This well-done documentary will explain why Johnston has never been able to rise above cult status ...
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04/28/06
The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2006)
88
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:102
Fresh:90
Rotten:12
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: Whether you think this mentally ill cult musician is worthy of being called a "genius," this document of his life is crafted with sincere respect and is fascinating to watch.
Theatrical Release:05-05-2006
Synopsis: Although his appeal barely stretches beyond a small band of obsessives in the tight-knit indie-rock community, the turbulent career of singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston has had more highs and lows... [More]
Reviews for The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Feuerzeig was able to fashion such a thorough, engaging film partly because aficionados such as Lee Renaldo of Sonic Youth shot so much footage of Johnston performing and acting out.
04/28/06
Like Capturing the Friedmans, Devil is loaded with revealing footage, rife with psychodrama, including a creepy home movie in which the teenage Johnston plays himself and his overbearing mother.
04/28/06
Despite the overstating of his artistic case, I still found Jeff Feuerzeig's film account incredibly compelling, in a freaky, can't-help- but-stare-at-the- roadside-accident kind of way.
04/28/06
... an uncomfortably fascinating document of a man whose bipolar disorder and artistic ambitions are inextricably connected.
04/28/06
Devil leads us into that dark, uncharted valley where evil, genius, divine inspiration, insanity -- and other unfathomable mysteries -- commingle.
04/27/06
This astonishingly well-made movie stubbornly refuses to ask some important questions. Are we watching mental illness as performance art?
04/25/06
A searing, compassionate portrait of chronic mental illness.
04/21/06
Might not convince you that Daniel Johnston is a great artist, but it does persuade you that he's a fascinating case study.
04/21/06
An inspired piece of work by someone who knows and admires Mr. Johnston but doesn't cover up the warts. It's also the rare documentary possessed with an artistry that transcends its subject.
04/20/06
You don't need to be Einstein to know that not all geniuses are mad. More to the relative point, not all madmen are geniuses.
04/20/06
There's no question Johnston is an intriguing person. Or that, based on the treasure trove of illuminating or baffling or maddening footage assembled here into a stylishly messy whole, he remains a work in progress.
04/20/06
Perhaps Feuerzeig wanted to get away from the stereotypical 'talking head' interview, but by having the subject stop periodically to rinse and spit?
04/20/06
It's little more than a decently-compiled, fan-inspired research project as opposed to something organically resonant or artful.
04/19/06
It's an excruciating yet fascinating journey through the life of a very intriguing, yet very ill person.
04/14/06
This stunningly powerful tale gets you in its grip and doesn't let go.
04/14/06
Regardless of how you feel about Johnston's art, The Devil and Daniel Johnston is worth seeing as a poignant portrait of a troubled life, still in the making.
04/14/06
Johnston's fringe existence may not speak to the most universal of truths, but the man certainly isn't cut from a cookie-cutter mold.
04/14/06
Jeff Feuerzeig, who won the best director award at Sundance 2005 for this film, has started with a subject who has filmed himself and been filmed by others for more than 20 years.
04/14/06
Top CriticJohnston gets his own documentary
04/14/06
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