Lightning in a Bottle
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: October 22, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
78
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
See it with an open heart and a tapping toe. Read full review
90
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Remarkable concert documentary. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
One terrific concert film. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
As concert films go, this is heady stuff. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A movie which, like all the best blues, makes good times out of bad times, makes smiles out of hurt, makes tears taste like honey. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
It's hugely entertaining. Read full review
88
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Lightning in a Bottle has breadth, both in its multitude of perspectives and its spectrum of performances. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Simply lets the sinfully gorgeous music and emotions sweep over an audience. Read full review
80
VarietyEddie Cockrell
Undeniably powerful on the bigscreen. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
When Lightning In A Bottle steps back and simply lets the old-timers ply their trade, the result is consistently riveting. Read full review
80
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
Like all good concert films, it's the next best thing to being there. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
It’s a rousing celebration. Read full review
75
New York PostMegan Lehmann
A joyous, toe-tapping celebration of a musical style born of sorrow. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Fuqua's passion for the music comes through in the clear, unobtrusive style of the film, which mixes generous footage of the event's performances with interviews and archival footage, all adding up to a luscious historical snapshot of one America's original art forms. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill White
Despite some iffy moments, Lighting is the closest one to get to the music from which, as Hubert Sumlin notes, "there is no retiring. You stay with it until the end." Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleJoel Selvin
The end result is something like the best blues festival anyone could have thrown last year, although Lightning in a Bottle falls a fair piece short of its own lofty goal. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Comes alive with the more relaxed performances from its senior set. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldHoward Cohen
If you haven't caught Lightning on PBS already, find a theater with a good sound system, sit back and be grateful the music endures. Read full review
70
Village VoiceLaura Sinagra
Offers a bumper crop of tasty bits. Read full review
70
Washington PostSean Daly
The movie manages to educate without losing steam. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyScott Brown
The music's sensational, but you keep waiting for the pledge number to flash up. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
You'd have to be a real curmudgeon not to enjoy a show with Ruth Brown, Mavis Staples, Solomon Burke... Read full review
50
Film ThreatPhil Hall
A documentary which wobbles and weaves as much as often as it soars. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
It's as hard not to ask what former New York Doll David Johansen is doing in their company, prancing his way through an irrelevant version of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," as it is not to wonder why the audience is so overwhelmingly white. Read full review
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