65
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisWhat emerges is a poignant commentary on the uneasy commingling of love and fame.
- 75The Globe and Mail (Toronto)The Globe and Mail (Toronto)The question subtly, craftily documented in The Swell Season is whether the fans or Hansard himself want to see the singer cast in this new role of success.
- 75New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottNew Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottIt's sadly and tenderly honest -- and so are Hansard and Irglova, as they generously and matter-of-factly open up to the camera.
- 75New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithLike "Once," this film is a tender little piece of heartbreak.
- 75Washington PostAnn HornadayWashington PostAnn HornadayMost vividly, The Swell Season captures the insistent, borderline-disturbing energy of fandom at its most rabid and psychically intrusive.
- Does right by both fans and subjects.
- 60New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierAs shown in this disarming and intimate documentary named after their band, the oddness of actually being sought-after was something neither was prepared for.
- 50Slant MagazineNick SchagerSlant MagazineNick SchagerUltimately, though, they never cohere into something more than a moderately engaging for-fans-only tour diary.
- 50VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibSwell never really gathers momentum, remaining a collection of moments, some more privileged than others.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoSan Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoThere are some compelling performance moments, and it's sad to watch these talented and basically nice people drift apart. But overall the film seems like a collection of bits and pieces, and it's hard to see how it could have much resonance for non-fans.