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David Rooney

Chief Film Critic

As Chief Film Critic, David Rooney reviews the latest releases and premieres from major festivals including Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Venice and Toronto. He was formerly THR’s Chief Theater Critic and continues to review Broadway when time permits. Based in New York City, he is a member of the New York Film Critics Circle, National Society of Film Critics and New York Drama Critics Circle. Prior to joining THR, he was Chief Italian Correspondent for Variety before moving to New York, where he became Chief Theater Critic. Rooney's work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone. He has served on the nominating panel for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and multiple times for the Gotham Awards. David’s writing for THR has won three Southern California Journalism Awards and a National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award.

More from David Rooney

‘Oh, Mary!’ Theater Review: Comedy Genius Cole Escola Serves Revisionist American History as Riotous Queer Silliness

Escola portrays first lady Mary Todd Lincoln as an alcoholic wannabe cabaret star, with Conrad Ricamora as her long-suffering husband and James Scully as her acting coach.

‘Twisters’ Review: Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell Headline a Middling Sequel With Lots of Storms but Little Genuine Excitement

Anthony Ramos also stars in ‘Minari’ director Lee Isaac Chung’s meteorological thriller, set during a once-in-a-generation tornado season in Oklahoma.

‘Longlegs’ Review: Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage in a Mesmerizing Serial Killer Chiller That Burns With Satanic Power

Writer-director Osgood Perkins spins a tense FBI procedural steeped in occult horror and nightmarish visions, also starring Blair Underwood and Alicia Witt.

‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ Review: Eddie Murphy Is Back on the Streets in Routine Netflix Sequel Low on New Ideas

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Taylour Paige also star in the return of the wise-ass Detroit detective, 40 years after the original and 30 years after the last franchise installment.

‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ Review: Lupita Nyong’o Navigates a Waking Nightmare for a Pizza in Nail-Biting Horror Prequel

Writer-director Michael Sarnoski follows his head-turning debut, ‘Pig,’ with this third chapter of the hit sci-fi franchise, also starring Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff and Djimon Hounsou.

‘MaXXXine’ Review: Mia Goth and Ti West’s Slasher Trilogy Wraps With a Torrid Love Letter to ‘80s Genre Filmmaking

Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Giancarlo Esposito and Kevin Bacon also star in this Tinseltown-set follow-up to ‘X’ and ‘Pearl.’

‘Young Hearts’ Review: Belgian Teen Coming-Out Romance Is a Disarmingly Sweet Account of First Love

Writer-director Anthony Schatteman’s assured debut boasts a standout lead performance from Lou Goossens as a 14-year-old boy struggling with self-discovery.

Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 10 Best Films of 2024 So Far

THR’s reviewers choose faves from the first half of the year, including a sizzling story of sex and sports, a delightful Pixar sequel and two riveting European refugee dramas.

‘Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution’ Review: Trailblazing Queer Comics Get Their Due in Entertaining Netflix Doc

Lily Tomlin, Margaret Cho, Eddie Izzard and Sandra Bernhard are among those sharing their experiences in Page Hurwitz’s archive-rich study.

‘Touch’ Review: Baltasar Kormákur Shifts Gears With a Delicate Study of Passion Suspended by Time and Distance

The Icelandic director’s latest is a novelistic saga of an elderly widower who sets out to solve the mystery of his first love’s sudden disappearance 50 years earlier.

‘Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story’ Review: Liza Minnelli Doc Is a Full-Hearted Celebration That Will Hit Fans’ Sweet Spot

The showbiz survivor looks back on her life and career, her emergence from her mother’s shadow and the mentors who helped shape her megawatt persona.

‘Inside Out 2’ Review: Pixar’s Psych Studies Pay Off Big Time in Delightful Sequel Set in Turbulent Early Adolescence

Amy Poehler is back as the voice of Joy, with a new whirl of emotions represented by Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Paul Walter Hauser.

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