Pauline Kael was likely the most powerful, and divisive, movie critic of the 20th century. Her love of movies was revealed in her ruthless pursuit of what made a movie or an actor's performance work, or not, and why -- which made her both admired and despised amongst her readers. The latter golden age of movies of the 1960s and 1970s are the focus of this film that pursues the question of what made Pauline Kael's work so individual, so influential -- and so damned good.