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Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird

Play trailer Poster for Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird Released May 13, 2011 1h 22m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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78% Tomatometer 32 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Author/filmmaker Mary Murphy, Tom Brokaw, Oprah Winfrey and others reflect on the legacy of author Harper Lee's literary masterpiece.
Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird

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Critics Consensus

Digging into the life of a literary legend,Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and 'To Kill A Mockingbird' narrowly wins the case.

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Critics Reviews

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Stephanie Merry Washington Post Between interviews about the merits and courage of the novel and clips from the 1962 film adaptation that earned Gregory Peck an Academy Award, Mary McDonagh Murphy's directorial debut offers up a few morsels of fresh material. Rated: 2.5/4 Jun 24, 2011 Full Review Mark Feeney Boston Globe Here's a riddle. Why is any documentary about Harper Lee like a doughnut? Because both have a hole in the middle. Rated: 2.5/4 May 31, 2011 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Harper Lee hasn't been interviewed in 47 years, but this meditation on her only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, puts you inside her skin. Rated: B+ May 27, 2011 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com A film that is both love letter to what may very well be the great American novel and a well researched exploration into the life and personality of its author. Rated: 4.0/4.0 Sep 10, 2020 Full Review Sarah Boslaugh Playback:stl Murphy seems determined above all to respect Lee's desire for privacy, making her a sort of anti-Errol Morris. Rated: 7/10 Jul 8, 2011 Full Review Tricia Olszewski Washington City Paper Not the most accomplished of documentaries, but it's amiable enough. Jun 24, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member The movie was awesome and had brought out good lessons for the society and children. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Amazing film and the Elmer Bernstein score is so memorable. I always love the opening with the child's memory box. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member It's about what it says it's about - and the problem with this documentary is that, although it may cover every possible thing about Harper Lee and 'To Kill a Mockingbird' - there's only so much you can say. We learn about Lee's childhood and the people who inspired the characters in her book. We hear admirers discuss and justify the fact that she never wrote another book. And most of all we hear LOTS of people tell us how wonderful, daring, timely, and important the book was and always will be. The little fact that fascinated me most was the claim that she had submitted her manuscript around LOTS of places, got lots of rejection - but that the house that eventually published it... saw lots of problems in that draft. So evidently, she had a really good editor who over the course of two years helped her shape a series of vignettes into a cohesive story. If you love love love this book, you'll want to spend an hour and a half learning more about it. For me, this documentary lacked consequence. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member http://filmreviewsnsuch.blogspot.com/2013/08/hey-boo-harper-lee-and-to-kill.html Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Great doc about Harper Lee, her book and the film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Harper Lee's sister sounds like Yoda, but this was interesting despite the Oprah presence. This book rocks my world! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird

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Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird

Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird (2010) Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird (2010) Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird (2010) Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird (2010) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Author/filmmaker Mary Murphy, Tom Brokaw, Oprah Winfrey and others reflect on the legacy of author Harper Lee's literary masterpiece.
Director
Mary Murphy
Producer
Caitlin Tartaro
Screenwriter
Mary Murphy
Distributor
First Run
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 13, 2011, Limited
Release Date (DVD)
Jul 19, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$31.1K
Runtime
1h 22m