Hava Nagila: The Movie
International Film Circuit | Release Date: March 1, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
2
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
85
NPRElla TaylorMar 1, 2013
According to Hava Nagila: The Movie, an infectiously high-spirited new documentary by Roberta Grossman, the most cornball song in the Jewish repertoire has a colorful history that has carried Ashkenazi Jews through the joy and sorrow of 150 years of being thrown around the world. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinMar 14, 2013
It's a fun, nostalgic, informative journey. Aided by vivid archival footage and photos, the movie charts the evolution of the song through the Holocaust, the birth of Israel and the modern Jewish Diaspora. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comDonald LiebensonJun 11, 2013
A slight, but very satisfying, and at times, surprisingly moving, documentary. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeLoren KingApr 25, 2013
Hava Nagila (The Movie) guarantees that the next time you hear the song at a party, you won’t think of it quite the same way. Of course, that won’t slow anyone rushing to the dance floor. Read full review
75
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreFeb 21, 2013
Roberta Grossman’s cute documentary gives weight to the tune, tracing its lineage to a town – Sadagora, in the Ukraine – and the 19th century. It bubbled to life as a “Nigun,” a wordless hymn or prayer, more hummed than sung. Read full review
70
The New York TimesRachel SaltzFeb 28, 2013
The interviews are mostly good and instructive, but the well-chosen historical footage is better. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanFeb 28, 2013
While the filmmakers never quite make the case that their chosen melody deserves its own full-length film, they do ensure that you’ll leave the theater happily humming it. Read full review
50
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeFeb 28, 2013
By the movie’s end, the party guests may be ready to dance the hora — or they may find themselves sitting this one out. “Hava” will have its revenge, however: It’s still stuck in my head. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineKalvin HenelyFeb 26, 2013
The documentary can at times feel like you're wasting your time on a subject you might wish you had only accidentally crossed paths with briefly on Wikipedia. Read full review
20
Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonFeb 26, 2013
Patronizing from toe to chin, the film opts continually for self-congratulation and cheesy aphorism, and could've-should've been comfortable slotted into a half hour of airtime on TJC. Read full review
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