The Zen of BennettMovie Reviews

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 80
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    In simple, blunt language he exalts "quality," "warmth," "feeling," "truth" and "beauty," without trying to define or elaborate on those concepts. Read full review

  • 80
    Los Angeles Times | Robert Abele

    This is when the movie earns its hushed exclusivity and kitschy title, when we see an art form bridge generations with a strange mixture of grace, joy and melancholy. Read full review

  • 75
    New York Post | Lou Lumenick

    Like with any great singer, it's often the telling pauses of the man born Anthony Benedetto that say the most in The Zen of Bennett. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    Fascinating stuff. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | John DeFore

    Fans will love its intimate mood and class-act portrayal of its subject; Dion Beebe's cinematography boasts the expected polish, but the film will likely be most popular on small screens. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Dennis Harvey

    While the result is sure to appeal to the star's fans, they may find this less-than-definitive portrait distractingly arty at times, while viewers attracted by such up-to-the-moment talents as Lady Gaga will wonder why the picture doesn't bother providing a little more explanatory background about that old guy she's singing with. Read full review

  • 67
    indieWIRE | Eric Kohn

    Recording "Body and Soul" with Bennet only a short period before her death, Winehouse's simultaneously effusive presence not only illustrates her fragility but stands in sharp contrast to the stable work ethic that Bennett has cultivated over the course of his 60-year career. Read full review

  • 60
    Time Out New York | David Fear

    Watching the elder statesman spin ring-a-ding wisdom is one thing; witnessing his generosity to another artist who couldn't handle her own talent, however, speaks volumes about what actually lurks under his placid, seemingly imperturbable surface. Read full review

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