Allen v. Farrow
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Feb 21, 2021
User Score
3.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 22
  3. Negative: 14 out of 22

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User Reviews

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  1. Jonathan82
    Feb 25, 2021
    0
    The film is a large-scale smear campaign against Woody Allen. Please deal with the topic more intensively and do not believe the lies that the white Farrows spread. The non-white children are not heard in the documentary.
    Take a look at this YouTube video or read Mosses Farrow's blog.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muyaCg2dGAk&t=6993s
    http://mosesfarrow.blogspot.com/
  2. viroodiem
    Feb 23, 2021
    2
    So many problems.

    First of all as one would expect, this is a one sided hit piece out for Allens blood. I am not a fan of his work so I am not going to defend him based on being a fan. The problem here is that it is all stilted to one side and its very VERY light on factual evidence. I tend to believe Allen is in fact a pedophile but this examination undermines it by focusing on    So many problems.

    First of all as one would expect, this is a one sided hit piece out for Allens blood. I am not a fan of his work so I am not going to defend him based on being a fan. The problem here is that it is all stilted to one side and its very VERY light on factual evidence. I tend to believe Allen is in fact a pedophile but this examination undermines it by focusing on emotional appeals rather than anything tangible. It leaves a sour taste (with the first episode at least) of someone out for vengance that may or may not actually be rooted in their claims. It leaves you feeling just as much as it was outrage at a parental figure because "you ruined my life" and other nonsensical teenage angst than it does that he was a predator. So it only hurts the cause.

    Moreover, this suffers from the same issue with virtually everything produced by HBO. Its overly produced, pretentious and most egregiously boring to watch. A story like this should at least be mildly interesting if not captivating and fertile ground to keep audiences attention. This however seemingly does not care if you listen to its lecture or not.

    Hopefully further episodes will pick up the pace and be able to stir up some emotion to give a reason for audiences to care but the first episode failed to do so.

    2./10 for a very subpar effort that should have been a slam dunk.    … Expand
  3. DrBlahBlah
    Feb 21, 2021
    3
    Three problems: 1) Overly sensational, with suggestive emotional appeals based in speculation, not evidence. 2) Little new information (so far, one episode in) that is directly incriminating. 3) Extremely one-sided, offering few counter-arguments or explanations from Allen. Let's hope the next three episodes are more nuanced and balanced...
  4. Ciukas
    Feb 23, 2021
    1
    http://mosesfarrow.blogspot.com/2018/05/a-son-speaks-out-by-moses-farrow.html
  5. sekerzitski
    Feb 22, 2021
    1
    Yellow press, did expect more from HBO. Of course, Allen is heard only via audiobook from his memoir Apropos Of Nothing which is meant to stand in for his side of the story? Well, that' lazy. But again, what about Soon Yi? Why not interview her, or their adopted children? Or Moses Farrow?

    Is it coming in the next episodes? Or what new info is there to beat the dead horse for the 4th time?
  6. kirkender
    Feb 22, 2021
    9
    I believe Dylan Farrow. Listen to the victims of abuse. Woody Allen is a powerful, manipulative, abusive, pedophile who belongs in jail. The doc is well made and takes various perspectives of those affected.
  7. fede01_8
    Feb 22, 2021
    8
    You can only interview those that want to be interviewed on camera. So take your complains about the lack of Allen and his partner's side of the story to him.
  8. odysseus420
    Feb 22, 2021
    10
    Disgusting pedophile Woody Allen is finally getting exposed for the sick child molester he always was. Too little too late of course, but Hollywood is second only to the catholic church when it comes to protecting the powerful abusers in their midst. As for the deranged freaks who feel the need to defend him in every online space one can only hope they get put on a list.
  9. UniversalHeat
    Feb 23, 2021
    10
    First episode was very nuanced and well-researched, if more than a little hard to watch for obvious reasons. Seriously, the guy married his step daughter and people still defend him. STILL. I'll be interested to see what new information the next three episodes bring to the table.
  10. Suttree
    Feb 28, 2021
    1
    Rubbish. The police investigated the allegations and found zero reason to pursue charges. There is nothing here that is more than long after the alleged events hearsay. Allen has been with Soon Yi ever since he broke it off with Farrow. His conduct in no way resembles the profile of an abuser. Farrow comes across as having manipulated her daughter, Dylan. Farrow has not had a decent roleRubbish. The police investigated the allegations and found zero reason to pursue charges. There is nothing here that is more than long after the alleged events hearsay. Allen has been with Soon Yi ever since he broke it off with Farrow. His conduct in no way resembles the profile of an abuser. Farrow comes across as having manipulated her daughter, Dylan. Farrow has not had a decent role since Allen stopped casting her in his films. She collected adopted children for nannies to raise, making her veracity most questionable, and her conduct troubling at best. No charges. No trial. No conviction. The filmmakers should be ashamed.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Best TV Season of 2021
6
#6 Most Discussed TV Season of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Feb 25, 2021
    90
    Riveting and far-reaching. ... Allen v. Farrow goes beyond the headlines, to explore why it is that we're so reluctant to accept the worst about our pop culture heroes. [1-14 Mar 2021, p.9]
  2. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Sophie Gilbert
    Feb 23, 2021
    50
    Dylan’s motives are impossible to fault: She tells the filmmakers that she wants to share her experiences again so that others who have endured what she has feel less alone. She deserves to get to do that, and if more exposure brings catharsis, then so be it. But the paradox is that in portraying events so selectively, Allen v. Farrow leaves too much room for yet another public wrangling.
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  3. Salon
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    Feb 22, 2021
    80
    Seen as a family quilt sewn with cherished home movies and old photos, placed next to recently filmed shots of Farrow sequestered at the family's Connecticut retreat, the series is a devastating tragedy. ... A few production aspects of "Allen v. Farrow" are questionable. ... But you can't deny the reality of the adult Dylan Farrow's uncontrollable shuddering at the memory of her abuse.
    Read full review
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