Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You

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Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You

2016

1h 31m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

86%

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44 Reviews

67%

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250+ Ratings

Producer Norman Lear creates "All in the Family," "The Jeffersons," "Sanford and Son," "Good Times" and other classic TV shows.

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Critics Consensus

Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You pays tribute to its subject's brilliant legacy with an entertaining primer peppered with his own fascinating reflections.

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Dorothy Rabinowitz

Wall Street Journal

This is a story of a life of enormous fulfillment-eloquently told and openhearted as related by the subject himself, now in his early 90s, who knows, as he reveals, what to value in life.

Oct 20, 2016

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Tom Long

Detroit News

An affectionate reminder of what an impact one writer-producer had on the modern world.

Rated: B

Aug 5, 2016

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Ellen Gray

Philadelphia Inquirer

Just Another Version is less sweeping than Lear's memoir but filled with smartly chosen clips.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 5, 2016

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

In impeccable health and spry as ever at 94 years old, Norman Lear tells much of his own story without a hint of gallows humor while concurrently recording the audio version of his printed memoirs.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 23, 2025

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Brian T. Carney

Washington Blade

Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady use some innovative techniques to create a multi-faceted portrait of a man whose groundbreaking television series challenged America’s ideas about gender, race, class and sexuality.

Dec 21, 2022

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Linda and Al Lerner

Movies and Shakers

The film is a little slow going in the beginning... But the story of his childhood, service in the military, how he got into show business, creations and collaborations and his marriages include fascinating details.

Oct 23, 2019

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Audience Member

Solid look at the man and his career but a little more look at the actual shows might have been nice. Also, it kind of makes the argument that it was him alone that was responsible for everything. Well, you had writers, actors, directors, etc that did a little helping too! Still, he's super important and this was a great peer into why.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

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Audience Member

I streamed this on PBS as part of the American Masters series. This documentary uses a kid in a backstage dressing room or on stage under a spotlight wearing Lear's signature white hat to break up the sections of the narrative with black box theatricality. This is the tale of a humble life and a fascinating career. Norman Lear's work in television speaks volumes. In the interviews he is uncomfortable revealing things about himself. This doc made me excited to watch more of his work. Many, many actors who worked on his shows back in the day and Hollywood folks who grew up watching his shows sit down for interviews. Shows produced and written by Lear were full of laughs and also touched on political issues. Despite further political divides in recent times, this documentary about a guy speaking to America through their TV sets in the 70s and 80s was inspiring. It makes you think that Americans could become better versions of themselves.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

Exactly what I needed to watch tonight.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

Forgetting what a trailblazer his shows were before een VCR's.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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Audience Member

fun, moving, meaningful- the best movie I have seen in a long while.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

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Audience Member

A great man worth watching.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

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Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Producer Norman Lear creates "All in the Family," "The Jeffersons," "Sanford and Son," "Good Times" and other classic TV shows.

Director: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
Producer: Suzanne Hillinger, Brent Miller
Distributor: Music Box Films
Production Co: American Masters, Loki Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 8, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 26, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $70.1K
Runtime: 1h 31m

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