TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Neddy Merrill As a creature Bill Cunningham exists not just in New York but could only exist in New York. Only The Big Apple would provide an environment supportive of an someone obsessed with photographing what people are wearing. Certainly, the Los Angeles area provides a sustaining environment for huge populations of paparazzi but they survive by taking photos of celebrities and only by extension the clothes they are in (or more accurately the clothes they are mostly out of). Cunningham's visceral need to bike around NYC's streets and snap photos of what folks on the street are wearing in addition to his paparazzi duties wouldn't pay in other towns. And it is his obsessiveness that gives this documentary of his life its fire. Watching him interact with other people in the film is interesting because they seem to be talking with a cartoon character come to life. If Bill is the Road Runner (or Wile E Coyote, your choice) then New York is the cartoon canyons they compete in. Bill actually lives at Carnegie Hall (answering the age old question on how you get there - you move in when it was still residential and rent controlled and fight their efforts to evict you.) Like a cartoon canyon, Bill's New York is simplified down to a pantomime background. Bill's work limits itself to just the glamorous, well-tailored residents and beautiful spaces of the city making the streets seem like one massive catwalk. But in the same sense that Bill does not see the need to define himself further than photographer, his documentary does not need to define the city greater than a stage. The only major shortcoming of the movie is the question of whether it carries substantive enough material to have warranted a theatrical release. This could have easily been a two-part PBS special and it would not have seemed to have pushed the boundaries of televised entertainment. In short, if you enjoy New York or fashion r biography, this light documentary is for you.

Michael_Elliott Bill Cunningham New York (2010) *** (out of 4) Nice documentary cover photographer Bill Cunningham who rides around New York City on his bicycle taking pictures of everyone from your average person on the street to some higher known people. We follow Bill as he rides around the city, working on the streets and in his office and we also learn about his personal life including him living at Carnegie Hall. I'll admit that I really wasn't familiar with Cunningham in any way so I went into this documentary rather blind. I found the movie to be fascinating mainly because Cunningham is such an interesting figure. I will admit that fans of photography will probably enjoy this a lot more than I did because that subject is just something that has never really interested me. However, as a character study I found myself entertained throughout the majority of the running time. I enjoyed watching how Cunningham would just ride around town snapping shots of what he found interesting. I thought it was rather fun seeing how he would show his work and what he would or wouldn't want to do with it. It was interesting hearing his thoughts about a magazine who went against his wishes and showed "normal" people as being something less than the more famous ones he photographed. Overall, fans of Cunningham should really love this look at the man, his work and his thoughts. Others should still be entertained even if they're not familiar with the man or care about the work he does.

Caleb Chadwick This feature about one of the worlds leading photographers is something not to be missed. It paints the portrait of a man who see's the world from a different view than most. It shows the beauty in the mind of one who's view on fashion is something that comes from a deeper place. We get to see snip-it's of Bill Cunningham's deepest emotions and also the vision of a true visionary. These moments captured are charming, slightly funny, and relevant. Of all the documentaries scoping the life of one person I've seen, they really don't get much better than this. This film, which does have much critical acclaim now, is one that is deserving of it's praise, and at the same time is not in any way pretentious. It is not only one of the most heartfelt films of the year, but also one of the very best.

ihrtfilms I had very little idea of who Bill Cunningham was other that he is a photographer, works for the New York Times and that's about it. This documentary is a stunning insight into a man who is really an unknown. At 80 years old Cunningham stills works for the Times, he cycles around the streets of NYC taking photos of everything and anything, but his real passion is fashion. The images that get into the Times are of everyday people in NYC, who for what ever reasons, perhaps a unusual coat, or pair of shoes, stand out from the rest. As he himself says, he's not interested in celebrities, the everyday is more beautiful.His passion for what he does is immense and consuming, he admits he had no time to do very little else, but has no interest in the glamour side of fashion and lives incredibly humbly, prefers cheap sandwiches to fancy dinners or repairing a cheap rain mac with tape to save buying a new one 'that will eventually tear anyway'. He is a wonderful character with a seemingly endless joy for his work and the world around him. A career spanning decades has lead to him meeting an array of people and photography thousands more, his work fills endless filing cabinets in his tiny studio apartment above Carnegie Hall (which sadly came to an end, after the Carnegie artist director kicked out the last remaining tenants) much of which will never be published. His passion for his work shows clearly when he is awarded a medal by the French government. Not only his acceptance speech wonderful and moving, before hand he is busy working, snapping guests, which as one woman describes, 'You are working at your own party?!' The film follows Cunningham as he goes on his daily journeys, as well as a trip to Paris for fashion week and we also get to see him putting his column together, remarkably he still uses old film cameras and choices to get them developed at a small shop. He has absolute perfection for his column, ensuring the photos are in the right order. We also see a handful of Cunningham's subjects from over the years, an array of wonderful if not eccentric New Yorkers, all individual and delightful in their own way. The excitement they have for appearing in Cunningham's column is great to see and shows what a wonderful job he does. As he is never rude or horrid about what he sees, it's almost a stamp of approval, Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue, even says that Cunningham foresees fashion well before desingers do and suddenly next season, an idea is everywhere.Cunningham remains an unknown in the sense that the film reveals very little about him. Nor does it seem that those who have known him for years, know much about him. When near the end of the film he is asked if he has ever had a relationship, he laughs and says no, he never has had time. He opens up briefly about family and desire. It is a fascinating moment, one that becomes ultimately sad as Cunningham breaks down momentarily, for what reason we can only guess.This film is a fantastic insight into one person and their passion, one that is simply told but is uplifting and often funny and if anything inspiring. It shows that some people lead the most simplistic life and yet achieve so much happiness and that is a glorious thing.More reviews at my site iheartfilms.weebly.com