Even just taken as a portrait of Boston in the midst of what'll now forever be known as 'the moment before the pandemic,' it's a work of massive regional significance.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 6, 2021

Whatever one's political leanings ... the spectacle of public servants at work proves profound, the hard labor of daily management a Herculean task of truly epic proportions.

| Jun 10, 2021

City Hall lacks that sort of nuanced, curious approach to its material, and in its absence, Wiseman doesn't have much to offer beyond standard homage to contemporary liberalism.

| Jun 5, 2021

"It shows how government should work [because] there is a lack of 'reality television' about it, [which US politics has had a feeling of for a while]. It gets across a sense of a community role extremely effectively."

| May 24, 2021

With City Hall, Wiseman has captured a moment in US history in a form that allows for multiple interpretations and no end of insights.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 12, 2021

Wiseman's latest work is a muted love letter to Boston, its institutions and its history -- but above all, the strength and will of its people to overcome.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Mar 8, 2021

Wiseman is once again going in search of that middle-although this time with an uncharacteristic wink of subjectivity.

| Original Score: B+ | Feb 15, 2021

Galvanizing...

| Feb 15, 2021

What accumulates is a breadth and depth of understanding, both pedestrian and prosaic, of a huge city government, Boston's, in all its complicated, complex, humdrum and contested spheres.

| Feb 15, 2021

A reminder that government, for all of its speed bumps and snags, can work. It can help. The people running it just have to want it to.

| Original Score: A | Feb 15, 2021

Wiseman's patient epic (run time: 272 minutes) of local government shows nearly every nook and cranny of the Boston political machine-including the dullest and most mundane aspects in all of their banality.

| Jan 27, 2021

As 'City Hall' comes together, it at least becomes clear that these public servants are truly interested in helping their constituents, trying to be as fair as possible to as many as possible.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jan 8, 2021

A bold and comprehensive vision of the how and what of city government, tempered with just enough cynicism to seem like a thoughtful analysis.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 2, 2021

Our government may be in disarray, but Wiseman, ever the curious optimist, finds something beautiful in its evolution.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Dec 31, 2020

As down on government as you might be feeling these days, City Hall will make you believe in the need and value of public service to this democracy.

| Dec 18, 2020

A detailed documentary showing the many things a city government does for its citizens, making us grateful for government.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Dec 6, 2020

Here, over four-and-a-half hours, Wiseman shows us not only see how much Boston's government is overseeing, but we're seeing how many dedicated people are doing that work.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Dec 4, 2020

Like a magician, he can make four hours pass by in the blink of an eye and also leave you wanting more.

| Nov 26, 2020

A stunning work of observation, understanding, and compassion.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Nov 25, 2020

Still, if sometimes Wiseman's focus grows arbitrary, the film nonetheless shows how elected officials and civic employees still can truly serve the greater good...

| Nov 20, 2020