The Crash Reel 2013

Dorothy Rabinowitz, Wall Street Journal: In its picture of the family constellation lies all of the film's strength, all testimony to its ambition, its capacity to fascinate with a revelation, an unexpected digression from the drama's main focus. Read more

Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: Ms. Walker doesn't go too deeply into the questions all this raises, but at least she broaches them. Are the sponsors of these athletes promoting recklessness by encouraging stars to push the limits? Read more

John Teti, AV Club: While there is an actual "crash reel" in the film, the title speaks more to Pearce's interminable sense of reeling. Read more

Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter: This compassionate account of the thrills and risks of extreme sports makes it required viewing for both aspirants and enthusiasts. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: Walker captures a seesaw exhilaration between the thrill of pushing one's limits and the pain of dreams cut short. Read more

Ian Buckwalter, NPR: Few documentaries manage to show character arcs as full as the one Walker captures here. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Director Lucy Walker's chronicle of how Pearce, his family and his friends grapple with their altered reality results in one of the year's best documentaries. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: This is top-notch filmmaking in terms of its technique and its humane spirit. Read more

Adam Nayman, Globe and Mail: The hook of The Crash Reel is that it's about the rivalry between two famous American snowboarders, but in reality, Lucy Walker's slickly produced documentary is about one man's ongoing battle with himself -- on and off the slopes. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: Much more than a sports film, Lucy Walker's Oscar-shortlisted The Crash Reel is a thrilling, inspiring, yet cautionary tale about extreme sports that never trades on sentiment. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: Lucy Walker has assembled one of the great sporting docs - partly because its scope extends beyond the slopes. Read more

Sam Adams, Time Out: With its high-energy music and graffiti-style graphics, The Crash Reel plays like the slick promos NBC uses to repackage every Olympian's story into a pat narrative. Read more

Rob Nelson, Variety: Walker pulls off a spectacular feat ... balancing the needs of extreme sports vid and cautionary tale. Read more

Inkoo Kang, Village Voice: The Crash Reel movingly captures the athlete's difficult acceptance of the fact that he can no longer practice the sport that made him a world champion. Read more