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Page One: Inside the New York Times Review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 4.0
    68

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Generally favorable reviews
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 30

    out of 100

    The New York Times

    The movie's main theme, no surprise, is the struggle of The Times to survive in the age of the Internet. But it does little to illuminate that struggle, preferring instead a constant parade of people telling the camera how dreadful it would be if The Times did not survive. True, of course, but boring to the point of irritation after five or six repetitions.

    Read Full Review

  • 70

    out of 100

    Village Voice J. Hoberman

    Opens with a montage of the press in full operational mode, spewing out newspapers all but automatically for a fleet of waiting delivery trucks. It's a system at once efficient and cumbersome, ultra-modern yet quaint, that suggests nothing so much as a herd of dinosaurs, oblivious to the threat of impending extinction.

    Read Full Review

  • 70

    out of 100

    Variety Justin Chang

    This efficiently assembled primer hardly counts as a revelatory dispatch from the old-vs.-new-media frontlines, but its ideas will engross anyone for whom the viability of traditional newsgathering remains a matter of pressing significance.

    Read Full Review

  • 70

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

    Though it's blessed with a strong subject and some memorable characters and situations, the drawback of this fitfully engaging documentary is that it can't settle on anything even close to a single theme or line of inquiry.

    Read Full Review

  • 75

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    I enjoyed the film very much. It was a visceral pleasure to see a hard-boiled guy like David Carr at its center.

    Read Full Review

  • 83

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

    It's not quite the same thrill as glimpsing the man behind the curtain of the great and powerful Oz, but for journalism junkies, the fascination of Page One: Inside The New York Times is something like that.

    Read Full Review

  • See all Page One: Inside the New York Times reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

OK for kids 15+

Dynamic, absorbing documentary has some strong language.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this documentary about the last few turbulent years in the history of the New York Times is rated R primarily for its strong but infrequent language, which includes several uses of "f--k," as well as "s--t" and "p---y." There's some sexual innuendo in the context of a newspaper story, and viewers see some vaguely disturbing YouTube video footage. One reporter is also a recovering drug addict; he talks openly about his past problem. While its content may not be age-appropriate for younger viewers, this dynamic documentary has the power to inspire teens and up to get involved in the exciting business of journalism.

  • Families can talk about the movie's central argument. How important is the New York Times? Would Internet news sites be able to operate as well without the content coming from the big city paper?
  • What is the future of journalism? How has the changing media landscape affected both the business and the art of reporting? Do you think print papers can survive in the long term?
  • Considering some of the Times' embarrassments in recent years (Judith Miller, Jayson Blair), is the paper still trustworthy? How important is reputation in the world of news and journalism?
  • Are the violent imagery, strong language, and sexual innuendo in the movie necessary? Are they needed in the context of writing newspaper stories?

The good stuff
  • message true1

    Messages: Several big thinkers try to wrestle with the question of what will happen to the newspaper business in general and the New York Times in particular; it's an unanswerable question, but the reporters at the Times work hard to overcome the depressing odds and solve these problems.

  • rolemodels true2

    Role models: The movie focuses mostly on three reporters and one editor, all of whom try to work hard, hang onto their integrity, and keep a positive outlook for the future. One of them, David Carr, uses foul language and sometimes seems abrasive, but he's also the most outspoken cheerleader for the paper.

What to watch for
  • violence false1

    Violence: A couple of YouTube clips depict violence in the Middle East, specifically shootings, as well as some other vaguely disturbing imagery. The footage is brief and blurry, and without spoken descriptions, viewers likely wouldn't be able to tell what was being shown.

  • sex false1

    Sex: Some sexual innuendo, in the context of a reporter working on a story.

  • language false4

    Language: Language isn't constant, but one scene in particular contains many uses of "f--k." That word also appears a few more times throughout the rest of the movie; others include "hell," "goddamn," "s--t," and "p--y."

  • consumerism false0

    Consumerism: Not an issue

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: One character is a recovering drug addict. He talks openly about his problem, which is in the past.

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.

© Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Fan Reviews provided by

Average Rating: 3.571
Read all reviews Write a review at Fandango
4


1

Page One ? Good Riddance to the New York Slimes Daily. by Alon Patterson
This documentary is but a self-important diatribe on the decline of newspaper journalism, specifically an acrimonious assault by the New York Times on everything and everyone but those responsible for the decline of their greatly bemoaned power brokerage, formerly known as the bastion of American print journalism. Pathetic, whining and altogether in keeping with the actual practices that did them in, this documentary is almost a caricature of this now failed business model. If there?s a message to be conveyed by the film maker in this piece, I totally missed it. How this thing got a distributor in today?s film market is an absolute mystery to me but if you really want to throw your money away on something this bad, toss it into the street. At least some poor deserving person might find it rather than rewarding the people who made this garbage which, in my humble opinion, is the kind of film tripe that gives commercial theatrical exhibitors a black eye from their paying customers.

5

by pwhitenyc

4

PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES by Thomas_Drysdale
We really enjoyed the film, especially David Carr and his authenticity. We are convinced subscribers who hope the Times and relative integrity are with us for a long time to come.

3

by abeman

5

A "Must-See" for any journalism nerd! by VegasGiblet
This film will force you to think differently about the mentality that newspapers will one day be obsolete. With technology changing, media adapts. It is how the medium survives. Also, the film provides some smart and fun laughs - especially for David Carr fans.

Read all Page One: Inside the New York Times reviews at Fandango
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