63
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloMoss spends the better part of a year just trying to get his subject to betray some raw emotion, even going so far as to have Chasten pose interview questions at one point. It’s not as if Buttigieg stonewalls the camera, either. He’s just not, at heart, a very demonstrative guy.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleIt provides unvarnished behind-the-scenes access to a presidential campaign, showing aspects of the process that we would never see otherwise.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyAs a window into the campaign process, Mayor Pete doesn’t match the perspective or dramatic payoff of Moss’ last film, Boys State, co-directed with McBaine. But it does have the benefit of showing a man who seems destined to remain a force in American politics, growing into the role in real time.
- 70CNNBrian LowryCNNBrian LowryMostly, the documentary premiering on Amazon serves as a social-studies lesson in how campaigns operate, with the most candid moments coming from those other than the candidate.
- 63RogerEbert.comNick AllenRogerEbert.comNick AllenMayor Pete has a compelling subject, but it's most gripping when it’s trying to secure your curiosity, not just your future vote.
- 60TheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanTheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanIt’s an enjoyable ride with intermittently compelling moments, particularly when Buttigieg struggles to find the balance between innate personality, intellectual morality, and professional practicality. But the film simply doesn’t dig deep enough.
- 60Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinInvolving as the film is, it is decidedly short on propulsion and significant conflict.
- 58IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichMoss’ spry but often superficial film purports to explore what it’s like for an actual human being to run for the highest office in the land, and yet the competency and boy-scout-in-search-of-a-merit-badge resolve that (briefly) turned Buttigieg into an unexpectedly popular alternative to Donald Trump is also what renders him such an impenetrable subject for a documentary.
- 50The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergShowing Buttigieg at one public appearance after another, “Mayor Pete” more often plays like outtakes from the trail than an inside glimpse.
- 38Slant MagazinePat BrownSlant MagazinePat BrownThe film’s approach is completely subsumed by the importance of the Mayor Pete persona as the means and ends of the candidacy.