91%
33 Reviews
Tomatometer
76%
100+ Ratings
Audience Score
Sitting down with filmmaker Martin Scorsese, humorist Fran Lebowitz weighs in on New York City tourists, money, subways, the arts, and the not-so-simple act of walking in Times Square.
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Watch Pretend It's a City — Limited Series with a subscription on Netflix.
Critics Consensus
If Pretend It's a City can't quite live up to its central duo's creative clout, it's still a delight to see their love for their city - and one another -- in full bloom.
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Sophia D
Fran's unyielding nature might inadvertently make cynics feel less isolated. Perhaps this is why I adore her. It's all about temperament, and Fran has the words, oh the words…
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/13/24
Full Review
David F
Fran Lebowitz is an entertaining, funny, and witty author and this documentary captures her perspective and her attitude ably. The best episode is the last one when she talks about books, bookstores, and libraries.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
06/19/23
Full Review
laine m
Fran's a hoot of a humorist. So incredibly witty. Hey, see… this Jersey girl is as NYC as it gets. Loved the mix of one-on-one interviews, Fran's insightful city-walks, old tapes w/ Letterman, live audience Q&A & especially Fran at home, among her beloved books.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Pretentious and unwatchable.
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
01/09/23
Full Review
phil v
Just brilliant. She's so entertaining and funny. Not many famous people I'd like to go out for dinner with, but she's one.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This is amazing. It's elegant, it's funny, it's smart and sincere. it's like you've been invited to the intimate friends meeting. Timeless.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/09/23
Full Review
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Cast & Crew
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Cast & Crew
Episode 1
Aired Jan 8, 2021
Pretend It's a City
Fran Lebowitz muses about deadly distractions, Times Square terror, subway stoppers, and building fails.
Details
Episode 2
Aired Jan 8, 2021
Cultural Affairs
Fran Lebowitz looks at the peril of writing, the joy of Motown and the time jazz pianist Charles Mingus chased her on the street.
Details
Episode 3
Aired Jan 8, 2021
Metropolitan Transit
Fran Lebowitz gets going on mean cabbies, arty subway stations, interstellar tourism, spacey bus drivers, and being offered an e-cigarette by actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
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Episode 4
Aired Jan 8, 2021
Board of Estimate
Fran Lebowitz hates money but loves things, so she must work, though she prefers to read and winning the lottery may be her only other option.
Details
Episode 5
Aired Jan 8, 2021
Department of Sports & Health
Fran Lebowitz says she knows that smoking is bad for one's health and that some are annoyed that she's still alive; she says "wellness" and sports sound even worse to her.
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Episode 6
Aired Jan 8, 2021
Hall of Records
Fran Lebowitz is all about fun -- guilty pleasures, not so much; she doesn't need technology, just a party, a movie, a small child, or a luminous Cary Grant.
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Episode 7
Aired Jan 8, 2021
Library Services
Fran Lebowitz says books opened up the world to her younger self; today, she can't throw a volume away, but she will trash the writer of a glowing blurb for a lousy book.
Details
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Pretend It's a City: Season 1 Trailer
Pretend It's a City: Season 1 Trailer
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Barry Divola
Sydney Morning Herald
Whether she's kvetching about slow-walking tourists or detailing the horrors of a sanitised Times Square, Lebowitz is never less than caustically loveable.
Mar 10, 2021
Full Review
Tony Bravo
San Francisco Chronicle
There is something unusually comforting about Lebowitz's ability to verbally decimate the absurdity of modern existence that sparks a lot of pleasure for me and my friends.
Feb 1, 2021
Full Review
Naomi Fry
New Yorker
Is there anything more delightful than watching Martin Scorsese enjoy someone? One of the best things about his new documentary series, Pretend It's a City, is getting to see the filmmaker react to his subject.
Jan 23, 2021
Full Review
Michael Cuby
them.
Is there any personality more “New York” than Fran Leibowitz?
Sep 28, 2022
Full Review
Victor Pineyro
Seventh Art Studio
For moments it's a conversation around friends, for others it's the story of one of the greatest cities in the world. Absolutely hilarious. [Full review in Spanish]
Rated: 9/10
Sep 30, 2021
Full Review
Olga de la Fuente
Letras Libres
It's is incredible to see what a director can do when he sets aside the narrative he has accustomed us to. [Full review in Spanish]
Sep 28, 2021
Full Review
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