The film is a must-see. A delight.
- Patrick Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

Film fans won’t encounter many better spent minutes then this tribute to John Cazale. Before it’s done Cazale will break your heart all over again. I KNEW IT WAS YOU is indeed an offer they shouldn’t refuse.
- Brian Lowry, Variety

It’s an affecting tribute, a fascinating tutorial, and a warm love letter to an era electric with talent.
- Adam Sternbergh, New York Magazine

I KNEW IT WAS YOU is an overdue, alternately sweet and astute, celebration.
- Tom Carlson, GQ

FOUR STARS. A Great special. Don’t Miss it.
- Linda Stassi, New York Post

A 40-minute HBO documentary on John Cazale that every one of those fans should see. A superlative little documentary that wouldn’t be more effective at twice the running time. It’s a sweet, sincere, and entirely fascinating look at an actor we should all miss from time to time. I had a huge movie buff grin on my face for the whole of I KNEW IT WAS YOU. Big praise to Ratner, Shepard, and HBO for giving this wonderful actor one more moment in the spotlight.
- Scott Weinberg, Cinematical

A straight, honest and eloquent remembrance of a very worthy and gifted man. Neat, trim and clean. Anyone who remembers and treasures the way Cazale made Fredo into one of the saddest and most emotionally vulnerable little men of the modern cinema needs to see this.
- Jeffrey Wells, Hollywood Elsewhere

A wonderful, brief documentary, I KNEW IT WAS YOU: Rediscovering John Cazale, gives Cazale his due.
- Ken Tucker, Entertainmet Weekly

The essential point of I KNEW IT WAS YOU: Rediscovering John Cazale, is that he was excellent in every way. Again and again, this point is made by interviewees in Richard Shepard’s loving look at the actor’s work.
- Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters

A brief, but compelling tribute. Maybe Cazale is the face of ’70s American cinema after all.
- Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

His name was John Cazale, and he is the subject of a splendid documentary titled I KNEW IT WAS YOU.  Today, Cazale’s name is largely unknown, even though the five movies he enriched are an enduring part of the culture. All the more reason to watch this documentary and hear the reminiscences of the superb actors who constitute part of Cazale’s legacy. The most unforgettable character they ever met? Then and now, they knew it was him.
- Dan Aucoin, Boston Globe

Moving. Richard Shepard’s touching “I Knew It Was You,” celebrates the impact of the too brief life of a most brilliant actor, John Cazale, on American film and some of the best thespians alive today. This film is a warm love letter of sorts to Cazale, an expression of gratitude and thanks by these luminaries of American film and theater who knew him best and miss him still. If you enjoyed these films, you must see this outstanding snapshot of an actor who never got his due when he lived.
- April MacIntrye, Monster & Critics

A great documentary. It’s a must-see for actors and fans.
- Jamie Painter Young, Editor, Backstage Magazine