Scratch
Palm Pictures | Release Date: February 15, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
77
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Among the film's highlights are an interview with Grand Wizard Theodore, who is generally uncontested in his claim to have invented the idea of scratching vinyl. Read full review
90
New Times (L.A.)Gregory Weinkauf
The miracle here is not so much that Pray captures the DJs in peak form, but that he comprehensively captures SO MANY of them. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Highly entertaining and encouraging documentary. Read full review
90
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
Simultaneously hilarious and deeply informative thanks to the vibrant personalities at its center. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
So upbeat it might as well arrive on a sunbeam. Read full review
88
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Scratch will make even the uninitiated believe in the joy and propulsive power of hip-hop.
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Engrossing and infectiously enthusiastic documentary. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Throughout, the notion that hip-hop is much more than rapping is a persistent theme, and anyone seeking a solid introduction -- or re-introduction -- to that ever vibrant culture shouldn't miss it. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
It's a doozy of a story, too, about a group of musicians who use the technology of the present and the mindset of the future to make a delicious hash out of the best parts of the past. Read full review
80
Film ThreatChris Gore
See Scratch for the history, see Scratch for the music, see Scratch for a lesson in scratching, but, most of all, see it for the passion. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
It lays the groundwork for such collaborations by suggesting that all forms of music must come full circle before evolving into something new. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldEvelyn McDonnell
Mesmerizing. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeKen Capobianco
An illuminating and entertaining study of an underground culture that has become part of the American mainstream.
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Ray Conlogue
This engaging documentary is an excursion into the immense "art" form of hip-hop. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Scratch could use some of the wit and jagged energy that defined "Hype!" Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerDan DeLuca
Filled with wildly inventive sound, as records are cut up and recombined on the spot. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleNeva Chonin
It's a documentary that invites viewers inside its story to groove along with a genre that's changing the past, present and future of contemporary music. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
A loose-limbed documentary about the hip-hop D.J. scene that, for know-nothings like me, is highly informative without being in the least academic. Read full review
70
Village VoiceEd Morales
Scratch's strongest moments are the live performance sequences, where hip-hop becomes an ultra-rhythmic spiritual experience, with roots in West African trance ritual and South Bronx gang solidarity. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis Harvey
Works best as a straightforward appreciation of the music. Though docu's structure wears out full viewer interest after an hour or so, few will come away with staid prejudices (i.e. that turntablism isn't "real" musicianship) intact. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Dense, exhilarating. Read full review
63
New York PostMegan Lehmann
Pray will force you to look at the music as more than just gobbledygook created by musical-bower birds who can't spell. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
A standard mix of performances, interviews, and gimmickry -- the image and sound sometimes loop or jump in a tiresomely literal attempt to translate the techniques of scratching and "beat juggling" into cinema. Read full review
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