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Patti Smith: Dream of Life
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 4 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Documentary
Written by: Steven Sebring
Directed by: Steven Sebring
Release Date:
Theatrical: August 6, 2008
DVD: January 13, 2009
Running Time: 109 minutes, Color | Black and White
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: Not Rated
Starring Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye, Oliver Ray, Tony Shanahan, Jay Dee Daughterty, Jackson Smith, Jesse Smith, and Tom Verlaine
When people ask her "How does it feel to be a rock icon?" Patti Smith says she "always thinks of Mount Rushmore." Steven Sebring's directorial debut takes a lyrical, stream-of-consciousness approach that is exactly right in his affecting portrait of the "rock-and-roll Joan of Arc." She can bring a crowd of devotees to its feet chanting "Glor-i-a!" as effectively as she can share her pain over the early death of her husband, Fred Smith, her brother, her close friend Robert Mapplethorpe, and other artists she admires. Everyone knows that Patti Smith's music, poetry, and politics are fearless, funny, raw, and original. But this film also captures her physical presence--her gamine beauty and charming, self-effacing style--that will take you by surprise and leave you deeply moved. (Palm Pictures)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Patti Smith: Dream of Life
What The Critics Said
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...
The Hollywood Reporter James Greenberg
A knowledge of Smith's landmark contribution as a rock 'n' roll pioneer is not essential, and the film should be a joy for anyone interested in pop culture of the past 40 years.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
Frequently beautiful and intermittently haunting and could be called a meditation on aging and mortality, an intimate study of a peculiar variety of fame and a portrait of a genuinely remarkable person.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Manohla Dargis
A lovely, drifty first feature that feels less like a documentary and more like an act of rapturous devotion.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
If one thing holds the picture back, it’s the self-conscious album-cover aesthetic of Sebring’s visual approach.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
This intimate portrait of the so-called godmother of punk is aimed at viewers who are keenly fascinated by Smith.
Read Full Review >New York Post V.A. Musetto
This isn't a performance film, and it is far from a definitive portrait of the androgynous performer.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Steven Sebring spent a decade making this documentary about the punk poet, and it shows.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano
Impossibly long and angular, with a brutally beautiful face, she represents something that's been rare in the popular culture in the past decade: an artist with a voice and a vision.
Read Full Review >Variety Robert Koehler
The textured, thoughtful results may prove too cerebral and abstract for audiences beyond Smith's hardcore followers,
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
When embraced on its own terms, the film will provide an ironic bridge for those who want to share a greater closeness with Smith.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
We don't learn too many specifics of Smith's brilliant career, and only a die-hard fan will find all of it vitally interesting.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Stan Hall
Most frustratingly, Smith's powerful music is heard only in snatches.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray
The paltry amount of live performances is a crime. In some ways, Smith singing "Gloria" live would've been all the context anyone would ever need.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
Most audience members will probably want more.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Camille Dodero
109 mostly black-and-white minutes of punk's wet nurse floating through the modern world while endlessly ruminating on mortality, art, and the occasional bodily function. Problem is, there's nary a hint of context, even with biographic essentials.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Monkey T gave it a10:
Beautiful!!!! Serene, funny, moving, powerful, passionate. A gem.
John A gave it a3:
As much as I feel respect for Patti Smith, her art and over-indulgent self sadly form a thick pretentious cloud behind which her humour and true persona (of which tiny bits in this film are amazing) remains for most part unseen. She is an honest person, true to her beliefs and warm-heartedly leads us through the film but in general, the point is sadly missed - 'Dream of Life' should have been called 'Patti Smith - This and That', due to her exposure to daily routines of painting, taking pictures, singing in and out of tune, walking around graveyards to express respects and gratitude to her ever-beloved poet idols... maybe that was the concept of the film, and to record an in-depth ten years video diary and then try and squeeze it into 2 hours isn't at all greatful or easy, there is still plenty of unnecessary philosophy which might even provoke those more dedicated to drop a yawn or two.
