O.J.: Made in America
First screened in February 2017
Director: Ezra Edelman. Documentary about O.J. Simpson's background, his rise to football and pop-cultural superstardom, and his perpetrations of domestic violence and murder. Interview subjects include Mike Albanese, F. Lee Bailey, Danny Bakewell, Joe Bell, Marcia Clark, Carl Douglas, Earl Edwards, Mark Fuhrman, Gil Garcetti, David Gascon, Fred Goldman, Robin Greer, Bill Hodgman, Linda Jay, Jim Newton, Ron Shipp, Mark Ridley Thomas, and Jeffrey Toobin.

Twitter Capsule: I most appreciate how contexts and moral gray zones proliferate. Still more engrossing than inspired or new.

VOR:   The scope, depth, and impact of this documentary impressed me more than the actual filmmaking always did, but it has a huge task, sharply managed.



Photo © 2016 ESPN Films

Not yet reviewed in full. Grade: B


Academy Award Nominations and Winners:
Best Documentary Feature

Primetime Emmy Awards:
Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
Best Director (Nonfiction): Ezra Edelman
Best Cinematography (Nonfiction): Nick Higgins
Best Editing (Nonfiction): Bret Granato, Maya Mumma, Ben Sozanski
Best Original Score (Limited Series, Movie, or Special): Gary Lionelli
Best Sound Mixing (Nonfiction): Keith Hodne and ESPN Films

Other Awards:
Producers Guild of America: Best Documentary Feature
Independent Spirit Awards: Best Documentary Feature
New York Film Critics Circle: Best Documentary Feature
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Film Editing
National Society of Film Critics: Best Documentary Feature
Boston Society of Film Critics: Best Documentary Feature
Chicago Film Critics Association: Best Documentary Feature
National Board of Review: Best Documentary Feature

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