TV Insider - Rotten Tomatoes

TV Insider

TV Insider is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Linda Maleh, Matt Roush, Roger Catlin
Rating
Title/Year
Author
1
Help (2021)

Matt Roush

A harrowing drama reliving the pandemic's first wave as seen from within an ill-equipped and understaffed British nursing home.
Posted Jan 28, 2022
2
Ray Donovan: The Movie (2022)

Matt Roush

To the end, Ray Donovan is about the damage done by sins of the father, with redemption coming at a terrible cost.
Posted Jan 10, 2022
3
Revolution Rent (2019)

Matt Roush

Señor keeps a tight focus on his inexperienced ensemble, coaching them to overcome personal and cultural insecurities so they can fully embrace Rent's message of love and tolerance.
Posted Jun 14, 2021
4
Hysterical (2021)

Matt Roush

Hear them roar. And hear us roar in return - with laughter.
Posted Apr 1, 2021
5
Tina (2021)

Matt Roush

Then and now, the real Tina Turner is simply the best.
Posted Mar 26, 2021
6
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020)

Matt Roush

How deep is your love for the Bee Gees? It's bound to grow after watching Frank Marshall's illuminating movie biography, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.
Posted Dec 14, 2020
7
Belushi (2020)

Matt Roush

Who knew that the volcanic force of raw comic energy we knew as John Belushi could compose love letters that touch the heart?
Posted Nov 23, 2020
8
Coastal Elites (2020)

Matt Roush

With a stellar cast of four current Emmy nominees and a past winner, in performances shot in quarantine, these hysterical if uneven showcases have the impact of soul-baring catharsis.
Posted Sep 9, 2020
9
Host (2020)

Matt Roush

Host builds suspense in the style of the Paranormal Activity films, strictly limiting point-of-view through laptop screens as the danger signs escalate.
Posted Aug 4, 2020
10
Psych 2: Lassie Come Home (2019)

Matt Roush

Fans of Psych will get exactly what they're looking for in this loony and frantically gag-heavy caper.
Posted Jul 14, 2020
11
The Windermere Children (2020)

Matt Roush

Few children suffered more grievously than the young survivors of the Holocaust, and their reintroduction to a society of caring strangers is the subject of PBS' The Windermere Children, an overwhelmingly moving 90-minute movie based on a true story.
Posted Apr 6, 2020
12
Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (2020)

Matt Roush

Her fans would expect nothing less, and this madcap escapade of cheerfully preposterous and absurdly colorful escapism will not disappoint.
Posted Mar 24, 2020
13
Deadwood: The Movie (2019)

Matt Roush

[David] Milch's gift for raw frontier poetry, with Shakespearean soliloquies filtered through X-rated doggerel, is as entertaining as ever in a violent yet appropriately elegiac (and oh-so-satisfying) two-hour farewell.
Posted Dec 10, 2019
14
The Little Mermaid Live! (2019)

Matt Roush

I hate to be a crab about it, but ABC's hybrid 30th-anniversary presentation of The Little Mermaid-part movie, part gussied-up concert-felt more sink than swim.
Posted Nov 6, 2019
15
Patsy & Loretta (2019)

Matt Roush

A brisk, sweet, touching and, naturally, tuneful tribute to female friendship is directed by Callie Khouri.
Posted Oct 23, 2019
16
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

Matt Roush

It also feels slight by comparison with the original, feeling more like a longer-than-usual episode than a true or necessary event. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Just don't expect more.
Posted Oct 11, 2019
17
Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted (2015)

Matt Roush

With great deadpan timing, a coolly nonchalant attitude and a gift for making silly jokes feel smart, Notaro keeps her Boston audience enthralled. And ultimately moved.
Posted Aug 1, 2019
18
Knock Knock, It's Tig Notaro (2015)

Matt Roush

An ironist like Notaro may shrink at having her act called life-affirming, but the journey shown in Knock Knock truly is.
Posted Aug 1, 2019
19
Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

Matt Roush

Won't You Be My Neighbor? humanizes this icon, so prone to parody, as he despairs of the wasted potential of TV to "make goodness attractive" - which he achieved with low-key dedication.
Posted Feb 7, 2019
20
The Story of Us (2019)

Christina Gables

If you love all things love, curl up on the couch with your special someone and enjoy Hallmark's Countdown to Valentine's Day.
Posted Feb 6, 2019
21
Rent Live (2019)

Matt Roush

The climactic introduction of Rent's original Broadway cast for a jubilant reprise of Seasons of Love added to the what-might-have-been vibe.
Posted Jan 28, 2019
22
United We Fan (2018)

Matt Roush

A fun, if bittersweet, look at the perks and perils of fan activism.
Posted Dec 5, 2018
23
My Dinner with Hervé (2018)

