VividSimon Simply Perfect

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Clifton Johnson Initially, I was like, "The OJ documentary is how long?!?!" But I never realized that this story could be a prism through which to understand race, class, privilege and celebrity in this country. And watching it while a jury debates over whether Walter Scott's killer was guilty of anything? It reminded me that many things have changed...and many things haven't. I experienced OJ's trial as a college freshman, but I didn't understand it till now.

davideo-2 STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning O.J. Simpson had it all: fame, fortune and adoration by millions of fans, a sporting icon on a par with Muhammed Ali or Joe Frazier. He had travelled from the ghetto to the open arms of Los Angeles, where his prowess on the football field amazed everyone, playing a big part in winning the UCLA 1967 football tournament. He broke through the racial divide of the time, and was accepted into the predominantly white society, taking him away from the troubles and upheavals that the majority of African Americans were caught up in in America at the time. Whilst Ali took a stand by refusing to fight in Vietnam, and two black American athletes were sent home for making a black power gesture, he soaked up the celebrity lifestyle, detaching himself completely. As his football career drew to a close, he began a relationship with white waitress Nicole Brown, after his first marriage had collapsed, which got everyone talking, but masked a volatile and destructive home life, which would result in a double homicide.And so began the 'trial of the century', with a massive sports icon on trial. But the very thing that O.J. had ignored on his way up, would be the very thing that saved him on his way down. In the late 80s and early 90s, L.A. was once again in the grip of a massive race war, with the African American community getting caught up in various episodes of excessive force from the police and instances of individual injustice, culminating in the acquittal of several white police officers in the heavy beating of Rodney King. With a heavy blow, the predominantly black jury swung their revenge, and O.J. was set free. But afterwards, his life descended into a tawdry, degrading mess, where he ended up finding himself caught up in a robbery at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room that did result in his incarceration.I still feel too young to be having distant memories, but the trial of O.J. Simpson is one thing I do remember from far back during the summer of 1995, while I was on holiday in Florida as an eleven year old kid, to his earth shattering acquittal when I was back on these shores. Even at such a young age, I, like many others, was astonished at his getting freed when all the evidence quite clearly pointed to his guilt, but this served to highlight the mind blowing power of money and celebrity, and the incredulous fortunes it can afford you. With such a dark cloud hanging over his head, Simpson has never been allowed to fade into the background, popping up here and there as a point of interest. Filmmaker Ezra Edelman has produced this ultra thorough, in-depth dissection of the man, through his calculated rise to the top as a member of an oppressed community, through to the false image of a devoted husband despite the turbulent home life, and his worrying lack of emotion after Nicole's death.Even in the days when epic, large scale productions were the norm, seven and a half hours would have been a massive ask for anyone, so it's best if you prepare yourself in advance and strap yourself in for the course, but luckily it's all broken into three parts, and the payoff is an absorbing, thoroughly engrossing production, that leaves absolutely no stone unturned and leaves you feeling as though you've been on a journey in film like absolutely nothing else you've seen before. *****

