"The film mounts a compelling case on behalf of what was, perhaps, a sort of genius — a rare gift for identifying talent in others and nurturing it, even amplifying it."- Colum Marsh, Village Voice

"The writerly pyrotechnics of the New Journalism had a major forum at Esquire, and Harold Hayes was the man igniting the fireworks. He shepherded rising talents who included Nora Ephron, Tom Wolfe, Gay Talese, Peter Bogdanovich and Gore Vidal, all of whom provide vivid recollections of those charmed years in this documentary portrait by Tom Hayes, Harold's son. Fascinating anecdotes unfold, illuminating the spontaneity and daring that went into producing the groundbreaking periodical, from its sometimes-incendiary covers to its deep-dive explorations of the zeitgeist. Hayes not only curated a stable of dazzling young reporters but also gave bylines to established literary giants, among them Dorothy Parker and W.H. Auden. A strong sense of his genius and leadership style emerges, down to the sound of the taps on his shoes as he approached an employee's desk."- Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times

"Captivating…Writers such as Frank Rich, Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, Gore Vidal and Peter Bogdanovich worked at Esquire under Hayes' tutelage early on in their careers. They all wax poetic about the welcoming environment he created, along with the total creative freedom that he gave them."- Neil Rosen, NY1

"A reverent retrospective amble through the life of Harold Hayes, Esquire’s editor from 1963 to 1973, who died in 1989. It’s a wonderful reminder of a time when monthly magazines (with three- to six-month lead times) were gleaming, state-of-the-art, ad-stuffed engines of both fact and sensibility, and guides to a confident, contemptuous, and romantic new postwar cosmopolitanism."- Carl Swanson, Vulture

"A compelling story of challenge, triumph, and defeat, painting an explicit portrait of an era through a man who cultivated an extraordinary group of writers, photographers and artists, providing avid context for nothing less than the rebirth of American aesthetics."- Tom Holmes, Encore Magazine

"The late Esquire editor Harold Hayes is the greatest magazine editor of the postwar era. And that was the era—the golden age of magazines—when people actually gave a damn about such things as print on paper."- The Oxford American

"I had the pleasure of seeing this fascinating documentary and was captivated by the man and the story behind Esquire. Elevating the experience was the fact that the ascendance of Esquire took place during one of the richest times in American History the turbulent and inescapably incandescent sixties.  A must see film for the ages."
- William Buckley Jr.

"The film is a compelling story of challenge, triumph, and defeat, painting an explicit portrait of an era through a man who cultivated an extraordinary group of writers, photographers and artists, providing a vivid context for nothing less than the rebirth of American aesthetics."- Daily Movie Online