How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer

Play trailer

2:11

How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer

2024

1h 42m

Documentary

Biography

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

10 Reviews

96%

Popcornmeter

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.

Gal Beckerman

The Atlantic

07/24/2024

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.

Go to Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Variety

07/16/2024

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

Go to Full Review

Alissa Wilkinson

New York Times

07/01/2024

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.

Go to Full Review

Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

12/26/2024

3.5/5

An expansive documentary biography of an extraordinary and contradictory writer.

Go to Full Review

Mark Demetrius

FILMINK (Australia)

10/15/2024

18/20

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

Go to Full Review

Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

09/03/2024

7/10

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Kopal T

@Kopal Dec 30

Not a single good thing i can say about this movie

See more

David B

@mainereviews 02/14/2025

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.

See more

Susan C

@RT53240532 09/17/2024

I have a great appreciation for this movie and everyone that was a part of it. Brilliantly done!!! Norman's family are lovely and very well spoken. Norman knew what the people needed, but his childhood beliefs controlled him in ways he didn't understand. We need our voice to be heard, but in a more alive captivating truthful fearless way. To get out of our own way and come alive we must go deeply into it. See you soon. Thanks for creating Jeff

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Jeff Zimbalist

Director

Jeff Zimbalist

Writer

Jeff Zimbalist

Producer

Victoria Marquette

Producer

Polina Dubik

Producer

Vinnie Malhotra

Executive Producer

Remembering Gene Wilder

88%

96%

Remembering Gene Wilder

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Remembering Gene Wilder

Val

93%

89%

Val

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Val

Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb

96%

98%

Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb

Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse

100%

99%

Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse

Watchlist

Jim Henson Idea Man

98%

92%

Jim Henson Idea Man

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Jim Henson Idea Man

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer: Trailer 1

2:11

View more videos

View more photos

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