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Decade Under the Influence, A
IFC Films


6.0

based on 16 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 2 votes
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FILM:

MPAA RATING:

Starring Francis Ford Coppola, Julie Christie, Polly Platt, Ellen Burstyn, Jack Nicholson, Paul Thomas Anderson, Steven Soderbergh, and Dennis Hopper

For American cinema, the 1970s was an era during which a new generation of filmmakers created work for a new kind of audience. In this documentary, pioneering writers, directors and actors talk about the times, their films and their colleagues. (IFC Films)

GENRE(S):	Documentary
DIRECTED BY:	Ted Demme Richard LaGravenese
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: September 30, 2003 Theatrical: April 25, 2003
RUNNING TIME:	108 minutes, B/W / Color
ORIGIN:	USA

Nominated, Grand Jury Prize (Documentary), 2003 Sundance Film Festival

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

This documentary about the triumph of the New Hollywood employs a treasure trove of interviews and clips to create a rich understanding of the many forces -- cultural undertows, really -- that flowed together to fill the void left by the dying studio system.

100

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

It's illuminating and nostalgic and for anyone who lined up for American movies in that bygone golden age.

Variety David Rooney

An entertaining, deeply respectful assessment of the directors and actors who rode the countercultural wave of the 1970s.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

It is often remarked that the years between "Easy Rider" (1969) and "Star Wars" (1977) marked a second golden age in American filmmaking, and this documentary, as comprehensive as it is incisive, is a reminder of just how many terrific pictures came out during those years.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Unlike many documentaries about movies, it's neither underfunded nor perfunctory, but thoughtful and bracing.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Here's a fireball documentary about the 1970s, when filmmakers were stoked by sex, drugs, rock and, oh, yeah, social conscience.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

The movie star Julie Christie turned 62 last month, and anyone under the impression that she merely floated through her prime heedless of the age in which she worked should catch her in A Decade Under the Influence.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Whether you lived through the period and will have fond memories jostled, or are scouting for future DVD pleasures, the surest way to see a good movie in a theater this week is to see one about them.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

The decade under discussion in this enjoyable documentary is the 1970s, a period that changed Hollywood forever.

The New York Times Dave Kehr

Has the undiscriminating temperament of a fan, blithely placing Mr. Coppola's magnificently made "Godfather" on the same plane as Mr. Hopper's slapped-together, and today all but unwatchable, "Easy Rider."

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

For neophyte cinephiles, A Decade Under The Influence should serve as a lively primer on a seminal film era, but its reverent tone is antithetical to the rule-breaking spirit it celebrates.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

An excellent introduction to the subject, and a movie buff's delight.

Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder

As wide and deep as the directors fish for anecdotes, it's surprising that there isn't more focus, more context.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

As one might expect from IFC, actors and directors dominate the interview segments, which may be the reason the narrative never finds its way to Heaven's Gate.

Village Voice J. Hoberman

Does attest to the once-upon-a-time existence of a Hollywood counterculture, but it's so reverentially heavy-handed in evoking the era that it can't help playing like "Forrest Gump" without Tom Hanks.

LA Weekly John Powers

One wonders what exactly Richard LaGravenese and the late Ted Demme thought they were doing in this documentary, which doesn't so much look at the period as genuflect before it.

The average user rating for this movie is 6.0 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Pat C. gave it a 6:
A documentary-style elaboration of the unprecedented creativity of movies in the 70s. Good in its continuity and reference to contemporary touchstones during that period, but undercredits the enabling films and personalities that preceded the period. Overall though, a good perspective for movie buffs, who will recognize the historical context of their favorites.

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Decade Under the Influence, A IFC Films

Decade Under the Influence, A
IFC Films