64
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierMurphy also reveals one more gem when she interviews the New York couple who gave their friend Nell Harper Lee a financial gift in the '50s that allowed her to quit her job and finish the book, an act of generosity that is also one more kindness surrounding this most humane of artworks.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranThough it's more than a little awestruck and feels padded even at 82 minutes, the story it tells remains completely fascinating
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickLee hasn't given an interview in 45 years, and even her 99-year-old sister (still practicing as a lawyer) only hazards a guess in Mary Murphy's old-school documentary: Her younger sister had nothing to prove, and nowhere to go but down after her astonishing debut novel.
- 70The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThe New York TimesNeil GenzlingerEventually, though, Hey, Boo settles into a pleasant rhythm. It gives the fascinating history of how the book came to be.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckOccasionally borders on hagiography, but it nonetheless provides wonderful insights into the book's social and literary importance as well as its author's personality.
- 58The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonThe A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonThe filmmaking is prosaic, the pacing sleepy. It's a solid but unremarkable experience, perfect for insomniacs watching the History Channel late at night, but not nearly as satisfying as simply re-reading Lee's book.
- 40Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearFamous fans (Rosanne Cash! Oprah!!!) attest to the book and film's greatness, but at best, this is a half-hour A&E Biography episode padded out to feature-length with forgetful trivia, frustratingly facile history lessons and far too much fawning.
- 40Village VoiceVillage VoiceThe overall effect is flattering but shallow, making Murphy's movie the last thing Mockingbird needs-another toothless encomium. No wonder Lee dodges the limelight.
- 40VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibAn unremarkable documentary about Harper Lee and her single literary masterwork, Hey, Boo features what the French call a "structuring absence," that of Lee herself.