Ty Burr Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack) Apr 15, 2022 3.5/4

It captures the gentle hilarity with which Gottfried moved through life but also the immense affection in which he was held by his wife and children, his fellow comedians, and strangers in the street.

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Steven Prokopy Third Coast Review May 20, 2020

I found myself truly moved by the movie and by the artistry of the man's work. He makes it look brash and vulgar, but it's a finely tuned, boundary-pushing performance piece.

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Andy Crump The Playlist Aug 14, 2018 B+

It's authoritative only to a point, but that doesn't keep it from being utterly compelling all the same.

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David Ehrlich IndieWire Aug 14, 2018 B

The last thing the world needs right now is another portrait about the fraternity of comedians and their hardscrabble existence as America's schlubbiest road warriors... but "Gilbert" rises above the glut thanks to the strength of its subject.

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Brian Orndorf Blu-ray.com Dec 8, 2017 B+

A fascinating look at a seemingly meek guy who lives to offend, highlighting career experiences and family ties, creating a portrait of a beloved funnyman that's, at its best, eye-opening.

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Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times Nov 30, 2017 3.5/4

In Neil Berkeley's fascinating, very funny and sometimes quite melancholy "Gilbert," we get to see the hunched-over, eccentric, surprisingly thoughtful man behind the comedic myth...

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Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Nov 22, 2017

A revealing documentary shown through an intimate lens, Gilbert is such a personal film. There may never be another comedian like him.

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Bob Strauss Los Angeles Daily News Nov 10, 2017

Fortunately, there are always brilliantly scathing and disgusting Gottfried routines around every corner that save the movie.

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April Wolfe Village Voice Nov 9, 2017

The film's least persuasive passages come when some of the interviewed comics decry what they see as PC culture... But if you're a fan of Gottfried, you'd know he's always tried to be on the right side of the joke...

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Michael Rechtshaffen Los Angeles Times Nov 9, 2017

A tenderly observed, remarkably insightful keeper. No joke.

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Sherilyn Connelly SF Weekly Nov 9, 2017

Gilbert creates something of a triptych with two past documentaries.

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Nick Vadala Philadelphia Inquirer Nov 9, 2017 3/4

But while Gilbert may not break ground with its angle, its contemplative take on what separates Gottfried as a performer from Gottfried as a person is interesting enough to drive the film, even if you may not particularly like his stand-up.

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Wm. Steven Humphrey The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Nov 9, 2017

He's the comedian's antithesis: a genuine, self-effacing man without a visible drug or alcohol problem to speak of. And this makes Gilbert, the documentary, a crashing bore.

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Owen Gleiberman Variety Nov 9, 2017

You may or may not walk away from "Gilbert" a Gilbert Gottfried fan, but either way the movie makes you glad he exists.

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David Noh Film Journal International Nov 3, 2017

A wonderful and surprising intimate portrait of maybe the loudest and most foul-mouthed comedian who ever lived. You will laugh your ass off and maybe even cry your eyes out.

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Glenn Kenny RogerEbert.com Nov 3, 2017 2.5/4

The insights offered from the almost two-dozen show biz luminaries are not always commonplace, and Gottfried is always an interesting screen presence, even when he's far removed from his persona.

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John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter Nov 3, 2017

A hilarious and surprisingly warm look at the real life behind the abrasive persona.

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Jason Zinoman New York Times Nov 2, 2017

[A] compelling, surprisingly moving documentary about an eccentric with an old-school work ethic.

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Derek Smith Slant Magazine Oct 30, 2017 2.5/4

Gilbert exposes a wealth of unsuspected pain and tenderness beneath Gottfried's often thorny exterior.

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Evan Saathoff Birth.Movies.Death. Sep 26, 2017

Gilbert may produce mild emotional reactions from viewers, but it's a rare happy tearjerker.

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