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Barenaked in America
Metascore
52 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 21
  3. Negative: 3 out of 21
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    While most band documentaries wade through sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, this one has no sex, no drugs, and the kind of rock 'n' roll that reminds one of their fans of "something I'd hear at a dorm party."
  2. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: John Petrakis
    75
    A welcome respite from the high-volume ugliness of rock extravaganza.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    75
    Ought to suit fans just fine.
  4. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Sean Axmaker
    75
    There's a real joy to this film, a love of the music and an appreciation of the band's eccentric humor.
  5. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Van Gelder
    70
    May not be dispassionate filmmaking, but it is certainly entertaining.
  6. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    67
    Makes for a playfully enthralling hour and a half.
  7. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Foreman
    63
    There's something oddly endearing about the Barenaked Ladies. And by the end of the movie, you begin to see just what it is that inspires such intense fan loyalty.
  8. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Tom Moon
    63
    Provide more than you ever wanted to know about the reigning kings of geekpop, but he (Priestly) does so without giving you much reason to care.
  9. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Joan Anderman
    63
    Insights run more along the lines of which ''Sesame Street'' character each of them identifies with.
  10. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Steve Hochman
    60
    Priestley doesn't exploit the dramatic devices that fell into his lap.
  11. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Lisa Alspector
    60
    Includes extensive performance footage but never drags, and it isn't exposé or self-mockery.
  12. Mr. Showbiz
    Reviewed by: Kevin Maynard
    50
    At their trenchant, tuneful best, the Barenaked Ladies take flip comic spins on serious subjects (alcoholism, heartbreak). But offstage, they have nothing of substance to reveal.
  13. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    50
    These guys are very normal off stage, making them easy to like and not very exciting to watch.
  14. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: J. D. Considine
    50
    On the plus side, there's plenty of dry Canadian wit, a handful of songs and only occasional bits of nudity.
  15. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Steve Simels
    50
    A reasonably entertaining way to kill an hour and a half.
  16. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Jessica Winter
    50
    A pleasant if overlong road show starring five witty, sweet, humble guys.
  17. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Sean Means
    50
    This is a band that deserves better.
  18. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brendan Kelly
    40
    An only occasionally interesting look at a rather ordinary bunch of musicians.
  19. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Nicole Arthur
    30
    Its scope isn't broad enough to draw in the uninitiated.
  20. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Steve Mikulan
    20
    Surprisingly few insights from the quintet, and after 90 minutes we're more familiar with the furniture of their rooms.
  21. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Robert Wilonsky
    20
    The film has no form or function; at best, it's a 90-minute infomercial.
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