74
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 89Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovAustin ChronicleMarc SavlovThere are plenty of great things to say about director Janice Engel’s portrait of the late, legendary Ivins, but maybe the best is that after watching Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins, you'll immediately want to go back and re-read all her books.
- 88Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger Moore“Raise Hell” is a movie of laughs, because nobody ever popped the balloons of political pretense like the hard-drinking, chain-smoking six-foot permanent “outsider” Molly Ivins.
- 85TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso Duralde“Raise Hell” reminds us of the never-ending importance of those skilled observers with the ability to speak truth to power. And if, like Ivins, they can make us laugh while doing so, then they’re all the more essential.
- 83The Film StageJohn FinkThe Film StageJohn FinkRaise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins is a funny portrait of a quick-witted satirist who called it as it was, unafraid to be a little mean to the narcissists who were just glad to see their name in print.
- 83The PlaylistKimber MyersThe PlaylistKimber MyersSimilar to RGB, Raise Hell preaches to the small choir that adored Ivins, but this documentary sings a beautiful new psalm that will reach new disciples and renew the follower faith like a tent revival.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterCaryn JamesThe Hollywood ReporterCaryn JamesThe documentary rarely presses its larger points. But it calmly reveals how much journalism has changed since Ivins started out in the late 1960s, yet how relevant her observations about the blight of corporate money in politics and threats to the First Amendment remain today.
- 80VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyThe late journalist’s career and witticisms are smoothly encapsulated by veteran documentarian Janice Engel’s slick feature.
- 75RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzRogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzThis documentary does a fine job of capturing what made her special.
- 70Film ThreatNorman GidneyFilm ThreatNorman GidneyIn the end, Raise Hell is the true celebration of the Texas spirit or rather, America on steroids as one commentator words it.
- 63Slant MagazineDerek SmithSlant MagazineDerek SmithThe film is at its best when its focus remains on Ivins’s fierce commitment to her ideals and willingness to speak her mind.