Variety called the film a "Smoothly paced, well-crafted pic" but thought it "more celebratory than revelatory", suggesting that as a documentary it reflected bias (pointing out, for example, that it showed Franken "gloating" about George Bush's inevitable defeat on the eve of the 2004 election but not his reaction the following morning after Bush's victory).
A.O. Scott in
The New York Times felt it unlikely to convert anyone not already an admirer of Franken and his politics: "the film is more likely to attract or repel viewers according to the sides they’ve already chosen". J.R. Jones wrote in
The Chicago Reader, "I love Franken and wish there were more funny liberals in the chattering class, but his crushing sarcasm wouldn’t exactly elevate the national debate." Ed Gonzalez in
Slant Magazine was cooler still: "
Al Franken: God Spoke doesn’t work as a film... Franken is, quite simply, too nice". ==References==