X
  • 2020
  • R
  • Magnolia Pictures
  • 1 h 40 m
  • 2020
  • R
  • Magnolia Pictures
  • 1 h 40 m

Summary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band is a confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robertson’s young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band. The film is a moving story of Robertson’s personal journey, overcoming adversity and finding camaraderie a...

Directed By: Daniel Roher

  • 2020
  • R
  • Magnolia Pictures
  • 1 h 40 m
  • 2020
  • R
  • Magnolia Pictures
  • 1 h 40 m

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 18 Critic Reviews
61
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 6 User Ratings
7.7
My Score
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Where to Watch

Summary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band is a confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robertson’s young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band. The film is a moving story of Robertson’s personal journey, overcoming adversity and finding camaraderie a...

Directed By: Daniel Roher

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 18 Critic Reviews
61
61% Positive
11 Reviews
39% Mixed
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 18 Critic Reviews
61
61% Positive
11 Reviews
39% Mixed
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Jan 20, 2020
All music documentaries are subjective in that they’re the most engrossing to those the most into the music. But for the right fan, Roher’s lovely leafing through musical history will be touching and at times thrilling.
By Roger Moore FULL REVIEW
70
Feb 20, 2020
It is a measure of the singularity of the Band’s story, and the way their music remains such a tonic to experience, that “Brothers” still demands to be seen.
By Kenneth Turan FULL REVIEW
70
Sep 6, 2019
The film picks up more general interest once it moves past the early nobility of the outfit as a band of brothers into the things that cripple the least greatest of groups ... Robertson [is] an articulate and ingratiating tour guide through all this glorious and eventually tortured history.
By Chris Willman FULL REVIEW
63
Feb 28, 2020
Robertson’s ex-wife, Dominique. Her thoughtful presence is a very welcome departure from the standard rock-doc formula. She provides the kind of reality check — an under-the-influence Manuel almost got her killed when he totaled her Mustang, with her in the passenger seat — rarely found in such films. In that sense, it isn’t just the Band that was different but “Once Were Brothers” is, too.
By Mark Feeney FULL REVIEW
60
Sep 8, 2020
As in Scorsese’s rock docs, there are reams of archive footage and rare snapshots to swoon over (Dylan’s striped trousers from 1967 never get old), all seamlessly edited together by Roher and Eamonn O’Connor.
By Leslie Felperin FULL REVIEW
50
Feb 26, 2020
Survivors get to tell the history, but Robbie Robertson is pushing it. The guitarist does not come off as a wholly reliable narrator in his cinematic account of the illustrious career of the Band, Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band.
FULL REVIEW
42
Sep 6, 2019
Robertson, a deeply talented musician and songwriter who is still working today, is a fascinating subject, but the really compelling stuff is lingering just out of the frame. Without a more well-rounded selection of voices ... or a more critical-minded director to give the film perspective, Robertson is free to obscure the bigger questions and deeper meanings, opting for self-mythologizing over self-reflection.
By Kate Erbland FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 6 User Ratings
7.7
100% Positive
6 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 6 User Ratings
7.7
100% Positive
6 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Shed, Bell Media Studios, Diamond Docs, Imagine Documentaries, Polygram Entertainment, Universal Music Canada, White Pine Pictures
Release Date Feb 21, 2020
Duration 1 h 40 m
Rating R
Genres
Website https://www.whitepinepictures.com/once-were-brothers-robbie-robertson-the-band
View All Details

Awards

Palm Springs International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Canadian Screen Awards, CA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Whistler Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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