Nothing Compares

Name: Nothing Compares
Genre: Music, Documentary
Released: September 23, 2022
Duration: 97 min
Rating: 76
Cast: Sinéad O'Connor

2022

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Ratings

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6.6

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6.6	Your Score
6.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Ratings

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Nothing Compares

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Movie Details & Credits

Showtime Documentary Films | Release Date: September 23, 2022 | Not Rated

Starring: Sinéad O'Connor

Movie Facts:

Streams on Showtime apps beginning September 30, 2022 (and airs October 2nd on cable's Showtime).

Summary: The story of one singer's phenomenal rise to worldwide fame, and how her iconoclastic personality resulted in her exile from the pop mainstream. Focusing on prophetic words and deeds across a five-year period (1987-1992), the film reflects on the legacy of this fearless trailblazer, through a contemporary lens.

Director: Kathryn Ferguson

Genre(s): Music, Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 97 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

The Telegraph Neil McCormick

Jan 28, 2022

Some might criticise its narrow focus, but on its own terms Nothing Compares is the most potent and hard-hitting film about the travails of a woman in the pop industry since Asif Kapadia’s 2016 Oscar-winning Amy. And what makes it ultimately more heartening than that anguished documentary about Amy Winehouse, is that O’Connor offers a story of survival. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Oct 6, 2022

This is a bracing guide to a brilliant individual who declined to conform. Read full review

The Observer (UK) Wendy Ide

Oct 11, 2022

It’s small wonder that she effectively torpedoed the stardom she never much wanted anyway. Read full review

IndieWire Jude Dry

Jan 28, 2022

What emerges is a more ephemeral portrait of the time and place that O’Connor sprang from and was rebelling against. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Nell Minow

Sep 23, 2022

A compilation of quick clips at the end is not entirely persuasive about O’Connor’s impact, but her story and her voice are impact enough. Read full review

Natalia Keogan

Sep 23, 2022

What remains so compelling about O’Connor is that she actually used her popularity to challenge powerful institutions well before anyone else was even remotely comfortable with doing so. Read full review

The Playlist Jonathan Christian

Jan 28, 2022

Depriving “Nothing Compares” of any mention of O’Connor’s more recent life irreparably wounds the film. Had Ferguson bothered to cast aside her rose-tinted gaze, the documentary might have, akin to O’Connor’s rebellious spirit, broken the mold of what’s expected from cinematic works of biographical nonfiction. Read full review

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User Reviews

Brent_Marchant

Oct 10, 2022

Being ahead of one’s time can be a dual-edged sword. On the plus side, it can get you noticed. And, on the downside, it can get you noticed, but not necessarily in a positive light. Such was the experience of Irish pop star Sinéad O’Connor, who exploded on the music scene in the late 1980sBeing ahead of one’s time can be a dual-edged sword. On the plus side, it can get you noticed. And, on the downside, it can get you noticed, but not necessarily in a positive light. Such was the experience of Irish pop star Sinéad O’Connor, who exploded on the music scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The musical sensation became known for one of the most distinctive set of pipes in the business, with an ability to jump octaves in a single bound and to be able to go from a soft whisper to a banshee scream at the drop of a hat. But, as director Kathryn Ferguson’s new Showtime documentary illustrates, O’Connor underwent a fall from grace that unfolded almost as quickly as her stratospheric rise, a change driven by a string of unpopular public protests against the Roman Catholic Church, American and Irish government policies, and cultural practices that ran afoul of her views about militarism, abortion rights and other hot button issues. She became a pariah, unable to get airplay for her new music and even facing death threats. Her gestures were seen as acts of career suicide, none of which fazed her, given that she couldn’t in good conscience stay silent. But, as she faded into obscurity, her views gained ground, eventually leading to changes in line with those opinions. Indeed, she truly was ahead of her time, and this film examines that history in detail through archive footage, interviews with the artist and observations from those who knew her during her meteoric rise, her subsequent fall and her resurgence as both a performer and social activist. And, as the film capably shows, in the end, nothing truly compares to her.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

davemelbourne58

Oct 3, 2022

Unlike Moonage Daydream which was unfairly promoted as a documentary---I learned more about Sinead O' Connor in the first 20 minutes of this doc, than I did in over 2 hours of Moonage Daydream. Thank God for passionate artists like Sinead O' Connor. She has changed lives with her voice.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

mishym

Oct 16, 2022

A for the most part interesting and insightful doc about Sinead. It did make me go and find her first album and listen to it for the first time in nearly 20 years and its still damn good

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Aug 7, 2023

An engaging and focused documentary that compellingly highlights the pressing necessity for a re-evaluation of Sinéad O’Connor's place in pop history.

O'Connor, an extraordinary singer who underwent a tragic transition from respected icon to the target of derision and vicious jokes. Sadly,An engaging and focused documentary that compellingly highlights the pressing necessity for a re-evaluation of Sinéad O’Connor's place in pop history.

O'Connor, an extraordinary singer who underwent a tragic transition from respected icon to the target of derision and vicious jokes. Sadly, her own industry did not give her the support she deserved and needed.
As Morrisey pointed out, the posthumous tributes she received were often steeped in hypocrisy, a sentiment that has a staggering impact when you consider that agreeing with Morrisey is shocking enough.

While I personally wasn't a follower of her musical career, I must acknowledge the efficacy of this documentary in presenting crucial and relevant insights into her life. It's a work that delves productively into it

For those intrigued, I recommend giving it a chance.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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