What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael is a 2018 American biographical documentary film about the life and work of the controversial New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael. The film was directed, produced and edited by Rob Garver, and features Sarah Jessica Parker as the voice of Pauline, and over 30 participants, including Quentin Tarantino, David O. Russell, Paul Schrader, and Kael's only child, Gina James. Oscar-winning producer Glen Zipper (Undefeated) also served as a producer for the film.[1]
What She Said premiered at the 2018 Telluride Film Festival, and also had its international premiere at the 2019 Berlinale Film Festival. The film was released by Juno Films[2] in the United States on December 13, 2019, where it received positive reviews from critics.
Background and production
Director Garver said he had read Pauline Kael's work as a young person in the 1980s, and was inspired by her spirit, humor and insight. In 2014, he began to research her life and writing.[3] Garver said his conception of the film was to try to tell the story of her life and work through her own words. The narrative uses excerpts from her published writing, pieces from her letters and interviews to tell Pauline's story.[3]
What She Said premiered at the 2018 Telluride Film Festival,[7] and also had its international premiere at the 2019 Berlinale Film Festival.[8] In December 2019, the film opened in New York[9] at the Film Forum and in Los Angeles,[10] and went on to play in approximately 50 theaters in North America. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie continued to play virtually through July, 2020. What She Said also aired on the Sky Arts[11] network in the United Kingdom in July, as well as airing in Denmark, Spain,[12][13] Poland, New Zealand[14] and Israel in 2020.
The DVD of the film was released on June 16, 2020, with extra material, including two deleted scenes and an audio interview Kael conducted with Alfred Hitchcock in 1974.[15]
Reception
On the website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88%, based on 68 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's consensus reads, "What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael clearly outlines the gifts that made its subject special while offering an engaging overview of her remarkable life and career."[16] On the website Metacritic, the film has a score of 68 out of 100, based on 16 critics.[17]
Owen Gleiberman in Variety wrote, "Rob Garver's beautifully crafted documentary channels the timeless headiness of Pauline Kael, arguably the greatest film critic who ever lived ... With Sarah Jessica Parker reading Pauline’s words on the soundtrack, “What She Said” plays like a twirling kaleidoscope of Kael's criticism and film history that's fully in touch with the devil-may-care imperiousness of her personality."[18]
