Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: February 21, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The GuardianLeslie FelperinSep 8, 2020
As in Scorsese’s rock docs, there are reams of archive footage and rare snapshots to swoon over (Dylan’s striped trousers from 1967 never get old), all seamlessly edited together by Roher and Eamonn O’Connor. Read full review
60
Rolling StoneDavid FearFeb 21, 2020
Make no mistake: This is really one man’s look back in anger, sorrow, joy and sentimentality. “Robbie Robertson on the Band” would be a more accurate description. Read full review
60
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 6, 2019
This conventional rock-doc is light on new insights — and its focus on Robertson’s viewpoint short-changes his former bandmates in this often-contentious group — but it tells its story with considerable affection. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleJoel SelvinFeb 26, 2020
Survivors get to tell the history, but Robbie Robertson is pushing it. The guitarist does not come off as a wholly reliable narrator in his cinematic account of the illustrious career of the Band, Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band. Read full review
50
SlateJack HamiltonFeb 20, 2020
Once Were Brothers could have been a peacemaking gesture, a magnanimous work of reflection and tribute that would gather Robertson some belated goodwill, and the film’s first half makes some moves in that direction. But damned if that hatchet just won’t stay buried. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerSep 10, 2019
The Robertson-authorized Once Were Brothers is an account of The Band’s rise and fall, as remembered by the titular guitarist, chief songwriter and excellent raconteur. Read full review
42
IndieWireKate ErblandSep 6, 2019
Robertson, a deeply talented musician and songwriter who is still working today, is a fascinating subject, but the really compelling stuff is lingering just out of the frame. Without a more well-rounded selection of voices ... or a more critical-minded director to give the film perspective, Robertson is free to obscure the bigger questions and deeper meanings, opting for self-mythologizing over self-reflection. Read full review
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