Patti Smith: Dream of Life

Name: Patti Smith: Dream of Life
Genre: Music, Documentary
Released: August 6, 2008
Duration: 109 min
Rating: 66

2008

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Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews

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Generally favorable reviews based on 6 Ratings

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 6 Ratings

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Patti Smith: Dream Of Life (Patti Says We Have The Responsibility To Use Our Voice)

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Movie Details & Credits

Palm Pictures | Release Date: August 6, 2008 | Not Rated

Summary: When people ask her "How does it feel to be a rock icon?" Patti Smith says she "always thinks of Mount Rushmore." Steven Sebring's directorial debut takes a lyrical, stream-of-consciousness approach that is exactly right in his affecting portrait of the "rock-and-roll Joan of Arc." She can bring a crowd of devotees to its feet chantingWhen people ask her "How does it feel to be a rock icon?" Patti Smith says she "always thinks of Mount Rushmore." Steven Sebring's directorial debut takes a lyrical, stream-of-consciousness approach that is exactly right in his affecting portrait of the "rock-and-roll Joan of Arc." She can bring a crowd of devotees to its feet chanting "Glor-i-a!" as effectively as she can share her pain over the early death of her husband, Fred Smith, her brother, her close friend Robert Mapplethorpe, and other artists she admires. Everyone knows that Patti Smith's music, poetry, and politics are fearless, funny, raw, and original. But this film also captures her physical presence--her gamine beauty and charming, self-effacing style--that will take you by surprise and leave you deeply moved. (Palm Pictures)… Expand

Director: Steven Sebring

Genre(s): Music, Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 109 min

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Critic Reviews

James Greenberg

A knowledge of Smith's landmark contribution as a rock 'n' roll pioneer is not essential, and the film should be a joy for anyone interested in pop culture of the past 40 years. Read full review

Manohla Dargis

A lovely, drifty first feature that feels less like a documentary and more like an act of rapturous devotion. Read full review

Andrew O'Hehir

Frequently beautiful and intermittently haunting and could be called a meditation on aging and mortality, an intimate study of a peculiar variety of fame and a portrait of a genuinely remarkable person. Read full review

Carina Chocano

Impossibly long and angular, with a brutally beautiful face, she represents something that's been rare in the popular culture in the past decade: an artist with a voice and a vision. Read full review

J.R. Jones

Steven Sebring spent a decade making this documentary about the punk poet, and it shows. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

When embraced on its own terms, the film will provide an ironic bridge for those who want to share a greater closeness with Smith. Read full review

Camille Dodero

109 mostly black-and-white minutes of punk's wet nurse floating through the modern world while endlessly ruminating on mortality, art, and the occasional bodily function. Problem is, there's nary a hint of context, even with biographic essentials. Read full review

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User Reviews

MonkeyT

May 9, 2009

Beautiful!!!! Serene, funny, moving, powerful, passionate. A gem.

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JohnA

Feb 26, 2009

As much as I feel respect for Patti Smith, her art and over-indulgent self sadly form a thick pretentious cloud behind which her humour and true persona (of which tiny bits in this film are amazing) remains for most part unseen. She is an honest person, true to her beliefs and As much as I feel respect for Patti Smith, her art and over-indulgent self sadly form a thick pretentious cloud behind which her humour and true persona (of which tiny bits in this film are amazing) remains for most part unseen. She is an honest person, true to her beliefs and warm-heartedly leads us through the film but in general, the point is sadly missed - 'Dream of Life' should have been called 'Patti Smith - This and That', due to her exposure to daily routines of painting, taking pictures, singing in and out of tune, walking around graveyards to express respects and gratitude to her ever-beloved poet idols... maybe that was the concept of the film, and to record an in-depth ten years video diary and then try and squeeze it into 2 hours isn't at all greatful or easy, there is still plenty of unnecessary philosophy which might even provoke those more dedicated to drop a yawn or two.… Expand

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