Totally Under Control (2020)
92%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 7 nominations
Totally Under Control does a commendable job of distilling current events into a clear-eyed overview that’s as engaging as it is enraging.
Totally Under Control” is a documentary that will make you want to scream, cry, and throw things at the TV all at once. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions as you watch the bureaucratic mess that led to the mishandling of a pandemic. But don’t worry, there are some moments of levity, like when you realize that the people in charge were actually just a bunch of science-denying vipers. Overall, it’s a must-watch for anyone who wants to feel the fresh white-hot Hell of unbearable outrage.
Production Company(ies)
Aamir Khan Productions, Jhamu Sughand Productions,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Hulu)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-14
Year of Release
2020
-
Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English, Korean
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Oct 13, 2020
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, COVID-19, pandemic, public health officials, response, government, Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan, Suzanne Hillinger, directed by, produced by, written by, reviewed by, MPAA rating, box office performance, budget, critic names, Taison Bell, Michael Bowen, Rick Bright, Caroline Chen, Dr Tom Frieden, narrator, English, 2h 3m, genre, timely, update, information, Trump White House, kleptocratic, science-bashing, vipers, thorough, tedious, grim, bureaucratic indifference, invisible killer, crash course, sequel, Act I, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV shows, streaming, anticipated movies, TV & streaming, renewed & cancelled TV shows, worst horror movies, careers, newsletter, Fandango, Fresh Kernels
Worldwide gross: $1,465
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,672
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,158
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 182
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Taison Bell – self
Michael Bowen – self
Rick Bright – self
Caroline Chen – self
Dr. Tom Frieden – self
Director(s)
Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan, Suzanne Hillinger
Writer(s)
Alex Gibney
Producer(s)
Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan, Suzanne Hillinger
Film Festivals
Telluride
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 7 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (103) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (102) | Rotten (1)
This isn’t the story of an inevitable tragedy. It’s the story of a disaster that everyone saw coming and let happen anyway.
February 7, 2021
Sam Adams
Slate
TOP CRITIC
This is about as timely as a documentary can be, and yet it’s already in need of an update.
February 7, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Richard Roeper
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
It takes a village to burn itself to the ground, and no one is better at contextualizing such huge events, and structuring the information into a clear and transparent narrative, than documentarian Alex Gibney.
February 7, 2021
Richard Whittaker
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
None of the fancy gimmicky in “Totally Under Control” can top the sheer emotional turmoil on display from its key subjects.
February 7, 2021 | Rating: B
Eric Kohn
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
A timely and competent first chapter, but it’s only a fragment of a story that’s still being written.
February 7, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Zach Long
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
It’s sobering, often indecently gripping material that, in broad strokes, confirms widely circulated impressions of the Trump White House as a nest of kleptocratic science-bashing vipers.
February 7, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The information presented is thorough, yet never comes across as tedious or overwhelmingly grim.
June 5, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
Josh Parham
Next Best Picture
Ready to feel the fresh white-hot Hell of unbearable outrage?
April 22, 2021
Witney Seibold
Critically Acclaimed Podcast
Totally Under Control tells an unfortunate story of bureaucratic indifference to an invisible killer.
February 7, 2021
Johnny Loftus
Decider
If you’ve been following the COVID news, you may think you know the story behind the U.S. government’s response. But we learned new things from this documentary.
February 7, 2021
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality & Practice
Sadly, this expert and powerfully important film likely will spawn a sequel before all of this is finally over. Look at Totally Under Control as Act I.
February 7, 2021
Pete Hammond
Deadline Hollywood Daily
If you’ve somehow gotten to 2020 without forming a complete, informed opinion of the political landscape in the U.S., carve out two hours and settle in for a crash course.
February 7, 2021
Adam Rosenberg
Mashable…
Plot
Totally Under Control is a documentary that discusses the U.S. government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Narrator Alex Gibney is also the writer and producer of Totally Under Control.
Alex-Gibney.jpg
