Every Little Step

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

A movie as layered and enthralling as its subject.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

How long has it been since a movie left you literally speechless?

San Francisco Chronicle David Wiegand

The film is as much about the creation of the original show back in 1975 and the genius of the late Michael Bennett, who masterminded it, as it is about the newer version.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

Sensational documentary.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Stephen Cole

An uncommonly tender and observant documentary on the phenomenon that is "A Chorus Line."

Washington Post Peter Marks

A thoroughly engrossing documentary.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

It's a big ice cream sundae, this one -- not great documentary filmmaking but tasty all the way.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

It's a can't-miss effort that knows how to please.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

The result is an insightful, exuberant, probing, long-winded and even exhausting look at what it takes for a performer to have a life in the theater.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

The premise of Every Little Step is no less inspired for seeming so simple and obvious, and it pays tribute to the durability and continued relevance of “A Chorus Line,” which first opened in New York in 1975, before many of the performers in the movie were born.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

Given that "Chorus Line" is almost the paradigmatic backstage story, I guess Every Little Step is a meta-backstage story, capturing the "American Idol"-scale audition process.

NPR Bob Mondello

The result? A briskly self-aware, thoroughly stage-struck portrait of a theatrical portrait.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

A thrilling combination of documentary and musical dazzler.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

In Every Little Step, the performers bleed, sweat, cry theater - without having to tell us.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Do you need to have seen A Chorus Line to understand or enjoy Every Little Step? I think not. This companion piece to one of America's most beloved musicals is about human longings and shortfalls.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

What we sense in the film is the camaraderie among these hopeful dancers. They've all been through the process before, all been disappointed before, all know better than anyone else what it takes, all believe the best candidates don't always win the jobs.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

An unexpectedly charming little film.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Modeling the movie after the show itself grows problematic near the end, when Stern and Del Deo, anticipating that climactic, gold-suited kick line, try to whip us into a frenzy on opening night.

Village Voice Jesse Oxfeld

For Chorus Line fans, though, the documentary--is a singular sensation.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

It's a huge improvement over the Attenborough film; given the film’s non-fiction roots, it seems poetically apt that a documentary take is much more satisfying and engaging than the Hollywood treatment.

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

Filmmakers nicely mix the historical and the tributary, honoring both Bennett's cultural landmark and the dancers who dream of joining its ranks.

New Orleans Times-Picayune Mike Scott

Doesn't boast enough universal meaning to make it truly sing.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Directors Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern focus primarily on the casting process for the 2006 revival, parading so many personalities past us that we don't really get to know anyone. Bypassing the original for the recreation? That ain't it, kid.

New York Post Kyle Smith

Every Little Step shows only this: It hurts to flunk an audition, and it's nice to get hired. Everything it has to say about Broadway was said better in Bob Fosse's movie "All That Jazz" -- in its opening five minutes.