63
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Village VoiceVillage VoiceDespite cloying narration, Fitzgerald's footage and interviews are fantastic.
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickA solid documentary that examines the art's roots, from ad-libs by black preachers to "toasts" delivered by Jamaican immigrants over instrumental tracks in the '70s South Bronx.
- 75New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardDispels myths about the "gangsta" aura that clings to rap and shows this poetry of the streets in all its different forms: social protest, entertainment and aggression.
- 70Chicago ReaderFred CamperChicago ReaderFred CamperAn engaged and knowing look at the underground world of improvised rap, concentrating on artists less interested in commercial success and cutting records than in the "spontaneous right now" of "nonconceptual rhyme."
- 60Film ThreatMerle BertrandFilm ThreatMerle BertrandMakes for an interesting close-up on an art form whose intricacies could all too easily go unnoticed.
- 60Film ThreatPhil HallFilm ThreatPhil HallThe film is a visceral overload of wordplay ranging from the spontaneous neighborhood park jams to the overflowing concert venues.
- 60The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensThe skills on display in Freestyle are too varied and idiosyncratic for one movie to contain, but this one at least offers a heady, rousing education in an art form that is too often misunderstood.
- 60TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxBegun over seven years ago and described by the filmmaker as a work-in-progress, the documentary still feels a bit incomplete.
- 50L.A. WeeklyHazel-Dawn DumpertL.A. WeeklyHazel-Dawn DumpertIn Fitzgerald's hands, freestyling is an all-good means of personal expression and communal identification. The dark side of rap he treats only superficially, shortchanging a well-rounded discussion in favor of wholehearted celebration.