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Highly Overrated But Still Good

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

One can't help but feel sorry for Mark Wexler. Goodness gracious me. To have a genius for a father. Not an easy thing. Rita Hayworth after her marriage with Orson Welles say "Being married to a genius is exhausting" Imagine being the son. Naturally Mark is a sucker for punishment. He gets himself in the lions cage knowing that he's the lion's favorite dish. In any case. Bravo Mark! I don't think we'll ever have a more realistic, balanced and fair portrait of Haskell Wexler. The documentary is unavoidably manipulated by its subject but even that shows a private side of the man and his amusingly enormous ego that couldn't have come to the fore if it wasn't for Mark Wexler. I enjoyed, with certain moments of real discomfort, this wonderful documentary about one of the greatest pains in the ass that ever lived. His work will live forever and this film signed by his son will travel in time as a perfect companion.

I grew up in Chicago and was 18 years old when the riots broke out there during the 1968 Democratic Convention. I didn't go down there because my Chicago Democrat father would have thrown me out of the house if I had gotten involved. So I saw the riots going on 8 miles from house on TV, while Haskell Wexler was down in the streets making a film about how the media was shaping my beliefs about the situation. I think that about sums up my "personal" relationship to Haskell Wexler. When I saw the film Medium Cool, my mind was altered forever. I eventually got a doctorate in communications research and I teach young people about the influence of media in their world and about how they can use the media to change the world.I sense that the mediocre rating of this film may be due to the fact that people could miss the absolute perfect symmetry of this film. They fail to see how the father forces the son into cinema verite mode (far away from the controlled format of the Smithsonian type of documentary that Mark was used to) and how the son accepts this and creates a film that the father can sign off on. There is a lot of truth in this film. Even if Mark's values do not mirror Haskell's, he is unafraid to expose his own feelings. And I get a sense that Haskell's influence on his son is more profound than he realizes through much of the film. Also, coming from my own lefty perspective, I found the exploration of a life well lived to be inspirational. This film has just surfaced on Sundance Channel in 2006 and if you are interested in finding some of the connecting threads in Haskell's life or are the sort of man who cried watching "Field of Dreams," it's well worth the watch.

A virtuoso effort.This documentary is one of the best I have ever seen even after the fifth viewing. "Tell them Who You Are" is about the great exploration of a father and son's troubled relationship. It also shows the professional side of Haskell Wexler and has great interviews with many famous stars telling their tales of working with him.Mark Wexler is truly a gifted filmmaker. He is, dare I say, much like his father in that he doesn't sugar coat any aspect of this film. It is a great film for all audiences.

This documentary will engage you on several levels -- it is a brilliant brief on one of film's greatest cinematographers (Haskell Wexler), a great behind the scenes look at movie-making, anda moving study of a son trying to come to terms with his famous -- and famously difficult -- father. Many interesting insights from marquee actors and directors (but with James Lipton nowhere in sight!). While industry insiders will surely love it, it is equally appealing to "civilian" filmgoers. Director Mark Wexler bravely shows his own foibles as well as those of his father. Many great telling moments.