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Critics list

Ben Travers

Tomatometer-approved critic
Publications:

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
The Running Man (1987) 59% 6/10 EDIT “The Running Man is packed with referential one-liners and off-the-wall quips. ” – PopMatters Nov 5, 2025 Full Review SNL50: The Anniversary Special (2025) 71% C+ EDIT “It just felt like the folks swept up on stage were having way more fun than those of us stuck watching from the couch. “SNL” doesn’t always feel like that, and “SNL50” didn’t have to.” – IndieWire Feb 18, 2025 Full Review Reverse the Curse (2023) 58% B EDIT “Finds fresh life in its nuanced central relationship, charming period details, and a stirring performance from Duchovny — while eliciting well-earned sobs from anyone who can’t help but feel romantic about baseball.” – IndieWire Jun 11, 2023 Full Review Chris Rock: Selective Outrage (2023) 46% C- EDIT “While courting indignation via pervasive buzzwords certainly isn’t all Rock did, “Selective Outrage” was in no way built to last. Half the jokes were obsolete before he finished saying them. ” – IndieWire Mar 6, 2023 Full Review Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend (2020) 94% B- EDIT “To complain that parts of this special don't make sense might seem beside the point... but when timelines don't match up or potentially powerful moments are quickly disposed of, it undermines any substantial impact the special might otherwise carry.” – IndieWire Aug 9, 2021 Full Review Friends: The Reunion (2021) 67% C- EDIT “Just seeing the core cast, 17 years older and inhabiting the sets out of character, is a little bizarre, but what makes the reunion so much weirder (to the point where I had to take a break 20 minutes in) is how desperate it feels.” – IndieWire May 26, 2021 Full Review WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn (2021) 75% C EDIT “That version of Neumann is just one more tech yuppie full of hot air, and "WeWork" doesn't work hard enough to convince us why anyone would believe he's a unicorn, let alone what broke the spell.” – IndieWire Mar 18, 2021 Full Review Yearly Departed (2020) 86% C+ EDIT “Maybe a roast isn't exactly what "Yearly Departed" was going for, but a wake doesn't quite fit either.” – IndieWire Jan 5, 2021 Full Review A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020) 93% B EDIT “Still, the reunion's determination to put its prolonged hold on people to good use is an admirable twist on the series' continuing legacy” – IndieWire Dec 31, 2020 Full Review Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical! (2020) 13% C EDIT “It really feels like they were going for a zany, over-the-top vibe to match the Seussian weirdness driving this story, and while the set design and costumes got there, the performances, songs, and blocking didn't quite make it.” – IndieWire Dec 10, 2020 Full Review The Sunset Limited (2011) 68% EDIT “Jones and Jackson are fantastic, yes, but we already knew that and these characters aren't exactly a stretch for either of them. I'm sure they enjoyed doing it, especially Jones, who gets the juiciest lines. It's just not enough to justify viewing.” – PopMatters Aug 6, 2020 Full Review C- EDIT “"Long Gone Summer" offers little more than a barrage of shallow pop flies to convince me I should.” – IndieWire Jun 16, 2020 Full Review Lance (2020) 91% B- EDIT “Anyone interested enough in Armstrong to watch three hours of "Lance" will be entertained and informed, perhaps they'll even form fresh opinions on the figure, but he's still just a guy.” – IndieWire Jan 28, 2020 Full Review John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019) 96% A- EDIT “It's an inventive, exciting, and very funny homage.” – IndieWire Dec 19, 2019 Full Review Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019) 73% C+ EDIT “It doesn't revolutionize or reinvigorate the web series, so much as it draws on nostalgia from when the idea still seemed fresh.” – IndieWire Sep 23, 2019 Full Review Joe Mande's Award-winning Comedy Special (2017) EDIT “Netflix is flooded with comedy specials, including the "series" mentioned next on this list, but Mande is one to make sure you don't miss.” – IndieWire Jul 18, 2019 Full Review Michael Che Matters (2016) 100% B- EDIT “While not consistently fresh (bits on giving money to the homeless and Jesus being white feel familiar) or laugh-a-minute hysterical, the special is intriguing in its demand for more honesty.” – IndieWire Jul 16, 2019 Full Review Aziz Ansari: Right Now (2019) 84% B EDIT “Framed by a sincere pseudo-apology and an earnest thank you, Ansari's not interested in going for the joke at all costs, so much as he wants to engage again with the audience he almost lost.” – IndieWire Jul 10, 2019 Full Review Deadwood: The Movie (2019) 98% A- EDIT “The closing line of David Milch's "Deadwood" movie is one of the greatest ever written.” – IndieWire May 23, 2019 Full Review O.G. (2018) 89% B EDIT “Can be a tad slow, a touch too simple, and even a little distracted from making a larger, more declarative point about modern incarceration. But by carving its own path through Louis...it's nothing short of original.” – IndieWire Feb 25, 2019 Full Review Rent Live (2019) 27% EDIT “There were moments, songs, and even stretches of "Rent Live" that worked as an engrossing musical experience, but the whole thing did not gel.” – IndieWire Jan 28, 2019 Full Review My Dinner With HervĂ© (2018) 83% C- EDIT “What's left are two dudes with varying degrees of moral disrepair shouting at each other across the Hollywood Hills. That's not enough to hold up an entire feature, or even a good dinner conversation.” – IndieWire Oct 22, 2018 Full Review Fahrenheit 451 (2018) 31% C+ EDIT “Unfortunately, Fahrenheit 451 isn't hard-hitting enough as a film to be a proper motivating factor on its own.” – IndieWire May 14, 2018 Full Review Paterno (2018) 69% A- EDIT “It speaks to viewers with disparate reactions, but it also speaks to anyone who didn't dig into the scandal at the time by outlining what happens when we are too quick to defend the famous faces instead of those claiming to be victimized by them.” – IndieWire Apr 9, 2018 Full Review Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (2018) 100% EDIT “Well, it's safe to say that was the best live musical since Grease. From a production standpoint, I'm glad to see they tried to raise the bar creatively instead of just copying what was done before.” – IndieWire Apr 2, 2018 Full Review
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