A Decade Under the Influence
IFC Films | Release Date: April 25, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
2
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
This documentary about the triumph of the New Hollywood employs a treasure trove of interviews and clips to create a rich understanding of the many forces -- cultural undertows, really -- that flowed together to fill the void left by the dying studio system. Read full review
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
It's illuminating and nostalgic and for anyone who lined up for American movies in that bygone golden age. Read full review
80
VarietyDavid Rooney
An entertaining, deeply respectful assessment of the directors and actors who rode the countercultural wave of the 1970s. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
It is often remarked that the years between "Easy Rider" (1969) and "Star Wars" (1977) marked a second golden age in American filmmaking, and this documentary, as comprehensive as it is incisive, is a reminder of just how many terrific pictures came out during those years. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Whether you lived through the period and will have fond memories jostled, or are scouting for future DVD pleasures, the surest way to see a good movie in a theater this week is to see one about them. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
The decade under discussion in this enjoyable documentary is the 1970s, a period that changed Hollywood forever. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Here's a fireball documentary about the 1970s, when filmmakers were stoked by sex, drugs, rock and, oh, yeah, social conscience. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Unlike many documentaries about movies, it's neither underfunded nor perfunctory, but thoughtful and bracing. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The movie star Julie Christie turned 62 last month, and anyone under the impression that she merely floated through her prime heedless of the age in which she worked should catch her in A Decade Under the Influence. Read full review
70
The New York TimesDave Kehr
Has the undiscriminating temperament of a fan, blithely placing Mr. Coppola's magnificently made "Godfather" on the same plane as Mr. Hopper's slapped-together, and today all but unwatchable, "Easy Rider." Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
For neophyte cinephiles, A Decade Under The Influence should serve as a lively primer on a seminal film era, but its reverent tone is antithetical to the rule-breaking spirit it celebrates. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
An excellent introduction to the subject, and a movie buff's delight. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
As wide and deep as the directors fish for anecdotes, it's surprising that there isn't more focus, more context. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
As one might expect from IFC, actors and directors dominate the interview segments, which may be the reason the narrative never finds its way to Heaven's Gate. Read full review
40
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Does attest to the once-upon-a-time existence of a Hollywood counterculture, but it's so reverentially heavy-handed in evoking the era that it can't help playing like "Forrest Gump" without Tom Hanks. Read full review
30
L.A. WeeklyJohn Powers
One wonders what exactly Richard LaGravenese and the late Ted Demme thought they were doing in this documentary, which doesn't so much look at the period as genuflect before it. Read full review
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