Click here to copy URL

The Big Cigar (TV Miniseries)

The Big Cigar

2024

Janine Sherman (Creator), Damon Thomas ...

André Holland, Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, Marc Menchaca ...

5.0

TV Series. Drama TV Miniseries (2023). 6 Episodes. A Black Panther leader teams up with an unlikely ally—a Hollywood producer—to elude a nationwide manhunt and escape to Cuba while being pursued by the FBI.

	Media	Author	Review
		Judy Berman Time	"That Newton’s wariness of mass culture frames the story from the very beginning is a sign that viewers are in for something much smarter, bolder, and more challenging than the entertainment industry’s typical, sanitized take on radical politics"
		Aramide Tinubu Variety	"André Holland is stellar as Huey P. Newton, but 'The Big Cigar' never ignites"
		Daniel Fienberg The Hollywood Reporter	"[It] ends up being two different unsatisfying shows squished together into six episodes of under 42 minutes apiece — occasionally stylish and boasting a very good lead performance by André Holland, but frustratingly mediocre overall"
		Manuel Betancourt AV Club	"'The Big Cigar' feels like it could've used a trim (...) [It] sets its own tone and style for what remains a necessary revisionist take on these most pivotal of decades"
		Amber Dowling The Globe and Mail	"There are shootouts and shady characters and heartbreaking losses to round it all out, giving the story an underground feel with high production values"
		Ellen E. Jones The Guardian	"Proof that Hollywood can’t be trusted to tell the stories of Black radicals (...) [It] not only dilutes the story of a Black leader – it centres the white characters (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Alan Sepinwall Rolling Stone	"Mostly, it seems that 'The Big Cigar' has turned the vibrant, complicated, and at times deeply ugly story of the life of Huey Newton into yet another Hollywood tale about how awesome Hollywood is"
		Ben Travers IndieWire	"André Holland is excellent in an erratic biopic"
		Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times	"André Holland does a brilliant job of capturing the complicated and charismatic Black Panthers co-founder (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Joel Keller Decider	"Despite our reservations about the storytelling in 'The Big Cigar', we were impressed by Holland's turn as Huey P. Newton. That alone is enough to watch this fast-moving series"
		Brian Lowry CNN	"[It] doesn't entirely ignite, in a limited series whose underlying true story packs more of a wallop than the finished product"
		Elisa Guimaraes Collider	"Politically speaking, Huey Newton, the man on the wicker chair, and the movement that he helped sprout cannot be overlooked. However, as a person, and not an idea, Newton was a complicated man. When it comes to portraying that whole complexity, 'The Big Cigar' falls short"
		Alex Maidy JoBlo	"The setup for 'The Big Cigar' is more intriguing than the finished product, which is a disservice to Newton and the Black Panther Party’s story"
		Nadir Samara Screen Rant	"It's a fine series, but paired with a script that is all over the place, neither the story nor the performance hit their peaks (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Nina Metz Chicago Tribune	"Enjoyably watchable if occasionally tonally uncertain (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"
		Ross McIndoe Slant	"Newton was a man hell-bent on driving the world forward, but 'The Big Cigar' spends most of its time running in place (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"
		Rory Doherty Paste Magazine	"[It] is a slick caper that only superficially grasps its history lesson"
		Craig Mathieson The Age	"Andre Holland's standing as one of America’s best actors is reinforced by his capacious performance in this ambitious mix of historic drama and shaggy comedy"
		Liam Mathews The Wrap	"André Holland knows exactly what he's doing, and his performance keeps 'The Big Cigar' engaging even when the plot struggles"
		Micco Caporale Chicago Reader	"Mostly, 'The Big Cigar' is disappointingly anodyne"
		Barbara Ellen The New York Observer	"Real-life figures are introduced somewhat clunkily. Still, it boasts modish, wraparound styling, a solid soundtrack, a firm sense of Black history and lively dialogue (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"

Return to movie

We encourage you to check the reviews' original sources. Intellectual property rights of these reviews belong to their authors and/or the correspondent media from which they have been extracted. If you'd like to help us to add more reviews to your favorite movies, just send us a message.