SummaryA filmed version of the Broadway production of Heidi Schreck's play presenting multiple facets, historical perspectives and personal experiences with the U.S. Constitution.
Directed By:Marielle Heller
Written By:Heidi Schreck
What the Constitution Means to Me
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
87
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.2
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
100% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Oct 16, 2020
100
To watch it is both painful and vital, like taking a great deep breath with a set of broken ribs. It will hurt. The pain is worth the reward.
Oct 21, 2020
91
The entire 104-minute show is performed in a single “room,” so it comes down to the sheer strength of Schreck’s writing and performance to hold an audience’s attention. Schreck more than pulls it off.
Oct 23, 2020
90
Schreck succeeds in widening her autobiographical play into a paean for basic fairness: The American Constitution, admired as it is, fails to protect all of us from violence and discrimination.
Oct 16, 2020
90
What the Constitution Means to Me is a bracing (and funny!) slap in the face.
Oct 16, 2020
75
Schreck matches the wit and fire of her writing with a riveting performance that often does not feel like a performance at all, but rather a cri de coeur wrenched up from a deep place where the personal, the historical, and the universal have met and merged.
Oct 15, 2020
70
Director Heller does a better job of adapting Schreck’s play than the team behind Disney Plus’ recent “Hamilton” film, in part because the underlying production is so much simpler.
User score
Universal Acclaim
100% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Oct 31, 2020
7
There isn't much to say about this filmed play that isn't already said in the movie itself. The film suffers from a lack of charm in the transfer from stage to screen. This is to be expected with any filmed stage performance. That pushed aside, What the Constitution Means to Me is an enjoyable, if sometimes misguided experience.
