First Reviews Say Spike Jonze's 'Beastie Boys Story' Is "Essential Viewing"
With Spike Jonze's new Beastie Boys documentary dropping today, the reviews have begun to trickle in. Here, you can see what critics are saying about Beastie Boys Story ahead of its debut on Apple TV+.
Beastie Boys Story is directed, produced, and written by Jonze — a longtime friend and Beastie Boys collaborator — alongside founding members Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz. The picture ultimately finds Diamond and Horovitz detailing the story of the group and 40 years of friendship through a live documentary experience.
Complete with archival footage of the legendary trio, the film reveals how now-deceased member Adam Yauch helped the group find their voice after years of nonstop partying.
You can get a better feel for the documentary by watching the trailer below. Beastie Boys Story releases on Apple TV+ on April 24.
More than your average documentary
VarietyBeastie Boys Story is less seamless, but more personal, than a classic documentary.
SlateIn typical Jonze fashion, the film is loose and anarchic yet deceptively well-controlled, its fourth wall always in varying states of permeability.
A story of boys becoming men
Entertainment WeeklyIf the movie itself is an imperfect document of the Beasties as a band, it's moments like those that deliver something sweeter, at least for the faithful: a pleasingly shambolic Story of three Boys, and the better men they came to be.
The Hollywood ReporterNot surprisingly, it's a love letter, far more polished and smoothed-out than the genre-defying trio might have deserved in their anarchic heyday, but as warm and reflective as you might expect from the middle-aged men they are now.
An ode to the '80s
The GuardianThis film is a time capsule of the 1980s: an era that was crass and excessive in so many ways, but now seems weirdly exotic.
Somewhat melancholic
TimeThere are moments when Beastie Boys Story has the aura of a heavy sigh, laden with the knowledge that the skateboard long ago skidded off the half pipe. Still, if you've ever felt even a scrap of affection for the band, Beastie Boys Story has its charms.
But a must-watch nonetheless
The SpoolDie-hard Beastie fans who have been with them for decades may not unlock any new insights here, but it's still essential viewing.
IndieWireThe Beastie Boys were genuine artists who transcended the limits of any specific musical genre and invented one of their own. Beastie Boys Story provides a charming and poignant explanation for how they pulled it off.
