Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: June 21, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
82
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Time OutHelen O'HaraMar 6, 2020
She’s charming, authoritative, and ferociously intelligent. ‘I think she captured the essence of what it means to be human, to be alive and to be here on this Earth,’ says Winfrey. She’s speaking about one of Morrison’s characters, but it goes double for the author. Read full review
100
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJan 13, 2020
It reminds us how long she had to wait for the recognition she so richly deserved, and what a distinctive, generous, funny, astute, self-doubting, unstoppable and formidable figure she was along the way. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinJun 19, 2019
To have the towering Morrison, now 88, willing to face your cameras — head on, in fact — and tell her story as candidly, heartily and humanely as she does here, is a singular gift that keeps on giving throughout the film’s two captivating hours. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovJul 3, 2019
The decidedly defiant grande dame of African American literature is shown here as an intellectual and creative dynamo who, at the age of 88, shows zero signs of deceleration; if anything, she appears to be just getting warmed up. Haters beware. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJul 12, 2019
Toni Morrison is an absolutely beautiful wordsmith and a beautiful force on multiple fronts, and if this documentary is an unabashed love letter to her life and work, I say: Why. Not. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldJul 10, 2019
Much of the film’s pleasure is in hearing Morrison speak. Read full review
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Melissa VincentJul 5, 2019
The Pieces I Am is compellingly organized and like much of Morrison’s writing, forces the viewer to think carefully to keep up. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeMar 9, 2020
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’s generous documentary is a fitting tribute to the late, great author. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesTara BradyMar 6, 2020
Appealing documentary of the Nobel Prize-winning author has fascinating details. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawMar 5, 2020
Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis and Morrison herself explore her work and legacy in this fascinating documentary completed shortly before the Nobel-winning author’s death. Read full review
80
CineVueJohn BleasdaleMar 5, 2020
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ timely documentary on the Nobel Prize-winning novelist is a persuasive argument for rereading Morrison if you’ve already read her works – and if you haven’t, an imperative to get to it. Read full review
80
EmpireNikki BaughanMar 3, 2020
A celebratory portrait of author Toni Morrison painted by those who knew her, this compelling documentary also explores how her work gives such a powerful voice to the African American experience. Read full review
80
TheWrapCandice FrederickJun 17, 2019
Though Toni Morrison: The Pieces that I Am comes from a white storyteller, it distinctly and profoundly reflects the point of view of the subject herself. What we see is a woman who has always been in charge of her own narrative, no matter who wants to share it. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleZaki HasanJun 24, 2019
While the format as such doesn’t allow for a critical push-and-pull, that’s not a debit. This is about time well spent on a life well lived. A series of pieces adding up to much more than the whole. Read full review
75
Washington PostAlan ZilbermanJun 24, 2019
Morrison, at 88, is as clear-eyed and sharp as ever. What’s most surprising about her interviews is not her candor, but her humor, revealed, as she speaks, in a way that makes you want to lean closer. (Her gifts as a storyteller are not just on the page.) Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comMonica CastilloJun 21, 2019
With a knowing smile, she revisits her memories in one-on-one style interviews, looking directly at the camera—at us—to tell her story. A chorus of scholars, critics and friends join her to sing praises for her work that she’s too modest to bring up herself. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayJun 18, 2019
Frequently, Morrison punctuates her points and her recollections with a warm chuckle, expressing the same embrace of life’s fullness that informs even her bleakest stories. Read full review
75
Slant MagazinePat BrownJun 18, 2019
In verbally recounting her history, Morrison proves almost as engaging as she in print, a wise and sensitive voice. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 17, 2019
The real value in Greenfield-Sanders’ film, which goes into limited theatrical release this weekend before coming to PBS in 2020, is in Morrison’s struggles with the white patriarchy of American letters. Read full review
70
VarietyNick SchagerJul 3, 2019
Mixing archival photos and TV footage with straightforward to-the-camera remembrances, Greenfield-Sanders’ deft structural approach isn’t as daring as those found in Morrison’s own work. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJun 19, 2019
It’s less a biography than an extended essay, which is entirely a good thing. If you want a thorough documentation of everything Morrison has done and everyone she knows, there’s always Wikipedia. But if you’d prefer an argument for her importance and a sense of her presence, then you won’t be disappointed. Read full review
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