Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert |
7 |
It's not an in-your-face Michael Moore-style doc, but an attempt to rationally respond to the damaging TV ads. |
Chicago Tribune
Michael Wilmington |
8 |
...an exceptional film... |
filmcritic.com
Matt Langdon |
8 |
Artfully editing 8mm and 16mm footage of Vietnam and various veteran and anti-war protests, along with TV news clips and interviews the documentary keeps viewers riveted and involved from start to finish. |
New York Post
Lou Lumenick |
7 |
Upriver presents such a winning portrait of Kerry's moral fiber that his supporters will kick themselves that Butler didn't finish it earlier. |
TV Guide
Ethan Alter |
7 |
...an unexpectedly poignant look at presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry's tour of duty in Vietnam and his subsequent pivotal role in the antiwar movement... |
Reel
Tim Knight |
8 |
As moving and engrossing as any feature film now playing, Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry is a must-see for documentary fans, regardless of partisan leanings. |
Slant Magazine
Ed Gonzalez |
6 |
Anyone familiar with Nixon's opinion of Kerry or anyone who has seen Kerry's speech before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee may find some if not all of Going Upriver redundant, but it doesn't make it any less effective as an argument for an idea that continues to elude our current president: that it's possible to be anti-war and still love one's country. |
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman |
10 |
...a potent and eye-opening documentary... |
New York Times
A. O. Scott |
6 |
...is a small, valuable contribution to the continuing project of sorting out and making sense of Vietnam, a war that, among other things, opened a fissure at the heart of American liberalism that has yet to heal. |
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan |
6 |
Although parts feel like a campaign film, this documentary is best when it looks at his Vietnam and antiwar activities. |
LA Weekly
Ernest Hardy |
8 |
The film won’t likely change any minds, but there’s a taut political essay beneath the blatant campaigning. |
Village Voice
J. Hoberman |
7 |
...may or may not change many hearts and minds--but it will stir memories in those who remember what senator Max Cleland calls "the beauty and terror" of Vietnam or the widespread revulsion against the war. |
Onion AV Club
Scott Tobias |
7 |
When it steers away from campaign-ad testimonials and considers Kerry's moral awakening in Vietnam and beyond, Going Upriver features some tremendously powerful scenes. |
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt |
9 |
...absorbing... |
This movie is available on DVD/Video