How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer

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How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer

2024

1h 42m

Documentary

Biography

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100%

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10 Reviews

96%

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

HOW TO COME ALIVE with Norman Mailer explores the rollercoaster life of America's most controversial and bestselling author of the 20th Century, Norman Mailer. Propelled by his tremendous ego and contrarian spirit, Mailer's ceaseless visibility in the public eye lasted 6 decades, during which he had 6 tumultuous marriages, 9 beloved children, 11 bestsellers, 3 arrests, and 2 Pulitzer Prizes. Prophet, hedonist, violent criminal, literary outlaw, and social provocateur, Mailer's ideas about love, anger, fear, and courage cut to the core of human nature, are more relevant than ever today, and point to a prescription for waking ourselves up, shaking free of society's expectations, and coming alive as a people. The first project with full access to Mailer's family and their archive, the film unearths a treasure trove of intimate and never-before-seen footage, outtakes, audio recordings, and interviews from throughout his life. Mailer lays himself bare, foibles and all. As a lover, fighter, rabble-rouser, and perhaps the last true American public intellectual, he seeks most of all to become a bolder, better human being and encourages us to do the same -- to think adventurously, speak fearlessly, and care less about the response... or risk a doomed future.

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Gal Beckerman

The Atlantic

Jul 24, 2024

A need exists to find ways to productively depict the lives of deeply flawed and even morally repugnant artists. With this film, Zimbalist has done just that by embracing ambivalence.

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Owen Gleiberman

Variety

Jul 16, 2024

“How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer” holds surprises even for Mailer fans.

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Alissa Wilkinson

New York Times

Jul 1, 2024

Zimbalist hits on a great idea: arrange the film in terms of what Mailer's friends, enemies and acquaintances believe his "rules for coming alive" might be.

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Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

Dec 26, 2024

3.5/5

An expansive documentary biography of an extraordinary and contradictory writer.

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Mark Demetrius

FILMINK (Australia)

Oct 15, 2024

18/20

... gets better and better as it goes on.

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Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

Sep 3, 2024

7/10

How to Come Alive does a remarkable job capturing Mailer’s anarchic spirit...

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Kopal T

@Kopal Dec 30, 2025

Not a single good thing i can say about this movie

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David B

@mainereviews Feb 14, 2025

Provocative in every sense of the word, Norman Mailer was a force of nature, and someone who displayed all the good, bad, and ugly about being human. He was an open book that was there for all to read, and he spent his life trying to read it himself. Great documentary and stands as a cautionary tale about our culture, its divisiveness, and how everyone sees the seeds fascism everywhere other than their own heart and mind.

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Jeff Zimbalist

Director

Jeff Zimbalist

Writer

Jeff Zimbalist

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Victoria Marquette

Producer

Polina Dubik

Producer

Vinnie Malhotra

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Synopsis

HOW TO COME ALIVE with Norman Mailer explores the rollercoaster life of America's most controversial and bestselling author of the 20th Century, Norman Mailer. Propelled by his tremendous ego and contrarian spirit, Mailer's ceaseless visibility in the public eye lasted 6 decades, during which he had 6 tumultuous marriages, 9 beloved children, 11 bestsellers, 3 arrests, and 2 Pulitzer Prizes. Prophet, hedonist, violent criminal, literary outlaw, and social provocateur, Mailer's ideas about love, anger, fear, and courage cut to the core of human nature, are more relevant than ever today, and point to a prescription for waking ourselves up, shaking free of society's expectations, and coming alive as a people. The first project with full access to Mailer's family and their archive, the film unearths a treasure trove of intimate and never-before-seen footage, outtakes, audio recordings, and interviews from throughout his life. Mailer lays himself bare, foibles and all. As a lover, fighter, rabble-rouser, and perhaps the last true American public intellectual, he seeks most of all to become a bolder, better human being and encourages us to do the same -- to think adventurously, speak fearlessly, and care less about the response... or risk a doomed future.

Director: Jeff Zimbalist
Producer: Jeff Zimbalist, Victoria Marquette, Polina Dubik
Screenwriter: Jeff Zimbalist
Distributor: Zeitgeist Films
Production Co: All Rise Films
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 28, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 3, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $64.2K
Runtime: 1h 42m

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