Lewis' work, specifically his self-directed films, have warranted steady reappraisal. Richard Brody in "The New Yorker" said, Lewis was "one of the most original, inventive, ... profound directors of the time". and "one of the most skilled and original comic performers, verbal and physical, ever to appear on screen". Film critic and film curator for the Museum of Modern Art, Dave Kehr, wrote in "The New York Times" of Lewis' "fierce creativity", "the extreme formal sophistication of his direction" and, Lewis was "one of the great American filmmakers".