e isso foi o máximo que consegui abstrair. As cenas resgatadas, não sei se ficaram datadas, ou eu que estou sendo muito exigente, mas não vi realmente nada de espetacular ou de engraçado assim a ponto de defini-la como uma artista marcante do humor.
Entretanto, é inegável o acuro com que a pesquisa histórica foi feita, várias imagens que significam bastante em termos de contribuição histórica. Não é problema da homenageada, que fique bem claro, e sim do discurso sempre enaltecedor que fizeram sobre ela.
Aliás, já deu de documentários biográficos tendo sempre esse tom enaltecedor, não é mesmo? Tudo bem que não precisa caminhar para o extremo oposto, mas um retrato mais fiel ganharia em credibilidade e em equilíbrio, tornando uma experiência mais sincera. Tem que ver abstraindo-se da panfletagem, que infelizmente fizeram diminuir o filme.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 2 REVIEWS