Marley 2012

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Bob Marley wrote the same song about 8,000 times, and the documentary "Marley" makes sure to include each version. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: A riveting two-and-a-half-hour documentary biography... Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: The director, Kevin Macdonald, searches for clarity amid the contradictions of Marley's life and reaches no conclusions, but that's a tribute to his subject's complexity in a film of fascinating too-muchness. Read more

Gene Stout, Seattle Times: Even those who know reggae star Bob Marley inside and out might be amazed by the scope, detail and beauty of "Marley"... Read more

Keith Phipps, AV Club: In spite of all the diligence and frankness, Marley remains an enigma. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Clocking in at nearly two and a half hours, it is gripping from the start, not just because of the quality of the music, but because of Marley's magnetic, challenging personality, as well. Read more

Steve Morse, Boston Globe: This film is long. But it grabs one's senses and won't let go. Read more

Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader: Macdonald supplies some interesting and novel details about the musician's life and art, though the movie's narrative arc and documentary methods are totally predictable. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Documentaries fully authorized by the subject's surviving family members are rarely this rich. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: This is a life story worth telling, and "Marley" does it much justice. Marley may or may not have been perfect, but he was certainly fascinating. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: [It] shows off his chops not by doing anything dazzling - the film is documentary prose, not poetry - but by treating Marley as a man of depth and nuance, of inner light and shadow. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: The enormous popularity of the transcendent reggae superstar shows no signs of abating, a situation"Marley," a moving and authoritative new documentary, takes as its mission to illustrate and explain. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: You see a man, flawed and imperfect, finding his way through with his music, constantly searching for his place in the world until that quest was cut tragically short. Read more

Anthony Lane, New Yorker: Marley, by reminding us of the longing and the indignation from which the music leaped, does a grand job of turning the volume back up. If only it had found more time to stop and listen. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: It's hard to imagine audiences who don't know much about the man sticking around for more than a few minutes of this. And they're the ones who need to know about him most of all. Read more

Ian Buckwalter, NPR: Stylistically unremarkable, playing it safe with structure, the film is still quietly revelatory. Read more

Jim Farber, New York Daily News: The narrative does a solid job of explaining key elements of Marley's keen sensibility, including his deep identification with outsiders and his encompassing world view. Read more

Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post: The movie has enormous force - because it's about a genius, yes, but even more so because of the intelligence, passion and wit of the people who knew Marley. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Marley celebrates the fact that its subject is still among us in the way that perhaps matters most: His music not only survives, it thrives. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: "Marley," an ambitious and comprehensive film, does what is probably the best possible job of documenting an important life. Read more

Dana Stevens, Slate: Chronologically organized and voiceover-free, the movie is a 145-minute patchwork of old concert footage and talking-head interviews -- lots and lots of them -- from people who knew, loved, and worked with the reggae giant. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Given the legal and logistical constraints on this long-delayed project, this lengthy movie is as comprehensive a history as Marley's fans could have hoped, but the uninitiated may not catch a fire. Read more

Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail: Marley is highly watchable, finely crafted legacy preservation - and it's either a white-washed sham or awesomely shaded. Read more

Tom Huddleston, Time Out: Such an honest depiction can only contribute to a deeper appreciation of this remarkable artist. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: The tunes, flooding every frame, remain perfect. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: It wants to show us the man behind the famous dreads, beatific smile and durable songs of love, hope and longing. In this task it succeeds admirably. Read more

Scott Bowles, USA Today: Sprinkled with riffs, concert footage and home videos, the family-authorized documentary does what the artist usually did: When in doubt, return to the beat. Read more

Guy Lodge, Variety: [A] generous, absorbing, family-authorized docu on the late, still-reigning king of reggae music. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: Thoroughly researched and packed with phenomenal archival footage, it's a rousing tribute to a mesmerizing performer that forgoes blind hero worship. Read more

David Malitz, Washington Post: It's exhaustive without being exhausting, an eye-opening and all-encompassing portrait that should go a long way to rescuing him from being a marijuana mascot. Read more