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Only the Strong Survive
Only the Strong Survive Image
Metascore
59 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critics What's this?

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  • Starring: Isaac Hayes, Mary Wilson, Sam Moore, Wilson Pickett
  • Summary: Documentary filmmakers DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus catch up with the great soul singers of the 1960s and early 1970s. The result is a musical celebration of soul, a glimpse into the skewed world of the music industry, and a compelling narrative of these seven talented acts. (Miramax)

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 21
  3. Negative: 3 out of 21
  1. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    88
    One for the time capsule.
  2. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    60
    But while Only The Strong Survive is essential viewing for soul fans, as a documentary it never makes the needed connections among the artists, their music, and the lives they lead.
  3. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Don R. Lewis
    30
    This film has so many chances to spice up the screen....and passes, I was wondering if I were watching an info-mercial for some kind of "K-Tel Classics- Revisted" album.

See all 21 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. MichelleM.
    6
    Several great performances: : Jerry Butler, Wilson Pickett, Ann Peebles, Mary Wilson, stitched together with chatter and disconnected vignettes. Lack of depth in portraying the soul of the performers or of the culture in which they thrived. Much less compelling or evocative than Standing In the Shadows of Motown.… Expand
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