Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: June 24, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonJun 29, 2016
It serves as a great introduction to an important artist who was ahead of his time. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranJun 23, 2016
If this labor-of-love portrait is any indication, forgetting Frank Zappa is not going to happen any time soon. Read full review
90
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerJun 23, 2016
It’s a fantastic collage that the filmmaker, Thorsten Schütte, uses to illuminate not only Zappa (who died of cancer in 1993), but also the cultural upheavals that defined his time. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesPaul de BarrosJul 21, 2016
One is left with a director’s reverence for an artist’s point of view — not a terrible thing, to be sure. Read full review
83
The PlaylistOktay Ege Kozak Jun 18, 2016
By focusing entirely on Zappa’s outlook on his own work and the way it related to the outside world, Schütte manages to form a tight narrative around this fascinating man. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJul 14, 2016
What matters is creating, and “Eat That Question” turns out to be a stirring look at the creative process examined, however reluctantly, by someone who created a lot, and exceptionally well. Read full review
80
The GuardianJordan HoffmanJun 18, 2016
Eat That Question does a good job of giving us just a taste of nearly every era in Zappa’s multifaceted career. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinJun 18, 2016
A compelling gateway documentary that should absorb both fans and novices alike. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanAug 10, 2016
All his facets come through: the satirist, the prankster, the self-described political conservative with libertarian leanings, the anti-authoritarian who urged people to vote, the man tolerant of anything except intolerance. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonJul 28, 2016
As a documentary, “Eat That Question” is kind of raggedy. But a more polished film might not have been in keeping with Zappa’s anarchic spirit. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerJul 7, 2016
A fascinating and compelling dive into an artist’s uniquely ticking parts, gives voice to a complex dude and broadens the picture. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerDan DeLucaJul 7, 2016
Schütte's film, which began with the cooperation of Zappa's late wife Gail and has the blessing of Ahmet and his sisters, Moon and Diva (but not Dweezil), lets him speak for himself. Read full review
75
Washington PostMark JenkinsJun 30, 2016
Amusing and even edifying, although it is also unlikely to make converts out of those who just don’t get Zappa’s pastiche of juvenile parody and sophisticated songwriting, derived from rock, jazz and 20th-century experimental music. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayJun 21, 2016
If there’s one major criticism to level at Eat That Question, it’s that Schütte too often satisfies fans of Zappa’s personality at the expense of those who prefer his music. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineOleg IvanovJun 20, 2016
It presents a captivating portrait of one of the era's greatest defenders of artistic freedom and a true American original. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 25, 2016
It’s a documentary concocted out of decades of film and TV interviews — some confrontational, some awkward, often quite funny. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJun 23, 2016
Asked to define his job, Zappa gives a simple answer with convincing sincerity: “I’m an entertainer.” Simplicity gives way to intriguing complexity as the film covers other things Zappa was. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis HarveyJun 18, 2016
Thorsten Schutte’s entirely archival assemblage is most likely to be appreciated by the previously converted, as its stimulating if somewhat patchy overview of a multi-various career skims over or omits too many aspects to comprise a definitive introduction. Read full review
63
New York PostKyle SmithJun 23, 2016
Quotable, controversial, anarchic, charismatic and handsome (in an ugly way), the zany avant-garde rocker Frank Zappa had everything one needs to be a star, except talent. Read full review
60
Time OutJoshua RothkopfJun 24, 2016
His rock music gets a decent airing, but you wish more of the man’s perversity came through: his intimidating ego, the way he could exhaust his bandmates. And seriously, where is “Valley Girl” and his amazing kids? Not bitchin’ at all. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisJul 13, 2016
This is a guy who marched to the beat of his own drum, even one that’s got two spoked wheels and some handlebars. Read full review
42
ConsequenceCollin BrennanJun 28, 2016
The film’s most poignant moment comes in an interview that took place near the end of Zappa’s life. He’s asked how he wants to be remembered, and he responds, “I don’t care.” That doesn’t mean we don’t care, or that we aren’t allowed to care, but this isn’t the film to make us do it. Read full review
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