A look at the life of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe from his rise to fame in the 1970s to his untimely death in 1989.... (Full plot summary below)
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A look at the life of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe from his rise to fame in the 1970s to his untimely death in 1989.
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| ArtsATLSteve MurrayIt takes some effort to turn the story of New York City's notorious bad boy of photography into something of a yawn, but this biopic pretty much manages. |
| indieWireDavid EhrlichThis runaway train of a biopic renders an iconoclast in the most generic of terms, straining Mapplethorpe’s brief life into a series of bullet-points that feed into each other with all the drama of a Wikipedia page, and a fraction of the context. |
| San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleThe best we can hope to get from a movie of this kind is an interesting story, a hint of the artist’s work, some factual accuracy and surfaces that make sense. We get that from Mapplethorpe. And while Smith can’t show us Mapplethorpe’s depths, he can suggest them, enough so that, if anyone wants to know more, they can consult the ultimate source — Mapplethorpe’s own work. |
| RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzThe thing that makes the film stand out is the way it shows artists relating to each other and to their work. It's rare to see a movie about creative people that accurately captures the way they'll size each other up on first meeting and then, once they've determined that the other person is serious, proceed immediately to the sharing of influences and the granular discussion of theory and technique. [2021 Director's Cut] |
| Suddenly A Shot Rang OutLauren Humphries-BrooksMapplethorpe is as much a contradiction as the man himself, a film that wants to investigate both art and artist, and yet can't quite come to terms with either. |
| San Francisco Bay TimesGary M. KramerMapplethorpe continues to hit the expected beats of the photographer's life, having about as much depth as a Wikipedia entry. |
| Film InquiryLee JuttonThere is a spark missing from Mapplethorpe that one is better off seeking out in one of his photographs. |
| Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinDirector Ondi Timoner, who co-wrote with Mikko Alanne (based on a screenplay by Bruce Goodrich), has crafted a stylish, evocative, absorbing snapshot of creative expression, artistic ambition, sexuality and eroticism. |
| Film ThreatLorry KiktaOverall, I would recommend seeing this film if you are a fan of Mapplethorpe’s work, the New York art world, or of Matt Smith. He gives a bravura performance which outshines everything and everyone on screen. |
| Screen DailyDavid D'ArcyThe 12-year project – commissioned by the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation – is evidence that Timoner, who made documentaries before, can craft a nuanced dramatic feature. |
