Echo In the Canyon
Greenwich Entertainment | Release Date: May 24, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Film ThreatAndy HowellMay 23, 2019
I have a feeling Echo in the Canyon will be watched for decades into the future as the essential document of a very specific time and place that changed music forever. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJun 25, 2019
It’s the kind of music doc that makes you want to download about 50 songs — although you already should have most of them on your playlist. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerMay 31, 2019
If you care anything about the music of groups like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Mamas and the Papas, The Beach Boys, or Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the ramshackle, engagingly anecdotal Echo in the Canyon is required viewing. Read full review
82
TheWrapTodd GilchristMay 23, 2019
Even if Echo in the Canyon feels slightly anemic at 85 minutes or so, there are worse ways to revisit this epochal artistic moment than via Andrew Slater’s affectionate, intimate documentary. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweMay 23, 2019
Rich with revealing observations and engaging anecdotes, Slater’s documentary skirts the nostalgia trap by entertainingly connecting with an impressive lineup of contemporary singer-songwriters referencing the influential '60s pop style with their own releases. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe LeydonMay 22, 2019
Echo in the Canyon offers a richly evocative and star-studded overview of the 1960s Laurel Canyon music scene. Read full review
75
Original-CinKaren GordonJun 13, 2019
Echo In the Canyon is an affectionate look at the pop music that came out of the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles in the mid-‘60s, a period that the film argues quite effectively, was hugely influential. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoJun 4, 2019
If you don’t expect it to be something it isn’t, it’s hard to see how partisans of pop music could fail to enjoy Echo in the Canyon. For rock ’n’ rollers of all ages, it’s mandatory viewing. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comMatt FagerholmMay 24, 2019
Echo in the Canyon appears all too content in banking on our nostalgia for the formidable roster of artists it has assembled, relying solely on our familiarity with their work to keep our attention rapt. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 20, 2019
The most ambitious thing about this laid-back documentary was creating a tribute concert and getting big names to perform in it, and that is lovely to hear and behold. The glory of Echo in the Canyon is gathering the oral histories of a generation of performers who are passing from the scene, getting their final words on how it all happened. Read full review
70
The New York TimesHelen T. VerongosMay 30, 2019
The delight of Echo in the Canyon is in the delicious details its subjects impart. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleMay 23, 2019
By keeping things short, sweet and dutifully tuneful, Echo in the Canyon is like the doc version of one of the period’s sonic nuggets, leaving you with a peace/love/understanding high and a desire to break out the vinyl for more of the same. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyJun 14, 2019
Demonstrating a mastery of euphemism and understatement, Ringo recalls how the Byrds “introduced us to a hallucinogenic situation, and we had a really good time.” Consistently amiable, if a bit wandery, Echo in the Canyon provides a good time, too. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerJun 6, 2019
The music’s evolution and crisscrossing pollination is explained well – Mr. Tambourine Man inspired Rubber Soul which influenced Pet Sounds which begat Sgt. Pepper’s – but why are we watching the randomly selected couch full of Cat Power, Regina Spektor and a catatonic Beck sift through old LPs? Read full review
63
Washington PostPat PaduaJun 3, 2019
“Echo” recalls a fertile era in the history of American pop music. But all too often, it wanders out of the very canyon that defines it. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenJun 22, 2019
Despite the obvious shortcomings, Echo in the Canyon should please fans of the music, as well as newcomers to the sound who are experiencing it fresh. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJun 17, 2019
How did an apparently sincere tribute turn into such a weirdly clueless vanity project? Read full review
40
The GuardianBen Beaumont-ThomasJun 5, 2020
Slater didn’t need to get every last Canyon musician on camera, but to avoid mentioning many of them altogether is a total dereliction of duty. Mojo and Uncut magazines do this sort of nostalgic rock history with so much more specificity and impact – spend your money on some real storytellers. Read full review
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