Not Fade Away
Not Fade Away Image
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Metascore
65 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score
5.3 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 8 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
  1. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Keith Uhlich
    Dec 18, 2012
    100
    It isn't until the story reaches its fancifully abstract final passages, where cinema displaces music as Douglas's weapon of choice, that Chase's reverie reveals itself as a particularly exceptional exploration of how art ceases being an idle hobby and becomes an obsessive vocation.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Gary Goldstein
    Dec 20, 2012
    80
    A stirring snapshot of America from 1963 to 1968 and the many rock 'n' roll thrills, cultural and political watersheds, and whirling emotions that erupted in between. It's also deviously smart and darkly funny.
  3. The Playlist
    Reviewed by: Rodrigo Perez
    Dec 23, 2012
    58
    Though not a poor effort per se -- David Chase's Not Fade Away does authentically captures the heart and soul of the music of the era and the intoxicating/naive dream of making it big -- the picture isn't exactly a remarkable one either.
  4. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    Jan 4, 2013
    38
    I hope his life was less dull than the movie he's made from it.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Mab_987
    9
    As an avid music fan & aspiring rock musician, I was very interested when I saw the trailer for this movie, and all that interested was definitely justfied, and then some, because Not Fade Away is simply fantastic. First of all, I appreciate that rather than being centered around the big & famous musicians like a lot of similar films would do, this film follows a band, The Twylight Zones, that suffers a lot & even ends on a rather bleak & ambiguous note as to whether or not they'll make it as a band at all. Not only that, but the characters here all seem very realistic. There are no cheap one-note stereotypes or clear antagonists, but rather a group of generally reasonable people that run into very believable problems & misunderstandings. Something like this definitely helps with the relatability factor. Another thing to note is that this is set in the mid-late 60s, and even as someone who was born decades after this time, I could easily believe that the settings here are accurate, with possible minor embellishements here & there for added effect. Steven Van Zandt produced this, and it's very easy to tell that a musician was involved with this. Even though I don't have an impressive amount of band experience yet, a lot of subtleties of being a musican are covered here, mainly in the songwriting process. Speaking of the music, in addition to great older songs being used very often (which would be implied in a film like this) the original song here main character Doug wrote about his breakup, The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, is also very impressive, and I'm so glad they released the soundtrack on iTunes cause it's a genuinely good song. M only real gripe with this movie is the last minute, where a girl starts talking to the camera & dancing in the middle of the street. It just lost me there, and would've been much better if it ended on what was happening rght before that. Overall, Not Fade Away is a very well-rounded movie, creating moments that are fun, emotional, relatable & sweet, while never losing focus & keeping a very good & steady pace, making it's over 2 hour running time very justified.… Expand
  2. cinemaquote
    6
    this is a perfect cameron crow film: soundtrack is grand, casting fresh and historically correct. but, it is not what i expected as a die-hard david chase fan. i did enjoy the occasional gandolfini, the timing and general rhythm, some of the dialogue and... that is it. this is not a meritless film, but it wasnt what i expected from soprano-great. please do view and review it.… Expand

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