[6] The Safdies took inspiration from the film Hoop Dreams, as well as the filmmakers Albert and David Maysles, Frederick Wiseman, Ross McElwee, and Shirley Clarke.

[8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

[9] Odie Henderson of RogerEbert.com gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, writing, "Until the last section, the Safdies do a great job selecting and editing footage that tells their story intelligently and passionately.

"[11] Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film an A− grade, writing, "Despite the odd nature of the project, Cooke fits nicely within the stable of characters populating the directors' work.

Club gave the film a B+ grade, commenting that "It shares with their fiction work a ragged visual sensibility, a bittersweet worldview, and a low-key, moment-to-moment approach to drama.