"Revolutionary" is a word that gets thrown around and carelessly tacked on to a lot of things, but it is precisely the best word to describe Poitier as an artist and activist. Sidney triumphs in reminding us of why exactly that is.

| Jul 12, 2024

“Sidney” doesn’t bother to simplify details around Poitier’s biography, nor does it try to complicate his story. Rather, it honors the very real complexities of the life he lived.

| Dec 6, 2022

The most effective and touching parts of the documentary come when Sidney tells his story in his own words. Talking directly to the camera, he reminisces about a life well lived, creating a memoir of his legacy that will live on for generations.

| Dec 5, 2022

He’s memorialized as an artist-activist and significant only for that. The doc is angled toward how Oprah wants us to see Poitier and herself.

| Nov 23, 2022

Though far from hagiography, Sidney is laudatory, and given to a kind of soft-focus sentimentality, especially when a lachrymose Winfrey is interviewed. The tone is set by the inclusion of extracts of film archive, and Poitier’s calm, dignified voice.

| Nov 2, 2022

A considerable amount of talk is about his dignity and refinement as he studied how to be a winning gentleman in a racist country.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Oct 28, 2022

SIDNEY rises above the usual bio doc thru the ardent tributes from the many generations affected by his roles as a different kind of black actor, and folks like Harry Belafonte who was right there with him. We call him Mr. Poitier, to Sir with Love.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Oct 26, 2022

You leave Sidney feeling frankly uplifted. His balancing act has never been equaled -- and has yet to be fully explored. At least this documentary is a good start.

| Oct 20, 2022

Sidney the film is more eulogy than investigation, but luckily Sidney the man is so fascinating that cinema fans will be happy to listen.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 18, 2022

I see no greater tribute to him than enjoying his films together. Because at their very best, they lift up the dignity of human beings — a dignity he always seemed intent on exemplifying.

| Oct 7, 2022

There’s no doubt that Poitier broke barriers both on and off the screen. The recipient of countless performance, achievement, and humanitarian awards, a knighthood, and an ambassadorship, his influence on the arts and global politics can't be overstated.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 4, 2022

Sidney may not fully embrace any potential mess or ambiguity in Poitier’s life, but it does begin to grapple with the complex overlap of its many spheres, and Sidney's holistic approach is perhaps its most interesting quality.

| Oct 3, 2022

This documentary is exceptional because it tells the remarkable story told by those most important in Sidney Poitier’s life and by the actor himself.

| Oct 1, 2022

This documentary traces the amazing journey of a man who was born prematurely and the family had lost all hope of his survival, so much so that his father had even brought a shoebox.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 1, 2022

Sidney is a gushing tribute film, not a fully rounded portrait of a human being who had weaknesses to go along with his many strengths.

| Oct 1, 2022

Sidney shows that Poitier is a role model through and through -- not only has he always done his best to uplift Black people in film, but he's also always working to uphold the values that his parents instilled in him.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Oct 1, 2022

Reginald Hudlin’s documentary about Sidney Poitier, the timeless, barrier-breaking star who died in January, makes for a wonderfully intimate portrait.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Sep 30, 2022

Warm and hugely engaging.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 30, 2022

Produced by Oprah Winfrey, Reginald Hudlin’s comprehensive biography of the late Sidney Poitier is a rousing experience that’s an endless source of inspiration.

| Original Score: A- | Sep 30, 2022

While the reflections from Denzel Washington, Oprah, Robert Redford help define Poitier’s career and life, it’s when we hear from the legend himself that “Sidney” comes to life.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 29, 2022