Where other documentaries glance across the surface of what representation means for trans audiences and how its history has impacted the present, No Ordinary Man takes a narrower and more in-depth approach.

| Nov 2, 2022

Genuinely feels like a film that really could change the world because of how simple yet forcefully it lays out the facts of Billy's experience.

| Original Score: 9/10 | May 10, 2022

No Ordinary Man chronicles a life almost lost to history. Its a fascinating character portrait, and a subtle reminder that, yes, LGBTQ people have existed throughout history.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 13, 2022

Directors Aisling Chin-Yee & Chase Joynt repair some of the damage caused by media misrepresentation, and reframe the life and legacy of American jazz musician and trans icon Billy Tipton

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 14, 2021

...you may leave feeling like Billy Tipton still hasn't been fully appreciated for who he was, and what he really cared about.

| Jul 30, 2021

There's one big problem about "No Ordinary Man: The Billy Tipton Documentary": It's not really about Billy Tipton.

| Original Score: 1/4 | Jul 26, 2021

I think what this movie does really well is figure out how to look at the past through our present lens without disregarding or dishonoring the past.

| Jul 23, 2021

Strikingly well shot and edited.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 22, 2021

This is a compelling, often profound film, one that creatively surmounts its inherent limitations and shines a vital and heartfelt light on being transgender.

| Jul 22, 2021

Billy's saga is thus the foundation for No Ordinary Man's grander, nuanced investigation of the historical and contemporary plight of trans men and women...

| Jul 22, 2021

... No Ordinary Man may just provide the encouragement for others to leave the shadows and step into the light. This may seem like a startling and surprising legacy at first, but that's the reclaimed story of Billy Tipton and what he inspires.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 22, 2021

"No Ordinary Man" challenges the very basis of cultural production, eschewing the familiar accumulation of biographical and historical information and instead questioning the process by which such information is gathered.

| Jul 17, 2021

A fascinating deconstruction of history, culture, and identity, No Ordinary Man raises so many crucial questions - and answers them so thoughtfully - that it moves beyond entertainment into the realm of essential text.

| Jul 16, 2021

[The filmmakers] use traditional modes of storytelling to handle revolutionary content.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 16, 2021

...this riveting and decidedly trans-positive documentary from co-directors Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt has the power and the depth to deserve a place in the queer canon

| Original Score: B+ | Jul 16, 2021

This is a respectful tribute that is a shade too morally and cinematically safe in its execution.

| Jul 15, 2021

Knowing how much transgender people still have to struggle to be recognized, we can also take joy in hearing their voices made central to this story, and having Tipton's story be told, finally, as it should.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 1, 2021

Directors Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt present a remarkably nuanced and sympathetic portrait of Tipton's life through a fascinating lens.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 1, 2021

Combined with the typical style of a biographical documentary is the cool flair of also showing the auditions for actors to play Billy Tipton. Very interesting wrinkle. Adds depth and perspective to the already very touching story.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 21, 2020

An outstanding examination of a fascinating story, that of 20th century trans musician Billy Tipton.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 16, 2020