Carol Channing: Larger Than Life (2012)

Critic Reviews

• Lou Lumenick, New York Post

  There's little sense of the Carol Channing beneath the overdone makeup - if there is one - except maybe to celebrate her fourth marriage to a high school classmate who died recently.

• Stephen Holden, New York Times

  Carol Channing is 91 going on 7. That is meant as a compliment.

• Leba Hertz, San Francisco Chronicle

  [Captures] the essence of Carol as one of those creatures of the theater that when you see her onstage, you know you've seen something special.

• Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

  Not merely affectionate but cheerfully indulgent.

• Rex Reed, New York Observer

  Let's hope Dolly finds her way back to center stage and never goes away again.

• Melissa Anderson, Village Voice

  Dori Berinstein's desultory, fawning profile of the nonagenarian performer devotes many of its padded 88 minutes to Channing's greatest success, playing the title yenta in Hello, Dolly! on Broadway in the 1960s.

• Phil Hall, Film Threat

  As show biz documentaries go, this one is a must-see.

• Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

  There's more than stage talk in Dori Berinstein's documentary: Hiding within it is a remarkable, moving love story.

• Diva Velez, TheDivaReview.com

  In her ninth decade, Carol Channing is the subject of a documentary about her incredible life and devotion to entertainment that is as delightful and effervescent as the bubbly star herself.

• Dan Kaufman, Paste Magazine

  Carol Channing: Larger than Life is like a warm cinematic hug from Shubert Alley, not to be missed by anyone with even the remotest passing interest in Channing or Broadway history.

• Pete Hammond, Back Stage

  This is a love letter to a born star and living legend that will make you laugh, cry, and be thankful that the great Channing is still here among us.

• Marshall Fine, Hollywood & Fine

  Here's hoping another generation will take a look at a life that's even more impressive for the fact that it continues to be a work in progress.

• Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York

  There's not much beyond all the fawning, but the effusively talented Channing more than deserves the gush.

• Ron Wilkinson, Monsters and Critics

  Smarten up and pay attention. The Queen of Broadway enters.

• David Noh, Film Journal International

  Enjoyable, endearing portrait of a true Broadway icon.

• Bill Weber, Slant Magazine

  A bubbly 90-year-old mascot from the golden days of the American musical, this doc's subject is certainly larger than the conventional testimonial treatment she's given.

• Alison Willmore, AV Club

  The soft touch makes perfect sense, though anyone not already lined up at the altar of old-school Broadway will find the film slower going.

• Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve

  'Larger Than Life' proves an apt subtitle.

Read all 18 critic reviews