For No Good Reason
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: April 25, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
14
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsMay 29, 2014
Although Steadman’s artwork seems like sloppy pen-and-ink caricature, there’s a method to the madness. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianMarc MohanMay 22, 2014
You can almost feel Depp restraining himself from saying "Tell me more about Hunter," again and again, but his enthusiasm and appreciation are real, and that's a pretty good reason for this movie to exist. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesBill StametsMay 15, 2014
Lovingly detailed with animated and archival imagery, For No Good Reason shares the fine-grain layered style of its subject. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMay 1, 2014
For No Good Reason rambles too much for its own good, compared to more traditional documentaries. The most rewarding parts of the film feature Steadman simply talking about his influences (Picasso, among others) and his youthful goal of changing the world through art. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyMay 1, 2014
The British illustrator’s process of creating his surreally deranged, truth-to-power cartoons is fascinating, but the rest of the film lacks the same mad spark. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigApr 24, 2014
Narrated by Johnny Depp, a portrait emerges of an anarchic, humble spirit who now fears becoming "a visual polluter." Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMay 29, 2014
Steadman is great fodder for a documentary, as he has continued to produce his signature works. But if you're going to make a movie about Ralph Steadman, make it about Ralph Steadman. Read full review
70
Village VoiceNick SchagerApr 22, 2014
It's a film that paints a potent portrait of an artist of righteous, controlled fury. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyMay 8, 2014
One of the best things about the documentary is their interaction, as Depp visits Steadman at his home in the English countryside — surely, it has a garden? — watching him draw and paint (and splatter) in his studio while asking him questions about his life and work. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyApr 25, 2014
The signal virtue of For No Good Reason, a documentary about Steadman, is that it puts a lot of that work up on the big screen to galvanic effect. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonJan 1, 2014
The story is rich in juicy anecdotes and epochal events, even if the man behind these striking images remains a little too elusive throughout. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinJan 1, 2014
The inventively shot and constructed documentary For No Good Reason is an absorbing look at the unique, surreal work of British cartoonist Ralph Steadman. Read full review
58
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallJun 11, 2014
It's a pleasing tribute to Steadman, but there's a sense that Paul would really prefer to focus on Thompson's brand of altered-state brilliance, which has been covered in documentaries before. If you're a gonzo completist, For No Good Reason is a must-see. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerApr 24, 2014
Early on, Steadman talks about his humor needing to have a “slightly maniacal” edge. For No Good Reason has no such thing; it’s gently informative and amusing the whole way through. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiJun 11, 2014
For No Good Reason comes alive whenever the camera sits back and records Steadman attacking a blank piece of paper. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)John SemleyMay 15, 2014
Unfortunately, For No Good Reason sidelines Steadman’s own bona fides, functioning primarily as a second-hand documentary of Thompson, stoking the hagiography of the late hipster icon. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoMay 8, 2014
Offers some memorable stories, but it simply tries too hard. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. ScottApr 24, 2014
For No Good Reason is less revealing than a standard hourlong television tribute might have been... But there is enough of the man and artist here to rekindle interest and appreciation in his often disturbing pictures and an understanding of what motivated them. Read full review
50
VarietyAndrew BarkerApr 23, 2014
While the effort is admirable, the result is a bit unwieldy, casting too wide a net to really plumb its subject’s depths, and defanging some of Steadman’s acid wit with an overly busy, hit-and-miss aesthetic approach. Read full review
50
The DissolveDavid EhrlichApr 23, 2014
For No Good Reason is an absolute mess from start to finish, a portrait of an artist that’s almost rendered redundant by his art. And yet, for all its failings, the film is engagingly in tune with the man who inspired it. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineEd GonzalezApr 21, 2014
Charlie Paul isn't content to let his stock footage and interviewees lead for him, driven as he is to "make something out of a frame of mind," though to needlessly busy effect. Read full review
40
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottJul 11, 2014
Steadman is a fascinating talent with a fascinating process and a fascinating perspective on the world. Maybe somebody will make a definitive documentary about him one day. Unfortunately, For No Good Reason isn't it. Read full review
40
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonJan 1, 2014
It’s a shame, because there’s a good, solid documentary to be made about this fascinating, enormously talented, slightly self-congratulatory little man and his unmistakeable ouevre. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJordan HoffmanJan 1, 2014
When this film focuses on the work, it’s engaging. Read full review
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