--- title: "O.J.: Made in America: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/o-j-made-in-america/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/o-j-made-in-america" critics_score: 87 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # O.J.: Made in America (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 87 from 15 reviews: 14 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics agree this is a documentary of unusual range, and nearly all of them recommend it without hesitation. The praise clusters on one point: by setting the Simpson trial inside the longer history of race relations in Los Angeles, alongside the man’s football career and his celebrity, it helps explain the acquittal in a way the trial coverage never managed. Reviewers repeatedly call the seven-and-a-half-hour length a strength rather than an indulgence, allowing both fine detail and a wide view of race, class and the justice system. The interviews and the editing draw particular notice. The spread is narrow; fourteen of fifteen reviews are positive. The one dissent, from Little White Lies, finds the film fatiguing while still calling it vital, and says it leaves the viewer angry with nowhere to put that anger. Screen Daily, otherwise admiring, wonders whether eight hours of television counts as a film at all. Several critics note how directly it speaks to present-day arguments about police and race. ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 2016. The critic calls the seven-and-a-half-hour documentary exceptionally perceptive, empathetic and compelling, noting that its length allows for both deep specifics and a broad perspective on race, justice and O.J.'s story in Los Angeles. They single out the skillful, revealing interviews with a wide range of subjects for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-0520-oj-made-in-america-film-review-20160509-snap-story.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 June 2016. Festival review. The critic finds it compelling and masterfully edited, crowning long-form documentary as the true witness of the media age with its ambitious scope on sport, race, class and the justice system. Eight hours doesn’t feel like enough, though it questions whether the work qualifies as a film. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/oj-made-in-america-review/5104563.article) ## Sight and Sound — Tom Charity Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2016. The critic calls it the definitive record of Simpson’s spectacular rise and fall, a graphic illustration of how race, injustice and celebrity collided. It restores Simpson’s stature as an athlete and explores his transcendence of race before the trial exposed deeper divisions. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/video/oj-made-america-review-rise-downfall-century) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2016. The critic calls the documentary a marvelous, gripping true crime series that provides vital context and insight into the OJ Simpson case and American society. They praise its straightforward, even-handed journalistic approach that draws out complexities without artifice. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jan/24/oj-made-in-america-espn-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2016. Festival review. The critic calls the miniseries a rich and provocative triumph that covers racial history in Los Angeles, Simpson's football career, the trial, and a psychological portrait with confidence. It is intelligent, thorough, and moves at an impressive pace despite its length. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/oj-made-america-tv-review-858385/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 June 2016. The review finds the documentary extraordinary and must-see, praising its wide scope that places Simpson's life and trial in the context of late 20th-century cultural dynamics including race and celebrity. It is thought-provoking, astonishing, and sobering throughout its length. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2016/06/oj-simpson-made-in-america-espn-yes-its-that-good.html) ## The Telegraph — Alan Tyers Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2016. The critic recommends the five-part documentary as essential viewing that explores not just Simpson but race, justice, celebrity and media in America. They highlight its brilliantly reported detail, jaw-dropping moments and ongoing relevance. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/american-football/2016/07/10/bt-sports-oj-simpson-documentary-shows-his-disgrace-has-also-bee/) ## Variety — Brian Lowry Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2016. Festival review. The critic finds the documentary a master opus that adds rich contextual layers, especially the history of Los Angeles race relations central to the acquittal, going well beyond the trial itself. They single out the enormous canvas allowing connections between Simpson's charmed life, celebrity, sports and societal issues for praise. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/tv/reviews/o-j-made-in-america-review-oj-simpson-documentary-espn-30-for-30-1201681519/) ## Little White Lies — Spencer Moleda Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 13 June 2016. Festival review. The critic finds the mammoth film fatiguing yet vital for its gruelling detail on how class, race and celebrity intertwined, with OJ as a Forrest Gump-like figure through decades of tension. It leaves viewers angry but unsure where to direct ire, ending in a sense of surrender. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/article/oj-made-in-america-espn-documentary) ## HeyUGuys — Leke Sanusi Rating 5/5. 8 July 2016. The critic finds the documentary excellent and a standout in the 30 for 30 series. It delivers a complex, layered portrait of Simpson by placing his story in the broader context of American race relations and history. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/oj-made-in-america-review/) ## Collider — Chris Cabin Rating 9/10. 26 January 2016. The critic calls it a staggering documentary that provides a detailed portrait of O.J. Simpson and America's racial tensions, praising its vast coverage of the subject's life and societal issues. [Read the review](https://collider.com/oj-simpson-made-in-america-review/) ## Digital Spy Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 July 2016. The critic calls it one of the best documentaries of the year, a thrilling and binge-worthy deep dive into OJ Simpson's life and the cultural issues it raises. They single out its clear parallels with contemporary events around police brutality, celebrity, and race for praise. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a801072/oj-simpson-made-in-america-best-documentary-this-year-not-people-vs-oj-simpson/) ## Paste — Tim Grierson Rating 9.0. 8 June 2016. Praises it as riveting and intelligent, noting it makes a case for why sports matter by connecting to race and class issues; highlights its comprehensive biography approach and recontextualization of Simpson's life as a tragedy. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/america/oj-made-in-america) ## The Playlist — Kevin Jagernauth Rating A-. 17 May 2016. The review calls the film an epic and essential documentary. It singles out the way it places the Simpson trial in the wider context of race relations in Los Angeles and America. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-o-j-made-america-epic-essential-documentary-fall-o-j-simpson-20160517/) ## The Ringer — K. Austin Collins Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 June 2016. Describes it as tremendous and extraordinary, a wide-ranging survey of racial history in LA that restores context to the trial and killings; singles out its moral backbone in juxtaposing personal and societal violence. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2016/06/10/movies/ezra-edelmans-extraordinary-oj-made-in-america-1b6882d12a86) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/o-j-made-in-america.md