69
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80VarietyAmy NicholsonVarietyAmy NicholsonThe doc is a fascinating insight into how individual choices can shape the news.
- 80Film ThreatRob RectorFilm ThreatRob RectorTo both the filmmaker and subject’s credit, neither feel that the transition to Zoey should excuse past behavior, and the director lets her sit with her thoughts. She processes her actions in front of the camera as she surveys the wreckage of her life. This is what makes Whirlybird such a wholly unique story, ultimately resonating as a portrait of a deeply flawed person.
- 70The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergDrawing on an amazing video stockpile from the 1980s and ’90s, Whirlybird is an editing feat.
- 70Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinQuibbles aside, Whirlybird proves a memorably evocative time capsule of 1980s and ’90s Los Angeles and the people who made — and captured — the news, as well as a stirring portrait of regret.
- 63Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenAt its best, Matt Yoka’s documentary vividly captures how personal demons shape creative output.
- 63RogerEbert.comNell MinowRogerEbert.comNell MinowWe cannot help wishing, as we do so often in watching what passes for news these days, that this story was told with more insight, context, and, well, focus.