Greg Carlson Vague Visages Jul 28, 2023

Key players in the saga, led by the clear-eyed and contemplative Renee DuBois Brody — who married Michael after knowing him just a few weeks — provide helpful context and connect events of more than half a century ago to today.

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Michael Barrett PopMatters Jun 16, 2023

Among many topics raised in Dear Mr. Brody, the story of a man who gave away his ill-gotten money for need, not greed, is how media and money blur our already imperfect perception of mental illness.

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Leah Greenblatt Entertainment Weekly Apr 29, 2022 B

Unevenly executed but still compelling: a far-out cautionary tale of money, media, and gonzo idealism gone wrong.

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Frank Swietek One Guy's Opinion Apr 28, 2022 B+

Absorbing, and ultimately quite moving, documentary...a surprisingly affecting treatment of a fleeting moment in American history that offers a glimpse into the national character.

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Glenn Dunks The Film Experience Mar 19, 2022

Maitland has invested his film in a wonderful sense of visual design.

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Joe Friar Fort Worth Report Mar 5, 2022 3/4

A fascinating documentary of a story long forgotten that keeps the viewer fully engrossed. It hits us where it hurts most, the heart. Its a beautiful story in many ways. One that reflects humanitys will to do good.

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Odie Henderson RogerEbert.com Mar 5, 2022 3/4

Dear Mr. Brody does a fine job of showing how the financial chasm between rich and poor people is as wide and insurmountable today as it was in 1970.

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Andy Crump Paste Magazine Mar 4, 2022 7.8/10

2022 is but two months young, so declaring Dear Mr. Brody the years saddest film would be a mite premature. Better to say that its the saddest film of 2022 so far instead.

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Ty Burr Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack) Mar 4, 2022 3/4

The film is over-directed and antic in spots but unexpectedly touching in others, and it’s paced for maximum involvement and lingering melancholy.

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Robert Abele TheWrap Mar 4, 2022

Maitland's Tower remains one of the best documentaries of the past decade, and as another imaginative slice of history, memory, and contemporary applicability, this one is a more than worthy follow-up.

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Todd Jorgenson Cinemalogue Mar 4, 2022

Mixing bittersweet poignancy with mysterious intrigue, this compelling documentary finds contemporary relevance in an obscure news story from a half-century ago.

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Michael Rechtshaffen Los Angeles Times Mar 4, 2022

Brody may have been a 15-minutes-of-fame footnote, but those tens of thousands of mainly unopened letters left in his wake continue to offer a penetrating glimpse into the persisting vulnerability of the human condition.

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Phil Guie Film-Forward.com Mar 4, 2022 4.5/5

Humanizes those who reached out to Brody for help, which is something the television news media at the time didn't really do.

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Adam Kempenaar Filmspotting Mar 4, 2022 4/5

Like Tower, it connects the past and present, and it lingers - by honoring the extraordinary sacrifices of ordinary people.

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Mark Dujsik Mark Reviews Movies Mar 4, 2022 2.5/4

Keith Maitland's documentary ... treats the eponymous subject... as a mystery and, hence, undermines the real lessons we might have taken from this tale.

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Jared Mobarak Jaredmobarak.com Mar 4, 2022 8/10

While Brody's story proves wildly entertaining and tragic in ways you cannot imagine when first hearing his confidant charitable promise, Dear Mr. Brody's real value is in the people he touched even if he never met them or read their words.

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Lisa Kennedy New York Times Mar 3, 2022

“Dear Mr. Brody” invites timely thoughts about the wealthy and income disparity.

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Derek Smith Slant Magazine Feb 28, 2022 3/4

The film poignantly draws a straight line from the economic anxieties of the past straight to the present.

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Richard Brody The New Yorker Feb 28, 2022

The dramatic heart of the film is diligent and empathetic detective work.

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Nick Schager Variety Jun 11, 2021

Decades after Michael Brody Jr. offered Americans his fortune, Keith Maitland's fascinating documentary opens some of their myriad letters.

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