O.J.: Made in America
An exhaustive documentary portrait of O. J. Simpson that transforms a celebrity murder trial into a searching examination of race, policing, justice, and divided American identity.
Overview
A gripping exploration of fame, race, and justice in America during a tumultuous time.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Graphic
- investigative
- sobering
- nuanced
- serious viewing
- documentary marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Ezra Edelman’s exhaustive documentary as a powerful, nuanced, and exceptionally well-researched examination of Simpson’s life, the murder trial, and the racial divisions surrounding it.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The murder trial is situated within Los Angeles police brutality, racial tensions, and the criminal justice system.
Simpson’s football fame, public image, and intensely mediated trial shape the documentary’s account of his rise and fall.
The 467-minute chronicle combines Simpson’s life, the Los Angeles social context, police history, and trial perspectives.
Archive footage of O. J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson is combined with interviews and testimony from figures including Marcia Clark and F. Lee Bailey.
Films like O.J.: Made in America, and why
The Staircase
expansive true crime documentary examining criminal justice, media spectacle, and systemic racial tensions
The Central Park Five
American true crime documentary using a notorious case to interrogate race, policing, and institutional power
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
long-form documentary portrait linking celebrity, crime, media, and divided American public opinion
When We Were Kings
historical documentary about race, sports, celebrity, and the construction of American identity
Movie Details
- Director
- Ezra Edelman
- Release Date
- 2016-05-20
- Runtime
- 467 min
- Rating
- 8.4 / 10 (268)
Cast
- O. J. Simpson
- Nicole Brown Simpson
- Marcia Clark
- Danny Bakewell Sr.
- F. Lee Bailey
- Peter Hyams
- Willie Brown
- Harry Edwards
- Fred Khasigian
- Steve Lehmer
Common questions
- What is O.J.: Made in America about?
- An exhaustive documentary portrait of O. J. Simpson that transforms a celebrity murder trial into a searching examination of race, policing, justice, and divided American identity.
- What is O.J.: Made in America like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of O.J.: Made in America as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is O.J.: Made in America violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in O.J.: Made in America as graphic.
- What did critics think of O.J.: Made in America?
- Critics broadly regard Ezra Edelman’s exhaustive documentary as a powerful, nuanced, and exceptionally well-researched examination of Simpson’s life, the murder trial, and the racial divisions surrounding it.
- Which films are like O.J.: Made in America?
- Films with a similar feel include The Staircase, The Central Park Five, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, and When We Were Kings.
- How long is O.J.: Made in America?
- O.J.: Made in America runs 467 minutes.
