The Public Image Is Rotten

Name: The Public Image Is Rotten
Genre: Documentary
Released: September 14, 2018
Duration: 105 min
Rating: 66
Cast: Afrika Bambaataa, Ginger Baker, Jebin Bruni, John Lydon, Keith Bourton

2018

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Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

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The Public Image Is Rotten

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Movie Details & Credits

Abramorama | Release Date: September 14, 2018 | NR

Starring: Afrika Bambaataa, Ginger Baker, Jebin Bruni, John Lydon, Keith Bourton, Louis Bernardi, Martin Atkins, Michael Alago, Paul Cook, Ray Cokes

Summary: After the breakup of the Sex Pistols, John Lydon / John Rotten, formed Public Image Ltd (PiL)– his groundbreaking band which has lived on nearly 15 times as long as his first one. He kept the band alive ever since, through personnel and stylistic changes, fighting to constantly reinvent new ways of approaching music, while adhering toAfter the breakup of the Sex Pistols, John Lydon / John Rotten, formed Public Image Ltd (PiL)– his groundbreaking band which has lived on nearly 15 times as long as his first one. He kept the band alive ever since, through personnel and stylistic changes, fighting to constantly reinvent new ways of approaching music, while adhering to radical ideals of artistic integrity. John Lydon has not only redefined music, but also the true meaning of originality. [Abramorama]… Expand

Director: Tabbert Fiiller

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: NR

Runtime: 105 min

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Critic Reviews

Chuck Foster

Aug 30, 2018

Record nerds be damned, The Public Image Is Rotten rises to the top of rock documentary filmmaking with a refreshing sense of candid storytelling only made possible by the genuine frankness of its subjects. Read full review

Glenn Kenny

Sep 13, 2018

Even if you’ve scratched your head over Mr. Lydon’s TV ad work and other efforts to maintain a professional life in recent years, this affectionate and frank movie can elicit newfound admiration for a slightly mellowed iconoclast. Read full review

The Playlist Chris Barsanti

Jul 25, 2018

Blisteringly caustic as ever, John Lydon nevertheless reveals himself as an occasionally sentimental sort in Tabbert Fiiller’s fitfully revelatory and charming documentary. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Sep 11, 2018

Through it all, the icon endures — wild-haired, bug-eyed, his manic keening and yelping evolving into something quite musical in midlife. The man? Surviving, keeping the faith and carrying on. And mellowing. Just not all that much. Read full review

Frank Lovece

Sep 13, 2018

As fascinating and well-crafted as it is, The Public Image Is Rotten is ultimately a vanity project, authorized by Lydon and his manager and meant less as an unvarnished journalistic documentary but as a burnishing of, well, his public image. Read full review

Jacob Oller

Sep 13, 2018

The Public Image is Rotten’s soundtrack is, of course, great, and the candidness from former bandmates regarding their backstabbing and youthful mistakes is certainly refreshing, but it’s all wrapped in a package wearing dad jeans: too safe, too simple, too given to a happy ending. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Simon Abrams

Sep 14, 2018

Unfortunately, The Public Image is Rotten often feels like an illustrated airing of grievances that also happens to be an in-their-words history of Lydon's best band. Read full review

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