Born to be Blue
IFC Films | Release Date: March 25, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
ConsequenceMichael RoffmanMar 24, 2016
Born to Be Blue serves as an honest and heartfelt ode to not only Chet Baker, but those who revel in the occasional highs and neverending lows that overwhelm the pursuit of art. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesPaul de BarrosApr 7, 2016
The film draws you deeply into Baker’s fantasy world, to the point that the entreaty of his famous recording, “Let’s Get Lost,” almost seems like a good idea. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter TraversMar 24, 2016
Everything that makes Ethan Hawke an extraordinary actor — his energy, his empathy, his fearless, vanity-free eagerness to explore the deeper recesses of a character — is on view in Born to Be Blue. Read full review
80
EmpireLiz BeardsworthJul 31, 2016
Hawke is compelling, offering a magnetic portrayal of an exasperating but deeply charismatic, engaging figure. Read full review
80
Total FilmJames MottramJul 25, 2016
Boasting a fantastic turn from Ethan Hawke, this is bold indie filmmaking. Budreau and his stars deserve a fanfare. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonCath ClarkeJul 25, 2016
It might not be note perfect, jazz fans will probably hate it, and whole chunks might not be true. But ‘Born to Be Blue’ feels like it’s somehow getting inside Chet Baker. Read full review
80
VarietyAndrew BarkerSep 15, 2015
Upending the conventions of the musical rise-and-fall formula while still offering a relatively straightforward three-act narrative, the film is anchored by an Ethan Hawke performance that ranks among the best of his career. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesMiriam Di NunzioMar 31, 2016
Hawke is engaging as Baker. Read full review
75
Washington PostPat PaduaMar 31, 2016
As the film progresses, its visual resonance with the iconic photographs of Baker feels more organic and less forced. By the final act, it’s chilling how much Hawke has transformed into the late-career musician, looking aged well beyond his years. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonMar 31, 2016
It’s not necessary to be a jazz fan to get lost in this poetic and poignant film. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyMar 25, 2016
The film isn't perfect, and in a lot of ways it doesn't accomplish what it set out to do, but if you're going to tell a story about Chet Baker you need to understand what it means to "get inside every note." Born To Be Blue does. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle SmithMar 24, 2016
In Born To Be Blue, Ethan Hawke plays the heroin-addicted jazz trumpeter Chet Baker as a kind of guy version of Marilyn Monroe — breathy, fragile, a country naif struggling to stay anchored in this world instead of drifting off into the next. Read full review
75
TheWrapTricia OlszewskiMar 24, 2016
Hawke is terrific as the jazz legend, so soft-spoken that he sometimes appears a little frightened of the people around him. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 24, 2016
Hawke and Ejogo, who played civil rights icon Coretta Scott King in “Selma,” have enough soul and charisma and chemistry to hold the screen and make us feel Born to be Blue, even if we, like Jane in the movie, never quite “get” Chet Baker. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerMar 10, 2016
Budreau constructs with imagination and pleasing fluidity, painting a portrait with a soft, sympathetic focus while steering clear of worship. Read full review
75
The PlaylistSam FragosoSep 15, 2015
On the whole, Born to Be Blue does right by its central subject. Hawke especially flourishes as the afflicted artist, desperate to put the pieces of his life back together. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayMar 24, 2016
By reducing Baker's story to just a couple of pivotal years, Budreau makes every moment matter, including a tense final scene that treats the preparation for a performance like a duel at high noon. Like Baker himself, Born to Be Blue finds drama in minimalism. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen HoldenMar 24, 2016
In Mr. Hawke’s extraordinary performance, this glamorous enigma becomes a credible, if pathetic character who lives for only two things: to play the trumpet and to shoot heroin. Read full review
70
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganSep 15, 2015
Ethan Hawke delivers an intense, committed performance as the hopelessly drug-addicted trumpeter Chet Baker in the odd, erratic Born To Be Blue, written and directed by Robert Budreau as a bumpy free-form improvisation on the hopeless-wreck-makes-musical-comeback biopic. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerMar 25, 2016
It’s a strange, unsatisfying, fragmented movie, but at its best it belongs in the same unconventional continuum as Todd Haynes’s “I’m Not There” (about Bob Dylan) and “Love and Mercy” (about Brian Wilson). Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyMar 23, 2016
While there isn’t much to distinguish Born To Be Blue’s dramatic stakes from any number of stories about self-destructive, self-centered artists (or “movies about jazz musicians,” as they’re more commonly known), the film is given a spark of life by the inspired casting of Ethan Hawke. Read full review
63
Boston GlobePeter KeoughApr 7, 2016
For the next two decades, the end notes reveal, Baker made the best music of his career. The film does its job if it encourages people to give that music a listen. Read full review
60
The New YorkerRichard BrodyMar 24, 2016
The movie offers a more insightful view of the music business than of Baker’s art. Read full review
60
The TelegraphRobbie CollinMar 24, 2016
Hawke expertly captures Baker’s angular fragility, both in his languidly crumpled face and his voice. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeSep 18, 2015
Born to be Blue is a curious mixture of fact and fiction, cliche and originality, style and emotion – it never truly soars but by throwing the ingredients of Baker’s life together and producing something different, it’s never less than intriguing. Read full review
50
ObserverRex ReedMar 25, 2016
This movie is not without its moments of visual interest, but for a more comprehensive study of Baker’s life and career, read James Gavin’s book Deep in a Dream, or better yet, curl up with the real deal and a glass of wine and listen to what used to be. Read full review
50
Village VoiceSerena DonadoniMar 22, 2016
Budreau's variation on the theme of Chet Baker doesn't play out as an inspired improvisation, settling instead into the familiar grooves of a redemptive melodrama Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonSep 15, 2015
Hawke is natural casting as Baker, sharing enough facial similarities to capture some of the late jazz icon's chiseled, hollow-cheeked, fallen-angel beauty. He gives an unshowy and vanity-free performance, all soft-spoken mischief and brittle arrogance, but laced with just enough blood, sweat and tears. Read full review
42
The Film StageJacob OllerMar 24, 2016
Robert Budreau‘s Born To Be Blue turns Baker’s darkest professional and personal period into a sepia weepy. Read full review
40
SlateFred KaplanApr 7, 2016
Born to Be Blue, a less ballyhooed film starring Ethan Hawke as Chet Baker, isn’t as awful as "Miles Ahead" but it’s not as interesting either — mainly because Baker’s story is kind of boring. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMar 24, 2016
The writing and direction, by Robert Budreau, range from pedestrian to lethargic — not a good thing when the subject is passive more often than not. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineChuck BowenMar 22, 2016
Robert Budreau strip-mines the life of an amazing musician for the purpose of mounting yet another comeback story. Read full review
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