The Wrecking Crew
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: March 13, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
EmpireIan FreerJun 23, 2015
An entertaining and compelling story about music’s unsung heroes. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe LeydonMar 12, 2015
This nostalgia-drenched rockumentary remains a hugely entertaining treasure trove of witness-at-creation anecdotes and enduringly potent ’60s pop hits. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianJeff BakerJul 14, 2015
The music they made is timeless, and Denny Tedesco deserves credit for giving them the credit they deserve and for working through the music rights issues that delayed a theatrical release for seven years. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn HornadayMar 26, 2015
Nostalgia trips are fun, but when they intersect with genius, virtuosity and genuine revelatory insight, they take viewers to a higher place. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyMar 12, 2015
There’s a similar shared joy among the participants, a similar sense of discovery for the viewer, and, of course, a killer soundtrack. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubJason HellerMar 12, 2015
As a love letter to the director’s late father, The Wrecking Crew sparkles. As a potentially comprehensive, context-rich chronicle of one of pop music’s most inspired engines of rhythm and melody, it mostly sticks to one note. Read full review
75
New York PostLou LumenickMar 11, 2015
The documentary was filmed in the 1990s by Denny Tedesco, whose father Tommy is credited as the most recorded guitarist in history, including the instantly identifiable themes to “Bonanza” and “Mission: Impossible.” Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 10, 2015
It’s a fascinating slice of rock and pop archeology and well worth your time. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerFeb 19, 2015
The enlightening and necessary film, narrated by an adoring Denny, is very much in the vein of 2002’s "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," a documentary that celebrated the Funk Brothers, the criminally unheralded house band at Berry Gordy Jr.’s hit-making studio in Detroit. But where "Standing in the Shadows" of Motown used re-enactments and new live performances, The Wrecking Crew is composed mostly of archival footage and newish interviews. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranMar 12, 2015
Once the singer-songwriter model became the norm for the rock business, the Wrecking Crew's star began to wane, but seeing this film makes it clear what its members accomplished in their prime. Read full review
70
The DissolveNoel MurrayMar 12, 2015
The Wrecking Crew is a provocative look back at an art form in transition, reflecting on the moment when it started to matter whether Mickey Dolenz was actually playing drums on The Monkees’ albums, and the moment when, according to Dolenz, people started to “take the rock ’n’ roll very seriously.” Read full review
67
The PlaylistKevin JagernauthMar 12, 2015
There are a thousand stories to be told in the studios where these session players cut some of the greatest records of all time, which makes it disappointing that there isn't more to be found in the documentary The Wrecking Crew. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireMar 13, 2015
The number of important, enduring 1960s and early ‘70s songs that a group of studio musicians known as The Wrecking Crew brought to life is staggering. Read full review
60
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlMar 10, 2015
The crew's recollections and occasional demonstrations, on their instruments, are revealing and delightful, but the film itself could use more of their professionalism and chops; the editing's haphazard, and it's not always clear why one segment follows another. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesMar 25, 2015
The subject itself – the musicians, the music – and the spirit of the thing – one son’s obvious devotion – transcend the film’s technical shortcomings. Read full review
50
The New York TimesJon CaramanicaMar 12, 2015
Mostly, it’s hagiography, with stars like Cher and Brian Wilson used as character witnesses to the players’ greatness. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineOleg IvanovMar 10, 2015
Overall, the documentary comes off as a solipsistic, uncritical look at an incredible moment in the history of American music. Read full review
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