Metacritic Film

Danielson: A Family Movie

Starring Steve Albini, David Garland, Daniel Johnston, Kramer, Rick Moody, Daniel Smith, Alan Sparhawk, and Sufjan Stevens

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Creative Arson Productions
Documentary  |  Musical
96 minutes | Color
USA
Released In Theaters December 15, 2006

Danielson: a Family Movie is a documentary about unbridled creativity vs. accessibility, Christian faith vs. popular culture, underground music vs. survival, and family vs. individuality. The film follows Daniel Smith, an eccentric musician and visual artist, as he leads his four siblings and best friend Chris to indie-rock stardom. (Creative Arson Productions)

DIRECTED BY
J.L. Aronson

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

59 / 100

Critic Reviews

70 LA Weekly
Shot on digital and layered with animated segments, performance footage and clips from Smith family home movies, Family Movie unfolds with a gentle, justified confidence in the power of its subject.
70 Los Angeles Times Michael Ordona
Aronson's film is a fond portrait, loaded with bizarre, haunting music and Smith's off-kilter inspirations.
60 Chicago Reader Monica Kendrick
Nonfans may be put off by its relative lack of dramatic tension and soft-focus analog video.
60 Variety
There is an undeniable quirky appeal to the creative world of Daniel Smith, though those who hope a behind-the-scenes look will explain his motivation or personality won't find the enigma resolved here.
58 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
One of the strangest things about J.L. Aronson's often fascinating film is the presence of Sufjan Stevens, who recently has become a star in his own right, as Smith's bandmate and protégé. One can only wonder what Stevens, who possesses a pleasant voice and a solid grasp of song craft, found in such a mentor.
50 The New York Times
This being a film review, the relevant question is whether J L Aronson's documentary about Danielson is worth watching. The answer, for about two-thirds of it, is yes. Though ultimately, alas, the movie has a little too much Danielson in it.

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