Matt Roush

This is based on writer/director Sacha Gervasi's own encounter with the actor shortly before his death in 1993, and his affection for the mercurial little diva poignantly shines through.
Posted Oct 22, 2018
24
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)

Matt Roush

The emotions are real, even when the events are a bit sanitized. And when's the last time you saw a movie so besotted with the written word?
Posted Aug 8, 2018
25
Freaky Friday (2018)

Matt Roush

Disney Channel's peppy musical version of Disney favorite Freaky Friday may not erase memories of the popular 1976 and 2003 movies, but the clever score by Pulitzer Prize winners Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal) brings a fresh, fun energy.
Posted Aug 8, 2018
26
The Tale (2018)

Matt Roush

Dern's performance grows more anguished as she relives this sordid history and confronts the aged Bill (the late John Heard) in an explosive climax that's as cathartic for her as for the viewer.
Posted May 29, 2018
27

Matt Roush

Warm and intimate, with an unforced realism that keeps schmaltz to a minimum, the adaptation by Heidi Thomas echoes Jo's epiphany that rescues her from writer's block: "Our house is full of stories, lives unfolding, wings waiting to take flight."
Posted May 10, 2018
28
Tiny Shoulders, Rethinking Barbie (2018)

Matt Roush

The iconic Barbie doll has been revered and reviled for much of its nearly 60-year history, which is the fascinating subject of Andrea Nevins' marvelously spellbinding documentary.
Posted Apr 30, 2018
29
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (2018)

Matt Roush

Superstar is the most alive of any of these live events to date-because it felt like an authentic performance, with a rapturous audience roaring their appreciation during and after each spectacular number.
Posted Apr 2, 2018
30
A Christmas Story Live! (2017)

Matt Roush

The modest charms of this adaptation shone through only occasionally when bloated to three hours, making even this unapologetic show-tune enthusiast squirm at times, feeling like the kid brother who couldn't face yet another plate of meatloaf.
Posted Dec 18, 2017
31
Spielberg (2017)

Matt Roush

At nearly two-and-a-half hours, Spielberg is as epic in scope and lively in detail as the classic films he devoured and studied while dreaming of helming his own masterpieces.
Posted Oct 8, 2017
32
The Wizard of Lies (2017)

Matt Roush

This stark account of a family's downfall has the wrenching power of an Arthur Miller classic.
Posted May 19, 2017
33
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)

Matt Roush

Even if it sends you to the book to learn more, The Immortal Life will have done its job.
Posted Apr 26, 2017
34
Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds (2017)

Matt Roush

These scrappy survivors are great company, for each other and for their admirers who will treasure this glimpse into their private and professional lives.
Posted Jan 9, 2017
35
Hairspray Live! (2016)

Matt Roush

Hairspray Live! was a snappy, happy, candy-colored and newly relevant delight.
Posted Dec 8, 2016
36
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (2016)

Matt Roush

The remake quickly begins to lose steam in a static frenzy of clumsy direction and confused editing. By the end, it's all a hot-though perhaps not hot enough-mess.
Posted Oct 20, 2016
37
O.J.: Made in America (2016)

Matt Roush

What Made in America exposes so memorably is the black community's need for any symbol, however imperfect, to score a win, however clouded, against a rigged system.
Posted Jun 10, 2016
38
All the Way (2016)

Matt Roush

For HBO's stirring docudrama All the Way, Cranston goes beyond a spot-on impersonation, aided by astonishing makeup effects, to channel President Lyndon B. Johnson's outsize personality and authority.
Posted May 23, 2016
39

Matt Roush

Master documentarian Ken Burns is back on very familiar ground in his glowing two-part biographical portrait of legendary athlete-turned-activist Jackie Robinson.
Posted Apr 11, 2016
40
Grease: Live! (2016)

Matt Roush

The Hollywood rain didn't dampen the spirits of Fox's rambunctious, slickly produced Grease Live!, a happily and knowingly cheesy explosion of lovably cornball bubblegum pop.
Posted Feb 1, 2016
41
The Wiz Live! (2015)

Matt Roush

A delight from the start, growing in confidence and showmanship... The Wiz is likely to endure as one of the most purely enjoyable flights of musical fancy ever produced for TV.
Posted Dec 4, 2015
42
Ferrell Takes The Field (2015)

Matt Roush

Ferrell Takes the Field, a Funny Or Die collaboration with MLB, turns out to be more than a stunt-though it's a quite impressive one.
Posted Sep 10, 2015
43
Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015)

Matt Roush

The only truly terrifying aspect of this creature feature is its relentless product placement, hawking a certain studio's theme park while showcasing the stars of Today.
Posted Jul 20, 2015