69
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasOperation Filmmaker takes a thrilling left turn from its original conceit, and Davenport does a nice job rolling with the punches.
- 83Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerThe film's parallels between Mohmed's travails and the Iraq war are forced, but overall this is a fascinating odyssey that never plays out in ways you would expect.
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickOperation Filmmaker is eventually about Muthana blackmailing Davenport by withholding access to him as she fruitlessly seeks a happy ending for her film. "Now, I'm just looking for an exit strategy," she finally concludes.
- 75TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghFor all her own frustrations, Davenport is honest enough not to gloss over the fact that what Muthana's adventures in the screen trade taught him was to hustle, toady and ingratiate himself to useful people. And she helped.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversThis gut punch of a documentary will knock you for a loop. File it under "no good deed goes unpunished."
- 70New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinOperation Filmmaker doesn't quite shake out as a microcosm of the American-Iraq relationship, although Davenport cheekily toys with the conceit. But the movie is endlessly resonant.
- 60VarietyEddie CockrellVarietyEddie CockrellPicture raises pithy questions sure to provoke animated discussions pro and con. Credit Davenport for a mostly unbiased presentation that presents her own disenchantment in a balanced manner.
- 60The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisAlthough Ms. Davenport pushes the analogy between this modest rescue operation with America’s invasion of Iraq a bit too forcefully, she nonetheless makes her point with persuasive, touching candor.
- 60Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanA fable for our reality-TV reality, Nina Davenport's Operation Filmmaker is as much virus as video documentary. This essentially comic tale maps a contagion of mutual exploitation that seems to have burnished the careers of everyone involved.
- 60New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanDavenport herself seems stunned by how complicated the story turns out to be, which just makes her movie all the more worthwhile.