Joe Morgenstern | |
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 Morgenstern in 2008 | |
| Born | (1932-10-03)October 3, 1932 (age 93) New York City, U.S. |
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| Education | Lehigh University (BA) |
| Subject | Film |
| Notable awards | Pulitzer Prize for Criticism (2005) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Joe Morgenstern (born October 3, 1932)[1] is an American writer and retired film critic. He wrote forNewsweek from 1965 to 1983, and then forThe Wall Street Journal from 1995 to 2022. He won thePulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2005. Morgenstern has also written for television.
From 1965 to 1983 Morgenstern was film critic forNewsweek. During this time, he pannedBonnie and Clyde and then reconsidered his opinion seriously enough to retract it in the next issue. That proved a golden marketing opportunity forWarner Brothers to attract interest in the film by noting it made a major film critic change his mind about its virtues.[2] From 1983 to 1988 he wrote a column for theLos Angeles Herald Examiner.[3]
Morgenstern's writings have appeared inCNBCThe New Yorker,The New York Times Magazine,Rolling Stone,Esquire, theColumbia Journalism Review and theLos Angeles Times Magazine.[4][5] He was a co-founder of theNational Society of Film Critics.[4]
Morgenstern has also worked in screenwriting. He co-wrote the 1976 television filmThe Boy in the Plastic Bubble, and worked on several episodes ofLaw & Order.[6]
Morgenstern began writing reviews forThe Wall Street Journal in May 1995.[7] His movie reviews appeared each Friday in the "Weekend & Leisure" section of the newspaper, and he covered the movie industry in a column which appeared every other Saturday.[8] He received thePulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2005, becoming the third film critic to win a Pulitzer for criticism, afterRoger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times andStephen Hunter ofThe Washington Post. In 2022, Morgenstern retired fromThe Wall Street Journal, with his final column running in print on April 29, two days short of his 27th anniversary with the newspaper.[7] During this time, he also contributed reviews for the Los Angeles-area radio stationKCRW.[9] His final reviews for theThe Wall Street Journal were for the filmsPetite Maman,The Duke, andThe Northman, all published on April 21.[10][11][12]
Morgenstern was born in New York City, and graduated fromLehigh University in 1953. He was married to actressPiper Laurie from 1962 until their divorce in 1982; they adopted one daughter.[1] Morgenstern lives inSanta Monica, California as of 2015[update].[13]
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