Nichols is so consistently stunningly insightful (about everything), and May's editorial choices so sound, that I wanted it to be an hour longer while respecting how finely tuned it was to not exceed its mandated 60 minutes.

Is it just me or was Matthau's patrician, smartest-guy-in-the-room Henry Graham in A NEW LEAF possibly a little bit inspired by Nichols?

Within the first five seconds, a Hitler joke gets cracked. I'm already laughing. Nichols would have approved.

Welcome back, Elaine May. We've missed you. How they did you dirty.

This is so charming and funny and I learned so much about not only Mike Nichols but the politics and workings of the 60s movie industry. I can't wait to binge Mike Nichols movies and then come back for a rewatch.

Elaine really opened this with a Hitler joke and went on an extended aside talking shit about critics and the “auteur theory” and ends with an excerpt of HER speech at his Kennedy Center Honors,,,,,,,I fucking love her.

Every talking head: "Mike Nichols is the smartest, most well-read person I've ever met."
Mike Nichols: "Those wacky French guys think Howard Hawks and Jerry Lewis are better filmmakers than Fred Zinnemann and George Stevens?"

Notable as Elaine May's first directorial credit since ISHTAR.

High point: Nichols tearing up talking about Meryl Streep. Low point: five minutes of Nichols trashing the auteur theory in which he mocks the French for liking Jerry Lewis and calls David Lean "maybe THE great director."

one of my favorite people to exist, ever.

i love this sooo much lmao 😬😻🤠🤡

a doc about my favorite director directed by my favorite screenwriter? 🤓 yes please mama! 😋😃

Really eye opening little doc for someone who not only knew very little about Nichols but also his comedic partnership with May. And while I'm saddened this is the last thing May directed, it seems only right that I should use this as inspiration to transition in to more Nichols films, specifically those starring Meryl Streep (who he could barely speak about without breaking down), possibly the greatest living actress and somehow many of her biggest roles remain blind spots.

With a great balance between set and film-related anecdotes and more general musings from the brilliant man himself and the people who knew him best, structurally speaking this is exactly what I wanted from De Palma, the other director examination I watched recently. The problem here is that just about every part of this feels too short--with an extra forty minutes to an hour, this could have easily been a masterpiece, but the TV-friendly cut we have feels more like a summary at times.

Good but would have preferred a Mike Nichols-directed doc on Elaine May. Still, it's nice to see May back in the director's chair.

Elaine really opened this with a Hitler joke and went on an extended aside talking shit about critics and the “auteur theory” and ends with an excerpt of HER speech at his Kennedy Center Honors,,,,,,,I fucking love her.

i love this sooo much lmao 😬😻🤠🤡

a doc about my favorite director directed by my favorite screenwriter? 🤓 yes please mama! 😋😃

i pray at the altar of Elaine May every night

This is so charming and funny and I learned so much about not only Mike Nichols but the politics and workings of the 60s movie industry. I can't wait to binge Mike Nichols movies and then come back for a rewatch.

bit uninspired

A pretty awesome man. Documentary is cookie-cutter but well done. Now I need to watch some of Mike Nichols’ work!

fascinating guy

Put some respect on Catch-22

best needledrop of mrs robinson ever, including the graduate!

Every talking head: "Mike Nichols is the smartest, most well-read person I've ever met."
Mike Nichols: "Those wacky French guys think Howard Hawks and Jerry Lewis are better filmmakers than Fred Zinnemann and George Stevens?"

a really really well crafted doc. after it was over i looked up the year it was made and realized she directed this after he died and i got way too emotional lmao. i suck.

A documentary clearly driven by love, about a director that created some of my favorite movies about whom I knew much too little. What a pleasure to watch.