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The Way I See It

Play trailer 2:31 Poster for The Way I See It Released Sep 18, 2020 1h 40m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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84% Tomatometer 70 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Pete Souza captures historic and intimate moments as a photographer for President Barack Obama and President Ronald Reagan.
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The Way I See It

The Way I See It

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Critics Consensus

The Way I See It takes an engaging look back at a political era from the unique perspective of the photographer who documented it from the inside.

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Critics Reviews

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Angie Han Mashable The Way I See It feels like little more than a bit of PR fluff for a bygone leader - and perhaps, by extension, his former VP. Oct 2, 2020 Full Review Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle Photographers, like writers, do not usually make the best film subjects. Director Dawn Porter, who also directed John Lewis: Good Trouble, doesn't find a good way around this. Rated: 2.5/5 Sep 25, 2020 Full Review Dwight Brown National Newspaper Publishers Association Prepared to be moved and awed in ways you wouldn't expect. It's a trip down memory lane that should excite citizens about the possibilities for tomorrow. Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 22, 2020 Full Review Tom O'Brien Next Best Picture "The Way I See It" produces image after image that has been ingrained in our collective consciousness, with each of Souza's works capturing a moment in time, and each in its own way, telling a story. Rated: 7/10 Jun 14, 2022 Full Review Richard Crouse Richard Crouse The larger picture it paints is one of the importance of photography. If a picture is worth a thousand words this movie speaks volumes. Rated: 3.5/5 Jan 29, 2021 Full Review Louisa Moore Screen Zealots No matter your political affiliation, The Way I See It gives an astounding look at the most intimate moments of our nation's history, allowing regular citizens to take a peek behind the curtain at our leaders. Rated: 3.5 / 5 Jan 20, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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dave d Incredibly moving, yet often distracted, 'The Way I see It' feels like an idealized version of events from the eyes of the White House photographer under Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan. When the movie veers into blaming everything that went wrong on Donald Trump it lost me. When the pictures tell the story, tears will flow, especially if you have young kids. Dawn Porter once again is way too heavy handed with her point of view and too soft with little to no journalistic integrity. Final Score: 6/10 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Very moving portrayal of a great American president. Highly enjoyable two hours examining how a president with charm, compassion and intellect can affect lives . Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/19/21 Full Review Audience Member Pete Souza provides an in-depth account about his personal observations and knowledge of the Presidency. The movie was a perfect example to show character and experience is required to be President. Anyone who gave this movie less than 4 stars should walk into the ocean forever. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review ranny l The sensational director, Dawn Porter, did it again with another entertaining and powerful documentary, The Way I See It! Porter is a genius at creating films based on inspiring images of her subjects and letting the pictures tell the story. The timing of this film is perfect because of upcoming Presidential elections and how it shows historic moments in the lives of past respectable Presidents through photos from the eyes of official White House photographer Pete Souza. The Way I See It is a documentary based on Souza's New York Times #1 bestsellers, Obama: An Intimate Portrait and Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents. It gives an inside look of two powerful Presidents in U.S. history, Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan, through photographs taken by Pete Souza. It tells the story through clips from interviews and unique photos and shows the responsibilities of being the person holding the most powerful position on Earth. Pete Souza was able to get an "up close and personal" look at monumental and intimate moments of former President Barack Obama and President Ronald Reagan during their terms. The setting of the film is at the White House.The scenes are very realistic because they are based on factual events. The documentary includes heartwarming clips and moments such as when these Presidents gave their speeches while running for office, their lives outside of being Presidents and just having fun. The music in this film really helps drive the story. I love that The Way I See It did not feel like just a documentary meant to show how America is in the state it is in now. The message of the film is that we have to look at our past to understand how we get to a certain place in life. While the film doesn't really talk about President Trump, it shows that our country was in a better place before he became President. I rate The Way I See It 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18. Adults that like documentaries and history will also love this film. By Tiana S., KIDS FIRST! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The movie defined leadership. Pete Sousa defined "see something say something" and the power of visual artistry. Bravo! An important movie during these turbulent times! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member cried. cried some more. amazing. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/27/20 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Pete Souza captures historic and intimate moments as a photographer for President Barack Obama and President Ronald Reagan.
Director
Dawn Porter
Producer
Evan Hayes, Laura Dern, Jayme Lemons, Dawn Porter
Distributor
Focus Features
Production Co
Trilogy Films, MSNBC Films, ACE Content, Focus Features, Jaywalker Pictures, Platform One Media
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 18, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 21, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA)
$44.5K
Runtime
1h 40m
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