72
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88RogerEbert.comRogerEbert.comThe greatest tribute to this tribute to Ashby is that this movie will add “Shampoo,” “Coming Home,” “Harold and Maude,” “The Last Detail,” “Being There,” and his other films to at lot of watch lists and Netflix queues.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyEntertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyHal gives us a lot to take in, whether you’re an aficionado or new to Ashby’s work. Scott has done movie fans a real service. She’s finally given an under-sung filmmaking giant his well-deserved close-up at long last.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyDigging deep into the archives for rare and revealing material to accompany interviews with many of his collaborators and intimates, filmmaker Amy Scott packs a lot into 90 minutes with this insightful and warm look at an artist whose best work always revealed a heightened social conscience.
- 75TheWrapRobert AbeleTheWrapRobert AbeleHal entertainingly reminds us, his influence as a righteous, challenging, humanist chronicler of mortal foibles — and as a filmmaker on a quest for a greater understanding of our world — remains a force among today’s more conscientious directors.
- 70The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisIt’s a consistently engaging trip. Ms. Scott has assembled a nice, fairly well-rounded group to testify on her subject’s behalf, including people who were part of Ashby’s foundational years in Hollywood — most important, the director Norman Jewison.
- 70Film ThreatBrian ThompsonFilm ThreatBrian ThompsonHal is a loving tribute to a filmmaker who rarely gets the attention he deserves.
- 70VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanHal has a once-over-lightly quality, but at times it offers a telling window into how the New Hollywood worked.
- 63Slant MagazineSlant MagazineJust before the documentary slips into hero worship, Amy Scott pries beneath the calm surface of her bearded and bespectacled subject to reveal the silent rage that fueled his work.
- 50The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThough clearly aimed at fans, it presents only a chummy overview of his life and career, too superficial to work as a biography, an in-depth appreciation, or even a primer.