75
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattEntertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattAn excellently clear-eyed primer on the woman whose talent carried her from an impoverished childhood in Tryon, N.C., to the world’s most rarefied stages—and whose political defiance nearly ended her career.
- 90Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlGarbus's film is a portrait of a soul torn apart by forces beyond it and within it.
- 80VarietyScott FoundasVarietyScott FoundasGarbus embraces Simone in all her multitudes and contradictions — or at least as many of them as can be comfortably squeezed into a 100-minute running time.
- 75RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoRogerEbert.comBrian TallericoWhat Happened features some of the best concert footage and musical performances in recent music doc memory, even if it never quite answers the question in its title.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinThe Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinWhat Happened, Miss Simone does its job well, proving especially treasurable for its wealth of rare archive film footage and audio material that captures Simone’s fierce talent, fiery temperament and fragile mental health. But it is unlikely to be ranked up there with the best music-themed bio-docs.
- 70The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisAn often electric, bracingly urgent documentary.
- 60The GuardianJordan HoffmanThe GuardianJordan HoffmanClearly there is entertainment value in this documentary, but it’s very much of a “behind the music” calibre.
- 50Slant MagazineClayton DillardSlant MagazineClayton DillardIt utilizes Maya Angelou's claim as tantalizing bait rather than the starting point for a feature-length thesis statement.