Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
Home Box Office (HBO) | Release Date: April 24, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
83
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoMay 1, 2015
It is a true peek into the life of a private superstar. How did he become a rock icon? How did he turn his childhood pain into art? How did his emotional demons overtake him? These are much more difficult questions for a filmmaker to answer than “Nirvana vs. Pearl Jam” or other such garbage of the traditional rock doc. Read full review
100
SalonAndrew O'HehirApr 23, 2015
A masterful and often deeply moving portrait of a volatile American genius, a portrait that goes far beyond one man, one family and one rain-sodden small town. It depicts the society that nurtured and fed that genius, and that made his unlikely creative explosion possible, as being the same environment that poisoned him — and suggests that the rise and fall were inextricably connected. Read full review
100
New York PostSara StewartApr 22, 2015
It’s his home movies with Love and baby — some playful, others drugged and drooling — that fans will find the most emotional viewing. As the credits roll, it’s hard not to just root for the sensitive, progressive, fiercely creative Cobain and wish that he’d lived long enough to find a little peace of mind. Read full review
100
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyApr 22, 2015
It proves that Morgen isn’t interested in hagiography. He wants to show us the real Kurt Cobain, warts and all. Read full review
91
The PlaylistKatie WalshFeb 1, 2015
It’s a journey deep into the psyche of the tormented genius, that is as all-encompassing and expressive of Cobain's spirit as a film could possibly be. It's a true achievement, both in documentary filmmaking, and in preserving the memory and legacy of Cobain. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesAugust BrownApr 23, 2015
Morgen has crafted an often brilliant, sometimes overheated but always humane documentary, one in which Nirvana’s music and fame is just the scaffolding to Cobain’s inner life. Read full review
80
The New York TimesMike HaleApr 23, 2015
Mr. Morgen was given access to Cobain’s archives — “art, music, journals, Super 8 films and audio montages” — and his exhilarating, exhausting, two-hour-plus film, both an artful mosaic and a hammering barrage, reflects years of rummaging through that trove. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonApr 23, 2015
“Montage” is about expression. As such, it’s a more honest tribute to Mr. Cobain than any conventional documentary could pretend to be. Read full review
80
Time OutJoshua RothkopfApr 23, 2015
If you’re even remotely a fan, you need to see this. Read full review
80
Screen DailyLee MarshallApr 23, 2015
The film is edited to convey the comet-like arc of a talented, troubled, sensitive soul, but also as a driven, concert-length tribute to that man’s creativity. Read full review
80
VarietyDennis HarveyApr 23, 2015
It’s all absorbing stuff, amply conveying the magnetism of a conflicted leader who drew fanatical adoration, yet who one suspects wasn’t easy company (especially in tandem with Love). Read full review
80
The DissolveScott TobiasApr 23, 2015
Morgen isn’t interested in rehashing the facts and highlights of Cobain’s life and career, or in providing chin-scratching insights via music scholars and other talking heads. He’s made an impression of Cobain, which is a much more intuitive and vital enterprise. Read full review
80
CineVueAllie GemmillApr 9, 2015
What Brett Morgen crafts for his audience - in what may very well come to be known as the definitive documentary on the musician - with Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015) is simply stunning. Morgen runs his coverage of Cobain from the cradle to the grave. Read full review
80
The TelegraphPatrick SmithApr 9, 2015
Morgen manages to stay clear of hagiography, instead compiling an exhilarating piece of film-making – one that’s fully in keeping with Cobain’s virtuosity. Read full review
80
Total FilmKevin HarleyApr 7, 2015
Like a Cobain mixtape brought to feral life, Montage is scruffy, sharp and insightful on an oft-explored subject. The pay-off is terribly moving – it’ll drain you. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezAug 6, 2015
Borrowing its title from a mix tape Cobain compiled as a teenager, the film, made with the cooperation of his widow, family and former bandmates, remains compelling and moving no matter how familiar you already are with the singer’s story. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineClayton DillardApr 18, 2015
Director Brett Morgen distinguishes the biographical documentary by viewing himself as more of a curator than a film director. Read full review
70
Village VoiceNick SchagerApr 9, 2015
While its unconventional approach eventually becomes a tad wearisome, Morgen’s film proves a uniquely revealing exploration of the development, and eventual disintegration, of the heart and mind (and spirit) of a musician incapable of finding solace in, or transcendence through, his angst. Read full review
60
EmpireJames DyerApr 7, 2015
Slightly overlong and glosses over certain aspects but a profound examination of a tortured artist. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijFeb 1, 2015
Impressive in parts, but wildly uneven as a whole. Read full review
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