Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed

Last updated
Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed
Rock Hudson, All That Heaven Allowed.jpg
Directed by Stephen Kijak
Starring Rock Hudson
Edited byClaire Didier
Music by Laura Karpman
Release date
  • 2023 (2023)
Running time
104 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed is a 2023 documentary film about the life of actor Rock Hudson. [1] An original production of HBO Documentary Films, the film had its world premiere on June 11, 2023 as part of the 2023 Tribeca Festival. It debuted on HBO on June 28, 2023.

Contents

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 91% of 43 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10.The website's consensus reads: "If it presents an incomplete picture of the actor's life and legacy, Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed remains an absorbing and poignant glimpse of Hollywood history." [2] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [3]

The Hollywood Reporter called the film "An illuminating account of a beloved Hollywood icon’s dual life" [4] and the Los Angeles Times called it "a vital piece of Hollywood history." [5] Rex Reed of The Observer wrote, "This funny, sad, meticulously researched and painstakingly detailed documentary is unmistakably real and inescapably touching." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Linklater</span> American film director, producer and screenwriter (born 1960)

Richard Stuart Linklater is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for making films that deal thematically with suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies Slacker (1990) and Dazed and Confused (1993); the Before trilogy of romance films: Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), and Before Midnight (2013); the music-themed comedy School of Rock (2003); the adult animated films Waking Life (2001), A Scanner Darkly (2006), and Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood (2022); the coming-of-age drama Boyhood (2014); and the comedy film Everybody Wants Some!! (2016).

<i>Twist of Faith</i> 2004 film by Kirby Dick

Twist of Faith is a 2004 American documentary film about a man who confronts the Catholic Church about the abuse he suffered as a teenager, directed by Kirby Dick. The film was produced for the cable network HBO and screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.

<i>Public Speaking</i> (film) 2010 film directed by Martin Scorsese

Public Speaking is a 2010 documentary film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese, about the American author Fran Lebowitz.

<i>The Leisure Class</i> American TV series or program

The Leisure Class is a 2015 black comedy farce television film by HBO Films about a man who is trying to marry into a wealthy family and his unpredictable brother. The film was directed by Project Greenlight season four contest winner, Jason Mann, written by Project Greenlight season one winner Pete Jones and Mann, and produced by Effie T. Brown and Marc Jouburt. It is based on a 2012 short film produced and co-written by Mann that premiered at the 2013 Raindance Film Festival. Season 4 of Project Greenlight aired on HBO as a documentary series chronicling the selection of Mann and the production of the film. The film premiered in Los Angeles in August 2015 and aired on HBO on November 2, 2015 to universal negative reception with a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Bolshoi Babylon is a 2015 British documentary film directed by Nick Read. It is about the history of Russia's Bolshoi Theatre, including Pavel Dmitrichenko's 2013 acid attack on Sergei Filin. It premiered on 14 September at the Toronto International Film Festival.

<i>Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood</i> 2017 American film

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood is a 2017 American documentary film about the life of Scotty Bowers, who acted as an unpaid pimp in Hollywood from the 1940s to 80s. Based on Bowers's book Full Service, it was produced and directed by Matt Tyrnauer, a Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine. The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and was theatrically released on July 27, 2018.

<i>The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling</i> 2018 documentary by Judd Apatow

The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling is an American documentary film that premiered on HBO in two parts on March 26 and 27, 2018. Directed and produced by Judd Apatow, the film explores the life and legacy of comedian Garry Shandling.

<i>Everything Is Copy</i> 2015 American film

Everything Is Copy — Nora Ephron: Scripted & Unscripted is an American documentary film that premiered on March 21, 2016 on HBO. Directed and written by Jacob Bernstein and Nick Hooker, the film explores the life and legacy of legendary writer and film director Nora Ephron.

<i>The Newspaperman</i> 2017 American film

The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee is an American documentary film that premiered on December 4, 2017 on HBO. Directed by John Maggio, the film explores the life and legacy of journalist Ben Bradlee.

