To share Feuerzeig’s loving investigation is to share an insightful study of the destructive and creative capabilities of the mind.
Comment
05/04/06
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
Top CriticTouching, funny and sad.
06/03/06
Rock 'n' roll's capacity for recycling legend means the stories of Johnston's life, and the way in which they're told, could easily fall into cliché. Instead they are original, engrossing and sometimes heartbreaking.
05/06/06
Top CriticHeartbreaking, funny and inspirational, in equal measure - it'll also make you want to buy at least one Daniel Johnston album and you'll probably find yourself singing Casper the Friendly Ghost for the rest of the day.
05/06/06
The troubled singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston is the subject of an entertaining documentary.
05/06/06
Top CriticAs a demonstration of how to put a life on screen, it is exemplary in its thoroughness and willingness to allow a multiplicity of views.
05/06/06
Occasionally slides into a breathless fan tribute, but nonetheless an affectionate and candid portrait of a troubled artist.
05/05/06
Top CriticThis mesmerizing documentary about the cult musician (his enthusiastic fans include indie-rock royalty like Sonic Youth) will do more to sway the uninitiated to Johnston's side than away from it.
03/31/06
Feuerzeig recounts it all with clear-eyed candor, turning to Johnston's battered friends and family for insight and empathy and to Johnston's tapes and drawings for an inside look at his illness.
04/13/06
A searing, compassionate portrait of chronic mental illness.
04/21/06
The cinematography and editing are often far more creative than the aptly utilitarian work frequently found in biographical documentaries...
03/31/06
Demonic and riveting, but I'm still not a fan.
05/09/06
Johnston's obsession with self-documenting his life by means of amateur films and tape recordings has yielded a wealth of material from which Feuerzeig has fashioned an often fascinating portrait.
04/13/06
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
Feuerzeig's kaleidoscopic film is the perfect frame for Daniel Johnston's odd world.
06/23/06
If Johnston is Joe Buck, Feuerzeig is his rambling, audacious Enrico Rizzo.
04/01/06
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
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
While the movie is interesting as a curiosity, it ultimately reflects on the people who erroneously believe in the heightened quality of Johnston's overrated music.
04/20/09
"I think he was having fun teasing me. What do you think?" Daniel Johnston's mother and father are still trying to figure out their perplexing child, even now, when he's 44 years old.
05/13/06
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