40
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertAmerica the Beautiful carries a persuasive message, and is all the more effective because of the level tone that Roberts adopts.
- 75TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghA sprawling, messy, frustrating and impassioned examination of the psychological fallout from America's obsession with a highly artificial and all-but unattainable standard of beauty.
- 70Chicago ReaderReece PendletonChicago ReaderReece PendletonUnexpectedly witty and affecting exposé of the American beauty industry.
- 67Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill WhiteSeattle Post-IntelligencerBill WhiteA wide-ranging, disturbing look at our obsession with our looks.
- 60New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanOften insightful and more than a little depressing, this is a story that only gets uglier as it goes on.
- 50VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibWide-ranging educational documentary attaches itself to the rise and fall of a 12-year-old fashion model, and indeed, its sincere, cautionary tone seems best suited to younger auds and small screen exposure.
- 50New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoGerren's story is fascinating, but Roberts dilutes it by going off on tangents about unsafe cosmetics and phony plastic surgeons. Both topics need exploring - just not here. There's more than enough drama in Gerren's life.
- 25The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinRoberts blunders amiably and cluelessly through his amateurish eyesore of a documentary on society's obsession with beauty, perpetually searching for a thesis that will transform a shambling mess of half-baked thoughts and pointless digressions into a real documentary.
- 20Village VoiceVillage VoiceThe scattershot America the Beautiful recapitulates vintage "Beauty Myth" trumpery.
- 0The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisClueless, directionless and altogether pointless.