52
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleThe designer’s own recollections paint the most vivid pictures throughout the film, as do his sketches and the extraordinary parade of shoes that go by like models pivoting on the runway.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshLos Angeles TimesKatie WalshAt times it is a bit unfocused, following a loosely chronological but otherwise haphazard structure. Yet it’s still a treat to spend time in the company of a true artist, never before illuminated with such clarity.
- 65TheWrapDave WhiteTheWrapDave WhiteIf the film had simply been the man talking about his cultural influences, that would have been enough, a survey in beauty from a man who knows how to translate that ineffable idea into a shoe that sprouts feathers.
- 60The New York TimesJon CaramanicaThe New York TimesJon CaramanicaIn a scene puzzlingly late in the film, Mr. Blahnik, who apparently still makes samples by hand, walks through his factory and finesses a sensuous heel out of a stump of wood. More of that would have made this confection about a radiant man into something sturdier.
- 60Village VoiceAbbey BenderVillage VoiceAbbey BenderManolo might be a hard sell to moviegoers who aren’t already interested, but for fashion enthusiasts, it’s an enjoyable confection.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenAn affectionate and sometimes vibrantly imaginative biographical sketch, Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards could have used more shoes and fewer people.
- Talking-head interviews interspersed with reenactments reminiscent of cheap true-crime shows are the filmic equivalent of a polo shirt and khakis: blandly acceptable but uninspired.
- 38RogerEbert.comMatt FagerholmRogerEbert.comMatt FagerholmPerhaps die-hard fashionistas would find this reasonably diverting, but to everyone else, it is guaranteed to grow tiresome very quickly.
- 25Slant MagazineDiego SemereneSlant MagazineDiego SemereneMichael Roberts's documentary is an unabashed exercise in deifying its subject matter with superlatives and hyperbole from the mouths of talking heads, which ultimately results in the cheapening of the artist.