Hal

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2:38

Hal

2018

1h 28m

Documentary

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

52 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Filmmaker Hal Ashby's obsessive genius leads to an unprecedented string of Oscar-winning classics, including "Harold and Maude," "Shampoo" and "Being There." But as contemporaries Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg rise to blockbuster stardom in the 1980s, Ashby's uncompromising nature plays out as a cautionary tale of art versus commerce.

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Critics Consensus

Hal pays affectionate tribute to a filmmaker whose offscreen life proves as engaging as his best work.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

03/16/2020

The result is an unsatisfying human study, albeit a successful overview of Ashby's work.

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Bilge Ebiri

Denver Westword

10/11/2018

In making the case for Hal Ashby as a major director due for reassessment, Amy Scott's documentary exemplifies the notion of cinema as a powerful, complex tool of personal expression.

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Scott Marks

San Diego Reader

10/05/2018

1/5

If ever a film needed a little more "Just Say No!" (and a little less defense of the eminently unwatchable Lookin' to Get Out) it's this, but first-time filmmaker Amy Scott insists on sugar coating the snow.

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Bianca Garner

Filmotomy

10/11/2024

Hal is a documentary that helps to remind us to stick to the man and to keep fighting for art even if it means going up against the big studio executives.

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

02/11/2021

Ashby experienced an outburst of creativity and social criticism under the influence of the broad popular radicalization in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

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Steven Prokopy

Slashfilm

08/07/2020

8/10

A stellar profile of the great filmmaker that is as radical and obsessive as its subject.

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01/25/2020

Good summary of this interesting filmmaker.

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09/15/2018

Charming and entertaining! A great insight to the work of Hal Ashby and the film industry. Worth seeing in the theater for sure.

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Hal Ashby's obsessive genius leads to an unprecedented string of Oscar-winning classics, including "Harold and Maude," "Shampoo" and "Being There." But as contemporaries Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg rise to blockbuster stardom in the 1980s, Ashby's uncompromising nature plays out as a cautionary tale of art versus commerce.

Director: Amy Scott
Producer: Christine Beebe, Lisa Janssen, Jonathan Lynch, Brian Morrow
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co: Cartoon Network, Shark Pig, Saboteur Media
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 7, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 11, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $32.7K
Runtime: 1h 28m