73
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanThe last act of Tiny Tim: King for a Day is about Tiny’s descent, which the film portrays with a haunted majesty worthy of a Larry Karaszewski/Scott Alexander biopic.
- 88Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreVon Sydow paints a compelling and very entertaining portrait of a showbiz original who found a niche, made his mark with an act famed for its shock value, and yet dabbled in most every musical style to come along after he broke big because he could and would try anything.
- His singing voice and records remain the definition of acquired taste, and King for a Day won’t necessarily send you back to his songs the way other first-rate music docs can. But watching it, you feel glad that such a genuine oddball lived his particular dream and never revealed any public bitterness over the arc of his life. His legacy, it turns out, was the last thing from tiny.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleJoel SelvinSan Francisco ChronicleJoel SelvinSwedish documentarian Johan von Sydow lets Tim tell the story, mixing plentiful musical performances with narration drawn from Tim’s diaries (read solemnly by Weird Al Yankovic), illustrating the details with animation and a feast of vintage stock footage.
- 70Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayLos Angeles TimesNoel MurrayKing for a Day is never less than riveting.
- 67Original-CinJim SlotekOriginal-CinJim SlotekThe surprisingly conventional Tiny Tim – King For A Day mixes archival photos and film, and animation, to present an image of the man before and after he hit the pinnacle of pop culture by getting married to first wife Miss Vicki live on The Tonight Show.
- 63RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyRogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyMore than anything else, Mekas' footage gives a glimpse of the fascinating aura that Tiny Tim projected.