Stop Making Sense
Metascore
89 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Edward Guthmann
    100
    Has there ever been a live concert film as vibrant or as brilliantly realized? I don't think so. [Review of re-release]
  2. San Francisco Examiner
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    100
    Part aerobics workout, part self-styled dreamscape, Sense is a hyperactive piece of performance art that begins as the stripped-down dress rehearsal of a garage band and builds into a mighty, exhausting spectacle that shakes as much ass as it kicks. [Review of re-release]
  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    100
    By common consensus, Stop Making Sense is the best concert film ever made.
  4. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    Starting with Mick Jagger, rock concerts have become, for the performers, as much sporting events as musical and theatrical performances. Stop Making Sense understands that with great exuberance.
  5. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    90
    Stop Making Sense is so beautifully choreographed that in some ways it's more like theater than a rock show. [Review of re-release]
  6. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Janet Maslin
    90
    Mr. Demme has captured both the look and the spirit of this live performance with a daring and precision that match the group's own.
  7. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    90
    It could as well be called Best Thing of Undetermined Species.
  8. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Dave Kehr
    80
    It's 88 minutes of solid, inventive music, filmed in a straightforward manner that neither deifies the performers nor encourages an illusory intimacy, but presents the musicians simply as people doing their job and enjoying it.
  9. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Steve Morse
    50
    But as good as it is, the film falls short of translating the exaltation and near-gospel music feel of the band in full flight. [2 Nov 1984]
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. ryancarroll88
    10
    Incredible - The cameras manage to capture both the grandiosity of the stage production and the intimacy of the flawless performance, setting a near insurmountable standard for capturing the energy of live footage. David Byrne's antics alone are also reason enough for checking it out.… Full Review »
  2. JaredC.
    7
    Pretty good show, but for a movie called Stop Making Sense. It should focus a little harder on how it doesn't make sense.
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