65
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- Crawford's documentary celebrates the legacy of CREEM in all its dysfunctional glory, not only addressing but owning all the things about it that would never fly in 2020.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleAs the documentary shows, while it lasted, it was really something.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe documentary, running a brief 75 minutes, at times feels rushed and cursory in its account of the magazine's 20-year existence. But it also, appropriately, boasts an energy and propulsive pace that feels just like rock and roll.
- 70Rolling StoneDavid FearRolling StoneDavid FearMostly, it’s a testament to a storied legacy that may be gone, but deserves never to be forgotten.
- 67Austin ChronicleAustin ChronicleFake beer brands, star cars, crotch shots – a boy’s life unfolded, according to co-writer Uhelszki. Red Hot Chili Smith opines Mad magazine meets Esquire, and Uhelszki echoes equally extinct forces: “Everybody was politically incorrect. No one watched their words. That’s what made Creem so good ... If you put it through that politically incorrect filter, you would have lost 60% of what made Creem great.”
- 60Time OutTime OutThis doc isn’t exactly a puff piece, but it’s certainly not the in-depth record that the magazine deserves.
- How might Crawford have brought cinematic life to pages full of words? No clue. But the director who took up the job simply relies on people who were there to tell us how great it all was. And that keeps Creem trapped in history — a fading memory as opposed to a useful example.