“Director Matt Amato’s breathtaking movie isn’t just a love story—it’s a prismatic love story. Amato is a radical filmmaker, willing to make a movie that travels like a river, or unfolds like a piece of music or a real human life, something that seems alien after we’ve slumped in theater seats, overdazzling our retinas with exploding cars and exploding planets. He realizes the transformative power of seeing—and not seeing. Of showing the full spectrum of a full human life, with a slice hidden in shadow. That unsettled, mysterious place makes room for the watcher but throws down the challenge to do more than just watch. Is this is a particle, or a wave? it asks. Who are you? What’s in your pockets? And what do you see?”
STEFENE RUSSELL – St. Louis Magazine
“This beautifully acted and photographed drama leaves a lasting impression. The film succeeds in its goal of evocatively capturing the feelings of joy, tempered by a world-weary wariness that accompany the blossoming of a unexpected romance between people who have been around the block more than once. Much of the credit goes to the lead performers: Ferguson displays an unkempt charm and tenderness that makes his man-boy character quietly appealing, and Lee, still looking luminously gorgeous at age 48, manages to convey, with a simple smiling gaze, the liberating effect of throwing off the shackles of loneliness. Zabriskie, too, has never been better, transforming what could have been a stock character into a figure of surprising complexity. Another major character is the city of St. Louis itself, photographed by Chris Benson in a picturesque way that makes even its seedier, more run-down environs alluring. Amato, a veteran helmer of music videos, invests the proceedings with a subtle, dreamlike quality that gives the film an undeniable, but never stultifying, artsy feel. If you’re not already in love when you see the film, you’ll desperately want to be afterwards.”
FRANK SCHECK – The Hollywood Reporter
“An uncompromisingly visionary and unconventionally methodical film(think Antonioni circa 1960). It’s all about the dust in the air of the main character’s secondhand shop, the unlaundered close quarters of working class living, the way the sun sets near a metal yard by the Mississippi River. It so effectively celebrates the rare beauty in the forgotten. The film must be allowed to wash over you like a good Over The Rhine album or a Jim Jarmusch film. A welcome success.”
JIM TUDOR – Twitch Film
“How is possible that at 73, Grace Zabriskie is so damn sexy? She’s never been photographed so lovingly and she’s never given a more deeply-felt performance. This is a career peak. Her performance is gorgeous and heartbreaking, iconic. Jay Ferguson is a joyful spark; the life force—for Judy and the movie too—and the performance, I think, will reshape his career. I’d see him in anything now. And beautiful Sheryl Lee (never better) is a perfect match… they feel completely true. NEVER MY LOVE is exquisitely crafted and inspired. I love the way music informs every character’s life. Music prompts them to become their next self. The cinematography is ridiculously beautiful.”
CHUCK WILSON (LA Weekly movie critic)
“Matt Amato’s beautifully shot and elegant unconventional middle-age love story has stunning vistas of the rivers, bridges and the distinctive brick urban buildings St. Louis, and features a stellar cast — Sheryl Lee of “Twin Peaks” fame, so beautiful in her 40s, and Jay R. Ferguson (Stan on “Mad Men”), plus character actress Grace Zabriskie. Amato has the eye of an artist, soul of a poet, mind of an intellectual and heart of a dreamer.”
LYNN VENHAUS – St. Louis Film Critics Association
“Ferguson and Lee make an enchanting and non-conventional pair that feels real, unlike most cheesy romances in big-budget Hollywood films. Amato’s eye for detail accompanies the tone of the story in a perfect way. THE MAKINGS OF YOU captures the spirit of a gentle romance. A solid full-length film debut for Amato, and shows his abundant potential for creating more projects for the silver screen.”
TESS BROCK – St. Louis U. News
“The music, the mood, the lighting, all combine to help tell the love story that doesn’t always go in the expected direction.”
VICKI BENNIGTON – The Telegraph
“You have to love a film that invites you to not only live among its frames, but to thrive amongst its passion and nostalgic feel. Kudos to Matt Amato and Jack Richardson who have brought to life THE MAKINGS OF YOU in a way that entwines its superb cast, a mesmerizing soundtrack and the breathtaking cinematography of this film so that it speaks volumes to the heart and soul. THE MAKINGS OF YOU is a cinematic gem you definitely don’t want to miss.”
KATHY KAISER – We Are Movie Geeks
Still Beauty: "The Makings Of You" is a quiet, gentle film, a simple slice-of-life love story that will soothe moviegoers with its gentle beauty. Fueled by quiet romance and an affinity for music, their story reflects the simplicity of life and the importance of family and being together. What a heartwarming, still film in such a busy society!.... Amato boasts a stunning picture.
SAMMI LEIGH MELVILLE - The Burg News
“A River City romance! Director Matt Amato’s debut feature is a years-in-the-making labor of love that includes some of the most beautiful images of his hometown ever captured on film.”
Joe Williams - St. Louis Post Dispatch