69
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill WhiteSeattle Post-IntelligencerBill WhiteMargaret Brown's honest and non-judgmental film captures the artist's high and low points, from early appearances on regional television shows such as "Nashville Now" to the drunken and disorderly performances that defined his later years.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenRather than connecting all the chronological dots, Brown has fashioned Van Zandt's balm-to-the-brokenhearted legacy into potent cinematic poetry.
- 78Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenRejecting normality for nomadism, Van Zandt's life was difficult, but, man, what a legacy of music he left.
- 75New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzmanit's Van Zandt's family that provides the film's most memorable moments.
- 75New York PostNew York Postan infomercial for death starring Townes Van Zandt.
- 75Boston GlobeWesley MorrisBoston GlobeWesley MorrisWhen the film ends, we're haunted. We've been driving with a ghost.
- 70VarietyEddie CockrellVarietyEddie CockrellA dignified and wistful look at the unusual life, difficult career and lasting influence of singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt.
- 70The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsBrown's respectful film offers the usual music-doc mix of archival footage, song clips, and talking heads, but with a figure as enigmatic and underreported as Van Zandt, the safe course works well.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenHere, as in so many other documentaries about troubled musicians, the word genius is casually tossed around. But does every unstable, self-destructive artist defiantly living on the edge qualify for that description? In Van Zandt's case, maybe yes.
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceLoving but frank, Brown, by refusing to judge her film's subject, never falls into this trap. Too frequently, however, the side-of-the-road montages that are meant to mesmerize offer only blurry filler instead.