Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened
Abramorama | Release Date: November 18, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
81
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
IndieWireJude DryOct 20, 2016
“Best Worst Thing” is more than a story about a Broadway show; its most poignant moments examine the thrill of dreams coming true, and the inevitable come down afterwards. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyNov 30, 2016
A love letter to the theater—and a deeply poignant one at that—Lonny Price’s sentimental documentary Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened… is a bittersweet gem. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJan 19, 2017
Jim Walton, Ann Morrison and other original cast members talk about what the show meant to them, and how it felt (in a word: lousy) to have their dreams crash into a brick wall of harsh reviews. Read full review
88
Washington PostJane HorwitzDec 8, 2016
Simultaneously warm and clear-eyed, “Best Worst Thing” is an unblinking look at how the sausage of theater gets made, as well as an emotional memoir. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter TraversDec 2, 2016
Best Worst Thing brims over with moments of humor and heartbreak that reflect the feeling of knowing "we're what's new." This movie is more than good, pal. It's indispensable. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinNov 25, 2016
How the then-newbie performers’ jackpot roles in the heady, heartbreaking show informed their lives and careers forms much of the movie’s stirring narrative spine. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen HoldenNov 17, 2016
Because “Merrily” was a musical about the ravages of time on friendship and youthful ideals, the documentary tells parallel stories — one fictional, the other real — of disappointment and disillusion. They give the film a double shot of poignancy. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyNov 15, 2016
The individual personalities that emerge in interviews both from back in 1981 and now, with the actors in their 50s, are often delightful, both funny and rueful. Read full review
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanNov 25, 2016
Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened is a nimble documentary made with a personal touch of nostalgia, and it should prove nothing less than catnip to Sondheim obsessives. Read full review
70
Village VoiceOdie HendersonNov 17, 2016
Sondheim, Prince, and Furth discuss their creative processes and why they think the show failed. These stories make up the bulk of this film, which is sure to satisfy theater wonks, Sondheim fans, curious moviegoers and lovers of Broadway. All others need not apply. Read full review
70
TheWrapRobert AbeleNov 17, 2016
The wistfulness on display is touching and funny, often both at the same time. Read full review
70
New York Daily NewsJoe DziemianowiczNov 17, 2016
The film’s second act packs a bittersweet punch, along with the fact that the failed show is now much-respected. But all of that could have been tied up in a quicker epilogue. The chorus, so to speak, lacks a hook. Too bad, considering that, to quote a Sondheim song from the show, they “had a good thing going.” Read full review
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