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Martha

Play trailer 2:11 Poster for Martha Released Oct 25 1h 53m Documentary Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 32 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
This definitive documentary on Martha Stewart pulls back the curtain on one of America's greatest self-made icons, from her start as a teenage model to her stint as a Wall Street stockbroker to her reign as the grand dame of entertaining and good taste. Directed by R.J. Cutler (Elton John: Never Too Late, Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, The September Issue), Martha draws on hundreds of hours of intimate interviews with Stewart and those from her inner circle, along with Stewart's private archives of diaries, letters, and never-seen-before footage. The film illuminates Stewart's upbringing in a working-class family, compels us to reconsider the scandal that sent her to prison, and heralds her post-prison reinvention as the original influencer who's still captivating new generations of fans.
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Martha

Martha

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Critics Consensus

Glossy like a Martha Stewart cookbook and just as pleasurable to parse, R.J. Cutler's documentary offers an intimate glimpse into one of America's most enduring icons.

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Critics Reviews

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Craig Mathieson The Age (Australia) “I never look the other way,” she says, and thankfully neither does Cutler’s documentary. Rated: 4/5 Nov 15, 2024 Full Review Peter Rainer FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) To its credit, it doesn't pull any punches on the tough side of her. Nov 13, 2024 Full Review Alissa Wilkinson New York Times “Martha” feels like a far more comprehensible key to Stewart — who has been the subject of speculation, fascination, jokes that turn cruel and plenty of schadenfreude — than half a century of media attention has managed to find. Nov 6, 2024 Full Review Charles Solomon FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) An overproduced valentine to somebody you wouldn't want to give one to. Nov 13, 2024 Full Review Wade Major FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) I thought this was tremendous. It's one thing to make a documentary that's fairly comprehensive about Martha Stewart, but to get her to be revealing about herself -- which she does not like to do -- is quite an achievement. Nov 13, 2024 Full Review Jennifer Green Common Sense Media A well-paced but overly lengthy documentary about a fascinating woman, this film does what you hope it will by offering new information about a very public figure. Nov 12, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Rodrigo C Her story is interesting and I didn’t know about most of it so that made for a good watch. Definitely worth it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/17/24 Full Review David D She's one hell of a lady. No doubt about that. It does leave you wondering if she's slightly sociopathic. To achieve what she has, as shown in the documentary, the degree of focus required is sky high. A good watch. Inspiring in a great many ways. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/12/24 Full Review Audience Member A very compelling watch. You gain a lot of insight into Martha’s life—the good and the bad. It’s fascinating to see her many accomplishments, and at times, you feel sympathy for her time spent in jail. But then, as her ruthless side comes through, your perspective shifts. Although no other people were interviewed, it didn’t feel limiting or repetitive, as her face-to-face interviews kept things engaging. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/12/24 Full Review Tony G The Martha Stewart movie was more than just a movie. If you watched it closely which I did and I watched it a second time. What Martha did here, is that she “SELF ACTUALIZED” right in front of our eyes for the whole world to see. If any of you know who Maslow is ….look it up. This is why she is a GREAT IICON and will die as one and live way beyond her years. She never claimed to be perfect, in fact, she was far from perfect. We all saw that and we put her on a pedestal anyway. She already knew that and just mustarded through anyway like a soldier and made the best of everything she could….at every point in her life, despite making mistakes. She forgave who she needed to forgive and she accepted what she needed to accept. I was completely speechless by this movie. Again, i’ll reiterate that she is another beacon And example if you will for all of us to follow. She is an amazing example for all of us to learn from. Praise be to. YAHUAH for giving us Martha Stewart as a great example in our troubling time right now. Thank you, Martha. I will always love you.!!! If I could hug you in person, I WOULD!!!!! We love you very much Martha and always will!!!! I really hope she reads these!!!! She needs too!!!!! Godspeed!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/11/24 Full Review Fíona O I didn't know much about Martha Stewart because I don't live in America, but I knew she had gone to prison for - I thought - tax evasion, when in fact it was for insider trading. For the first 1/3rd of the documentary I thought she was very unlikeable, but by the time it finished I really admired her, and how she coped with everything she went through - the public disgrace, online trolling, prison, etc. An extremely talented, capable woman who doesn't suffer fools lightly, she succeeded mightily in a man's world, and recovered herself beautifully when she got out of prison. One of the highlights of the documentary was the Justin Bieber Roast - she astonished me with her sense of humour and wit and it was fascinating to watch! Really good documentary, well worth watching. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/10/24 Full Review Lisa C Never liked the woman and didn't think many of her recipes were easy or even good. Never watched her show or bought her magazine. This documentary lived up to what I thought it would be; a complete waste of time. Why is it many women in business believe they have to treat others horribly to get ahead? It isn't any surprise Stewart doesn't have any friends. I feel sorry for her daughter. Stewart seems completely miserable and her beautiful home and all the money clearly don't maker her happy. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/10/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis This definitive documentary on Martha Stewart pulls back the curtain on one of America's greatest self-made icons, from her start as a teenage model to her stint as a Wall Street stockbroker to her reign as the grand dame of entertaining and good taste. Directed by R.J. Cutler (Elton John: Never Too Late, Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, The September Issue), Martha draws on hundreds of hours of intimate interviews with Stewart and those from her inner circle, along with Stewart's private archives of diaries, letters, and never-seen-before footage. The film illuminates Stewart's upbringing in a working-class family, compels us to reconsider the scandal that sent her to prison, and heralds her post-prison reinvention as the original influencer who's still captivating new generations of fans.
Director
R.J. Cutler
Producer
Jane Cha, Alino Cho, Austin Wilkin, R.J. Cutler, Trevor Smith
Distributor
Netflix
Genre
Documentary, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 25, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 30, 2024
Runtime
1h 53m
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