74
Metascore
24 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91The PlaylistJason BaileyThe PlaylistJason BaileyIt is, in essence, a two-hour curtain call, a celebration of not only their music but their friendship, and a chance for the duo to have the last word on their legacy.
- 83IndieWireEric KohnIndieWireEric KohnMuch of the movie operates as a playful nostalgia trip, and at two hours that’s asking a lot, but Beastie Boys Story is also imbued with a moving sense of purpose: The story doubles as a tribute to beloved multi-hyphenate Adam “MCA” Yauch, whose 2012 death from cancer catalyzed the dissolution of the group.
- 83ConsequenceClint WorthingtonConsequenceClint WorthingtonTo be sure, the concept of Spike Jonze directing a Beastie Boys documentary conjures up flashier results than this. But taking it for what it is, Beastie Boys Story remains an entertaining, insightful, and unexpectedly fun look back at three of hip-hop’s most iconic voices.
- 80The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawThis film is a time capsule of the 1980s: an era that was crass and excessive in so many ways, but now seems weirdly exotic.
- 80EmpireAlex GodfreyEmpireAlex GodfreyA filmed stage show with barely any bells and whistles, this is an endearing trip through time, via a band who constantly changed the game. And the music is immense.
- 80VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanBeastie Boys Story is less seamless, but more personal, than a classic documentary. Horovitz and Diamond are infectious company, and the film does a meticulous job of presenting the evolution of Adam Yauch, who was always on the edge of technology (it was his idea to tape-loop “When the Levee Breaks”), as well as postmodern pranksterism.
- 80SlateJack HamiltonSlateJack HamiltonIn typical Jonze fashion, the film is loose and anarchic yet deceptively well-controlled, its fourth wall always in varying states of permeability.
- 63Slant MagazineSlant MagazineOften feels like a cross between a TED talk and a memorial service, but one gets the sense that Diamond and Horovitz are finally getting years’ worth of grief off their chests. The cumulative effect is, at the very least, touching.
- 60CineVueDaniel GreenCineVueDaniel GreenThe tributes paid to Yauch throughout by both Horovitz and Diamond are genuinely touching, and it’s here that Beastie Boys Story breaks through its inherent – often distracting – staginess. While there is still a definitive, impartial Beastie Boys film in the offing, devout fans should be more than satisfied by this nostalgic oddity.