The Denver Post - Norman Mailer: The American
by Val Moses

As brash and fast-talking as the man himself, Norman Mailer: The American is an illuminating look at one of the most provacative cultural icons of the twentieth century. Director Joe Mantegna chronicles the life and times of this complex, rough-edged intellectual in a montage of in-your-face footage from public appearances and interviews with Mailer's family, friends, critics and the man himself before his death in 2007. full article here


Huffington Post - Norman Mailer: The American
by Joseph Mantegna

I met Norman Mailer years ago in Provincetown, Massachusetts, at a small barbecue outside my friend's home. Over a feast of ribs and baked beans is not how I envisioned meeting this American icon. Prior to leaving my house I took a Valium, hoping it would calm me enough to avoid stammering my way through a conversation with Mr. Mailer. Upon arrival, I searched the grounds quickly, but Mailer had not yet come. "What's wrong?" asked my friends, noticing my restless composure. It was obvious; I should have taken a second Valium. full article here


Eye For Film - Norman Mailer: The American
by Jennie Kermode

Ten novels, nine children, six wives and one considerable ego: Norman Mailer was an American phenomenon. Credited as one of the founders of the New Journalism (along with peers including Truman Capote and Hunter S Thompson) he was a founder of The Village Voice, a Pulitzer Prize winner, an avant-garde filmmaker and, incidentally, a damn fine boxer. full article here


Uncultured Critic - Review: Norman Mailer: The American (Glasgow Film Festival)
by Nicola Balkind

Double Pulitzer-winning writer, newspaperman, political candidate, film director, father of 9, author of over 30 books, and 6-time husband Norman Mailer is the subject of biographical documentary The American. His story is told through interviews with Mailer's family, wives, and the man himself. full article here


Front Row - Today At The Dallas International Film Festival
by Peter Simek

I belong to a generation largely unaware of the giant personality that was writer and novelist Norman Mailer, and so for me, Joseph Mantegna’s documentary is less a reminiscent homage than a eye-opening introduction to a protagonist who feels like a malignant physical manifestation of the tumultuous, contradictory energy that defined the 1960s. There is nothing extraordinary about the form and style of Norman Mailer: The American, and there hardly needs to be. The sensational man at its center provides all the vigor the film needs full article here


Dangerous Minds - The American: The New Mailer Documentary
by Paul Gallagher

Norman Mailer claimed he was "imprisoned with a vision" which would "settle for nothing less than making a revolution in the consciousness of our time." Unfortunately for mailer, he was far too good a writer to ever do that. full article here


The Boston Globe - Big Names, Eclectic Lineup at Boston Film Festivals
by Loren King

There are several strong documentaries in this year's festival, led by the world premiere of "Norman Mailer: The American" (Sept. 22 at 4 p.m.). Directed by Joseph Mantegna (not the actor), the film holds some local appeal since much of it was shot in Provincetown, Mailer's home for many years. full article here


Orlando Sentinel - Orland Film Festival - "Norman Mailer: The American"
by Otownrog

The first Orlando Film Festial movie (Nov. 3-7) to truly blow me away as I preview this years offerings is this one, the director Joseph Mantegna's brilliant, booze-and-blood soaked documentary on the two-fisted author, drinker, movie-maker, lover, brawler and "provocateur" Norman Mailer. full article here


Norman Mailer's Mistress Attends Documentary Premiere in Boston
by New York Post

The most intriguing member of the audience at the Boston Film Festival premiere of "Norman Mailer: The American" the other day was the late writer's mistress, Carole Mallory. full article here


The Boston Phoenix - Norman Mailer: The American At The Boston Film Festival
by Peter Keough

In his documentary Norman Mailer: The American (September 22 at 4 pm, with the director), Joseph Mantegna includes on of that film's more histrionic sequences - Ryan O'Neal repeatedly bellowing, "Oh God! Oh Man!" But this invented scene pales before all the crazy shit that happened for real in Mailer's own life, from the stabbing of his second wife to his arrest at the Pentagon during an anti-Vietnam demonstration, as recorded in one of his best books, The Armies of the Night. full article here


Take 2 - Norman Mailer: The American
by John Thomason

I'm embarrased to have never read a word by Norman Mailer, the man-myth-legend whom one biographer calls the most important writer of the second half of the 20th century. But his reputation precedes him, of course, and it's nearly impossible to pick up any Mailer tome without already posessing a fully formed opinion of the serial adulterer, brawler, womanizer and apparently, as Joseph Mantegna's new documentary "Norman Mailer: The American" asserts, beloved family man behind it. full article here


Westworld - Starz Denver Film Festival: Artistic Director Brit Withey's Must-See Picks For November 12-14
by Brit Withey

Again this year, Starz Denver Film Festival artistic director Brit Withey, is offering his must-see picks of the fest -- flicks that movie lovers might otherwise miss amid the flood of silver-screen goodies. Below, he describes his choices. full article here


Alex Donald's Multiverse - Norman Mailer
by Alex Donald

As regular readers know I have recently become addicted to watching documentaries and films about writers and I have been on the look out for more. I found out about an upcoming documentary on Norman Mailer, called Norman Mailer: The American, directed by Joseph Mantegna (no, not the actor). full article here