80
Metascore
29 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100VarietyGeoff BerkshireVarietyGeoff BerkshireTweel masterfully assembles roughly four years of footage, much of it shot by Gleason himself, and the result is painfully raw at times but undeniably rewarding.
- 100New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottNew Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottThe deeply resonant Gleason isn't a football movie. Rather, it traffics in universal themes that effectively drill down to the very core of the human condition. As such, everybody has something to gain from what ends up being a multilayered mediation on life.
- 100Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternGleason is so powerful in its cumulative effect that it should be accompanied by a consumer advisory — something along the lines of “This documentary may cause sudden alterations of mood and attitude.”
- The result is a candid testament to not only Gleason himself but the many people who love him.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeFocused much more intently on video journals Gleason made as his illness progressed, the film both documents his rapid physical decline and ponders the many existential issues it raises — especially for a married couple expecting their first child in a few months.
- 75The A.V. ClubKatie RifeThe A.V. ClubKatie RifeHe can afford the best treatments and technologies and — by the end — even to extend his life, because he’s a well-off former NFL player. Most patients don’t have these luxuries.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleUltimately, while Gleason can be tough to watch, it has a strong message about the value of relationships and how to spend a life doing meaningful work against great odds.
- 74TheWrapMichael NordineTheWrapMichael NordineClay Tweel’s Gleason documents the agony and the ecstasy of its subject’s life, and is similarly exceptional in its avoidance of the cliches so common among inspiring documentaries.
- 63Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenIt has an irritating habit of depending on our natural reactions, letting the subject matter do the heavy lifting.