Circus of Books

Name: Circus of Books
Genre: Biography, Documentary
Released: April 22, 2020
Duration: 92 min
Rating: 74
Cast: Alaska Thunderfuck, Alexei Romanoff, Barry Mason, Billy Miller, Don Norman

2020

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Ratings

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6.5

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6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Ratings

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Circus Of Books

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Movie Details & Credits

Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): April 22, 2020 | Not Rated

Starring: Alaska Thunderfuck, Alexei Romanoff, Barry Mason, Billy Miller, Don Norman, Ellen Friedman, Fernando Aguilar, Freddie Bercovitz, Gisella Colindres, Jeff Stryker, Josh Mason, Karen Mason, Larry Flynt, Micah Mason, Paulo Morillo, Rachel Mason

Summary: In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. What was expected to be a brief sideline led to their becoming fully immersed in the LGBT community as they took over aIn 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. What was expected to be a brief sideline led to their becoming fully immersed in the LGBT community as they took over a local store, Circus of Books. A decade later, they had become the biggest distributors of gay porn in the US. The film focuses on the double life they led, trying to maintain the balance of being parents at a time when LGBT culture was not yet accepted. Their many challenges included facing jail time for a federal obscenity prosecution and enabling their store to be a place of refuge at the height of the AIDS crisis. Circus of Books offers a rare glimpse into an untold chapter of queer history, and it is told through the lense of the owners' own daughter, Rachel Mason, an artist, filmmaker and musician.… Expand

Director: Rachel Mason

Genre(s): Biography, Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 92 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

IndieWire Jude Dry

Apr 15, 2020

Karen’s dogged pragmatism, and her complex relationship to the smut that provided her family’s livelihood for thirty years, is why Circus of Books is such a rare delight — and a nearly perfect documentary. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Matt Fagerholm

Apr 22, 2020

Resembling Maude Apatow in her youth, Rachel is a richly fascinating figure in her own right, and though she originally hadn’t planned on putting herself in the film, she wisely chose to have her face on camera (a la Bing Liu in “Minding the Gap”) when interviewing Josh, which heightens the emotional impact of their scenes together considerably. Read full review

Chuck Foster

Apr 25, 2020

This extreme level of intimacy also becomes the film’s main drawback, however, as Mason is so close to her subjects that there’s no way she can possibly remain impartial. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Apr 15, 2020

The film doesn’t judge, either. Viewers who might cringe at the subject matter can decide for themselves if the sweeping changes in the culture that the ensuing decades have brought have been glorious, catastrophic or a seriously mixed bag. Read full review

Peter Debruge

Apr 15, 2020

Circus of Books is an affectionate look at one of the most unusual mom and pop businesses in America, directed by the person who knew Mom and Pop best. Read full review

Glenn Whipp

Apr 22, 2020

Rachel Mason performs a nice bit of misdirection with the film, starting with humorous juxtapositions of this nice, elderly Jewish couple running a gay porn shop and then moving toward a poignant story of acceptance. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

Apr 23, 2020

People can indeed live at war with themselves and not know it. Here’s a case of great things happening once peace is declared. Read full review

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