Angus T. Cat I wanted to watch Made in America not because of what the show said about OJ, but for what it revealed about American society and how it's changed- or hasn't changed- since the early 1990s. Made in America tells several stories, beginning with the story of how OJ rose from his upbringing in public housing in San Francisco to become a sports star. I wasn't convinced by the show's portrayal of OJ as a legend beloved by the whole country. I was in primary school when he was making his name in football, and I wasn't a sports fan. I heard about the Juice from my older brother. In the early 70s though the big event for us was the Perfect Season Miami Dolphins. I spotted the name Mercury Morris in one of the newspaper articles shown on camera, and I hit pause so I could read it. While I grew up in Miami in the 70s and 80s the city had several riots sparked off by police officers being acquitted for shooting and killing African Americans. My parents lived in an affluent suburb and they didn't pay much attention to the race problems, except to advise me not to drive downtown when the problems were happening. I recognised the feelings of anger and frustration expressed by the African American community and the people interviewed for the film. I don't know if it was possible for OJ to have a fair trial. I sensed that LAPD and Los Angeles city officials were terrified that a guilty verdict would result in more riots and city wide destruction. While I was watching the footage in the episode about the verdict, I was struck that as the crowds in the streets shouted in joy when they heard OJ had been found not guilty the police horses whinnied in fright and the officers riding them struggled to keep them from bolting. I was shocked to learn that one of the jurors, who raised his hand in a Black Power salute, had been a member of the Black Panthers. Why didn't the prosecution ask for a mistrial? At any rate, OJ's expensive lawyers decided to play the race card from the start. I thought it was despicable, and Made in America's revealing that Simpson had distanced himself from the Civil Rights struggles made me feel it was even more despicable.Most of all OJ Made in America revealed the fascination that riveted the media in the US to the Simpson trial, and the fascination that the world media had as well. They weren't concerned so much about race-- the trial took place in Los Angeles, and discussed the racism of the LAPD, in the Rodney King case and many others, but above all it was all about Brentwood and Hollywood, celebrity, fame, and money. The People vs OJ Simpson showed that from the very beginning witnesses and people who claimed they they knew the truth were selling their stories to tabloid newspapers and trash TV shows. I wonder if Simpson would have had as much support from the public if he were rich- rich enough to hire big name attorneys- but not a celebrity.It was the slow chase down the LA freeways that grabbed everybody's attention- here was a celebrity who might blow his brains out on live TV, because he had killed two people - or maybe he was being set up by LAPD because he was black and the victims were white. It was a great show. I don't understand why the prosecution didn't ban cameras from the courtroom like the civil trial did, or why, if they wanted to use cameras, they didn't make them unobtrusive so the people in the courtroom couldn't see them. The trial became the media circus of the century. The last episode, with clips from Simpson's bizarre reality TV show, shows how celebrity and notoriety drive the consciousness of American life. It's significant that Simpson's ultimate downfall took place after an armed robbery to gain control over his memorabilia, which not only has great personal meaning to him, but is worth millions of dollars.I had to ask myself, why did I watch Made in America? I felt sorry for Nicole - she must have found it difficult to make a life for herself apart from OJ, who not only gave her fame and money, he supported most of her family. I felt sorry for Ron Goldman for being caught up in OJ's rage because he was seen a rival for Nicole's affections, and sorry for Ron's family who saw OJ walk free from a double homicide. I felt empathy for people who felt they had been denied the justice that was given to other Americans (I felt however that the film could have included how other people of other races have been treated by the white majority- there was nothing said about how the Hispanic community felt about how they were treated by the LAPD and the US government) Mostly I was appalled by how Simpson went back to a luxurious life after the trial, selling his autographs for 3 million dollars while in jail, and was still schmoozed by people who wanted a piece of his fame. It's telling that the Goldmans struck back with court orders grabbing Simpson's money, yet Simpson managed to make more sliding into sleaziness in South Miami Beach with coke addict blonde girlfriends. People wanted to keep watching him, keep collecting his signed footballs and t shirts, and keep trying to be associated with him. Made in America holds up a mirror and finds disturbing portraits: not just of OJ, and OJ's actions, but American society's obsession with wealth and fame.

gregers112 O.J.: Made in America is the Oscar winner for best documentary in 2016 and its well deserved. What a documentary. There is so much detail in this and so many questions answered that we didn't know would or could be answered about the infamous O.J Simpson case.I'm normally not a documentary type-guy but this had me floored. It's such an amazing piece of artistry, and being a young European I hadn't actually heard of this case before which meant that I was amazed all the way through.I first watched the dramatization of the story in The People v. O.J Simpson: American Crime story and honestly it just made this documentary even better as they're not acting. These events has ACTUALLY happened.Some may argue that it's very long for a documentary (7hr 47 min), but honestly the backstory which we get in the first couple of episodes is time well spent. It makes the impact of the final chapters of this story so much larger and makes for a more emotional ending.What made me love this story and documentary so much is that it has made me think so much about this case. I've finished the documentary a week ago and I'm STILL thinking about this documentary. That's how good it is.Wow, what a story and what an ending. Incredible. I would definitely recommend this documentary to anyone who loves film and who loves definitive stories. However, I think the documentary will have the biggest impact on you if you haven't heard much about the story and aren't fully aware of everything that happened to O.J Simpson. That being said you will still have an amazing time watching this documentary regardless if you know about the origins of this case or not.