Very Semi-Serious

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Very Semi-Serious

2015

1h 23m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

17 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Filmmaker Leah Wolchok witnesses the creative process of cartoonists working for the New Yorker.

Matthew Gilbert

Boston Globe

12/10/2015

Some of the best material in the film takes us out of the New Yorker offices and into the lives of the old-timers and the newcomers.

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Glenn Kenny

New York Times

11/19/2015

Bouncing briskly between an intimate look at the magazine's cartoon editor, Bob Mankoff, and profiles of prominent cartoonists (Roz Chast is the first woman to show up, 20 minutes in), the movie covers a lot.

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Jordan Hoffman

Guardian

11/19/2015

4/5

It's a minor work that knows its place in the margins, but is thought-provoking and surreptitiously insightful - and very funny.

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Stephen Saito

Moveable Fest

11/13/2018

An alternate history with humor that is bound to outlast even their latest digs, but still change is difficult and keeping vital remains a constant struggle. By capturing that in such an eloquent way, the film proves to be something else likely to endure.

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Alejandro Alemán

El Universal

04/08/2016

Very Semi-Serious is an extremely interesting, jolly, hilarious, almost nostalgic x-ray image of a medium that refuses to die (print), which may be the reason it's still being done with rigorous professionalism. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Gonzalo Lira Galván

Cinema Movil

04/07/2016

The film is a reminder of the valuable work cartoons have made for the way it captures the daily life of the people living in New York. [Full review in Spanish]

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08/21/2019

Marc Bilgrey is not credited for this film, but he does have a credit for doing the animated credits of a porn film from the 70's called Slip Up. He inherited his soft porn importer father's money and now doesnt do much of anything

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01/04/2016

I watched this at six in the morning. I loved it.

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01/01/2016

suprisingly beautiful cinematography paired with a stirring score. Could have been another forgettable doc, but execution is extraordinary.

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12/23/2015

Stumbled upon this last night, and it was fascinating!

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Leah Wolchok

Director

Roz Chast

Actor

Liana Finck

Actor

Emily Flake

Actor

Bruce Eric Kaplan

Actor

Leah Wolchok

Producer

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Leah Wolchok witnesses the creative process of cartoonists working for the New Yorker.

Director: Leah Wolchok
Producer: Leah Wolchok, Davina Pardo
Distributor: HBO
Production Co: American Ninth Art Studios
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 20, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Runtime: 1h 23m

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