Noah Gittell

Connecticut

Contributing Writer at RogerEbert.com

Contributor at BBC

Critic and Film Journalist at The Atlantic

Film Critic at Washington City Paper

BASEBALL: THE MOVIE (a book) is available now! Order: https://t.co/a1NGam6e5B Also seen at: @NYTimes @Ringer @Guardian @TheAtlantic @Slate @Decider @BBC

Articles

Retro Review: The Apartment Is More Than Romantic Comedy

1 month ago | washingtoncitypaper.com | Noah Gittell

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! Billy Wilder’s The Apartment is often lauded as one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time, and while it’s certainly great, you could argue it’s neither romantic nor a comedy. In between its nifty setup—an ambitious young office worker lends his apartment to his bosses for their extramarital trysts—and its conventional, guy-gets-the-girl ending, The Apartment features long stretches without laughs or warm feelings.
‘Eephus’ Is The Best Baseball Movie Since ‘Everybody Wants Some’

1 month ago | decider.com | Noah Gittell

Baseball is rapidly becoming a game of athletic excellence. Its players are stronger and fitter than ever. They throw faster, swing harder, and routinely make plays of astounding agility, the kind that would get them on the first five minutes of Sportscenter if ESPN still covered baseball in any sort of meaningful way. Older fans know it wasn’t always this way. Ballplayers were once known for being pudgy and out of shape. They had “dad bods” long before that was a term.
‘Eephus’ Is The Best Baseball Movie Since ‘Everybody Wants Some’

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Noah Gittell

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key TakeawaysBaseball is rapidly becoming a game of athletic excellence. Its players are stronger and fitter than ever.
Retro Review: Nothing Much Happens in Inside Llewyn Davis. That’s the Point

1 month ago | washingtoncitypaper.com | Noah Gittell

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! Nothing much happens in Inside Llewyn Davis, and that’s the point. The protagonist, a talented but decidedly unsuccessful folk singer in early ’60s Greenwich Village, learns a few things about how the world works, namely that he’s not talented enough to behave like such an asshole and get away with it.
Exciting Year at the Oscars

Feb 28, 2025 | ryerecord.com | Noah Gittell

Sometimes the Oscars are boring. Not this year. The 2024 Academy Awards are overflowing with storylines and controversies, and a Best Picture race that is far from settled. Before you fill out your ballot, allow me to share this primer on the films and the foibles that will define this year’s ceremony.
Retro Review: Before The Substance, There Was Death Becomes Her

Jan 17, 2025 | washingtoncitypaper.com | Noah Gittell

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! The cause celebre of this year’s awards race is The Substance, a gnarly bit of body horror that satirizes Hollywood’s obsession with youth and its toll on women. More than three decades ago, Death Becomes Her got there first.
R.I.P. Bob Uecker: No baseball player ever did more with less

Jan 17, 2025 | decider.com | Noah Gittell

For those trained in the art of self-deprecation, death must be no great surprise. Bob Uecker died today at the age of 90. A veteran of two heart surgeries, he had been battling lung cancer for over a year, and had dramatically reduced his workload as the radio voice of the Milwaukee Brewers.
R.I.P. Bob Uecker: No Baseball Player Ever Did More With Less

Jan 17, 2025 | yahoo.com | Noah Gittell

For those trained in the art of self-deprecation, death must be no great surprise. Bob Uecker died today at the age of 90. A veteran of two heart surgeries, he had been battling lung cancer for over a year, and had dramatically reduced his workload as the radio voice of the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Top Movies of 2024

Dec 27, 2024 | ryerecord.com | Noah Gittell

It’s okay to say this: 2024 was not a banner year for film. None of my favorites will end up on the Sight and Sound list. On the other hand, reports of the death of cinema have been greatly exaggerated. There’s a practical reason we didn’t get as many great films this year; the writers and actors strikes of 2023 put a dent into the production schedule, and many films planned for release got pushed to 2025.
Retro Review: It’s the Humanity That Keeps Us Captivated in Batman Returns

Dec 6, 2024 | washingtoncitypaper.com | Noah Gittell

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! The superhero movie, which has dominated the film landscape for the first quarter of this century, actually reached its creative apex in 1992 when Batman Returns hit theaters. It was then the most anticipated movie of my short lifetime. At every cinema, lines were out the door and around the block. The fast food tie-ins were omnipresent. Then people saw the film and hated it. Parents regretted taking their kids.