<i>At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal</i> 2019 American film

At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Erin Lee Carr. The film is produced by David Ulich, and Steven Ungerleider. The film is based on the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal.

How To with John Wilson is an American television comedy docuseries created by filmmaker John Wilson. The series, executive produced by Nathan Fielder, Michael Koman and Clark Reinking, was ordered by HBO. It premiered on October 23, 2020.

<i>Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am</i> 2019 documentary film

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am is a 2019 documentary film, directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, and produced by Johanna Giebelhaus, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Chad Thompson, and Tommy Walker. The film follows American novelist Toni Morrison who examines her life, her works and the powerful themes throughout her literary career. The film also features Oprah Winfrey, Russell Banks, Angela Davis, and Barack Obama.

<i>Welcome to Chechnya</i> 2020 documentary about the anti-LGBT purges in Chechnya

Welcome to Chechnya is a 2020 documentary film by American reporter, author and documentarian David France. The film centers on the anti-gay purges in Chechnya of the late 2010s, filming LGBT Chechen refugees using hidden cameras as they made their way out of Russia through a network of safehouses aided by activists.

<i>Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street</i> 2019 American documentary film

Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen. It examines the legacy of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, the second installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series, and the life of the film's lead actor, Mark Patton. In particular, Freddy's Revenge has garnered a reputation for its homoerotic themes and subject material, which affected Patton, who was closeted at the time of the film's production.

<i>Assassins</i> (2020 film) 2020 American film

Assassins is a 2020 American documentary film, directed and produced by Ryan White. It talks about the assassination of Kim Jong-nam and the two assassins who were tricked.

Exterminate All the Brutes is an internationally co-produced documentary television miniseries revolving around colonization and genocide, directed and narrated by Raoul Peck. The series consists of four episodes and premiered in the United States on April 7, 2021, on HBO. It premiered in the United Kingdom on May 1, 2021, on Sky Documentaries. The series takes its name from Sven Lindqvist's book with the same name, on which it is partially based, a phrase which Lindqvist in turn borrowed from Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness, in which the quote "Exterminate all the brutes" appears.

<i>Navalny</i> (film) 2022 American film

Navalny is a 2022 American documentary film directed by Daniel Roher. The film revolves around Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and events related to his poisoning. It was produced by HBO Max and CNN Films. The film premiered on January 25, 2022 at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received critical and audience acclaim and won the Audience Award in the US Documentary competition and the Festival Favorite Award. It also won the Best Documentary Feature at the 95th Academy Awards, won the award for Best Political Documentary at the 7th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards and picked up best documentary at the 76th BAFTA awards ceremony.

Ennio: The Maestro, also known as The Glance of Music, is a 2021 documentary film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, celebrating the life and legacy of the Italian composer Ennio Morricone, who died on 6 July 2020. The film consists of interviews with directors, screenwriters, musicians, songwriters, critics and collaborators who have worked with him or who have enjoyed him throughout his long career.

<i>"Sr."</i> 2022 American film

"Sr." is a 2022 American documentary film that examines the careers and relationship between Robert Downey Jr. and his father, Robert Downey Sr. The film, directed by Chris Smith, was released theatrically on November 18, 2022, and was released on Netflix on December 2.

<i>Love to Love You, Donna Summer</i> 2023 documentary film by Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano

Love to Love You, Donna Summer is a 2023 American documentary film directed by Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano. It follows the life and career of Donna Summer.

References

  1. Pener, Degen (June 17, 2023). "Rock Hudson and George Michael Spotlights Lead a Wave of LGBTQ-Themed Documentaries This Summer". The Hollywood Reporter .
  2. "Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  3. "Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed". Metacritic . Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  4. Rooney, David (2023-06-15). "'Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed' Review: An Illuminating Account of a Beloved Hollywood Icon's Dual Life". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  5. "Review: The imaginative 'Nimona' and the joys of 'Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed'". Los Angeles Times. 2023-06-30. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  6. "'Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed' Review: A Double Life Compellingly Explored". Observer. 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-07-11.