Cohen is such a mesmerizing narrator of his own life, it's a shame the sound bites don't dig deeper; there's probably a first-rate autobiography in the outtakes.
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man (2006)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:74
Fresh:52
Rotten:22
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: A moving, if somewhat uneven, look at the legendary singer-songwriter, I'm Your Man treats Cohen's body of work with the reverence it deserves.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some sex-related material
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Theatrical Release:Jun 21, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $824,797
Synopsis: Leonard Cohen manages to garner fans from the unlikeliest of places despite his distinctly un-rock-&-roll appearance and a set of songs that veer closer to poetry than to their uneasy bedfellows in... Leonard Cohen manages to garner fans from the unlikeliest of places despite his distinctly un-rock-&-roll appearance and a set of songs that veer closer to poetry than to their uneasy bedfellows in the pantheon of popular music. But viewers looking for an in-depth analysis of the man behind some of the most deeply introspective music ever recorded should look elsewhere: LEONARD COHEN: I'M YOUR MAN contains precious little insight from Cohen himself. Instead, director Lian Lunson has pieced together a warm tribute to the Canadian singer, drawing on the words of his many celebrity fans while also sharing generous amounts of footage from a Cohen tribute concert staged in 2005. The concert was filmed in Australia, with the bulk of the celebrity testimonials coming from performers at the show. The eclectic array of artists taking part include Nick Cave, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Martha and Rufus Wainwright, and folk legend Linda Thompson, all of whom perform unique interpretations of Cohen-penned classics such as "I'm Your Man" (Cave) and "Chelsea Hotel #2" (Rufus Wainwright). Lunson intersperses the concert footage with interviews from the stars, the most vocal and effusive praise coming from the Edge and Bono from U2, who are seen backing Cohen on a rendition of "Tower of Song" as the movie closes. Cohen himself is also given some screen time in which he muses on a number of interesting topics, but Lunson's piece is mostly designed as a straight tribute to a man who has never sat easily in the contemporary music world, much to the delight of his fans. [More]
Starring: Leonard Cohen, U2, Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave
Starring: Leonard Cohen, U2, Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, Antony, Martha Wainwright, Beth Orton, Julie Christensen, Handsome Family, Kate McGarrigle, Anne McGarrigle, Teddy Thompson, Perla Batalla, Hal Willner
Director: Lian Lunson
Director: Lian Lunson
Producer: Mel Gibson, Lian Lunson
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Get This Movie
Reviews for Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
As a movie subject, Cohen has proven equally electrifying and elusive.
For those of us hard-wired since birth to sing the praises of this melancholy Montreal poet-musician, the film is a singular pleasure.
Cohen frequently isn't talking -- the subject too often goes missing from his own portrait.
Pretty captivating...though also uneven and structurally problematical.
The concert shows off Cohen's unifying influence on an astonishingly diverse range of musicians.
Director Lunson is wise to break up the music with the talking heads: The concert inadvertently drives home the narrow range of Cohen's songwriting...
...if you like the man and his music, then I've got a concert documentary for you.
The only thing that matters is the music, if that's bad, the film will suck and if it's great, well...that's what you pay your money for.
Leonard Cohen, the darkly rumbling hipster-Buddhist-poet-troubadour gets his own loving tribute in this concert film/testimonial.
Offering both too little material and too much, the movie leaves us in the bizarre position of understanding its subject no better by the end than we did at the beginning.
a frustrating mess, redeemed intermittently by a few solid musical performances and by the towering, erudite presence of Cohen himself.
It's enough to send fans and converts alike to the Cohen library for more of the master himself.
The raspy-voiced troubadour is celebrated in the mesmerizing documentary Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man.
If you're going to make a documentary about Leonard Cohen, the singer-songwriter, you should have him perform some of his better-known melodies, like Suzanne.
What a thrill to hear the songs of Leonard Cohen treated with such reverence and to learn so much about his life and creativity.
Lian Lunson's wonderful documentary portrait combines pieces of an extended interview with Mr. Cohen with a tribute concert at the Sydney Opera House in January 2005.
Because Cohen is such a colorful, eloquent central character, I'm Your Man overcomes its flaws. His music may not be everyone's cup of folk-rock tea, but his stories of lost love, self-doubt and creative struggle ring universal.
Latest News for Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
June 22, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Click" Doesn't, Ahem, Click; "Waist" Isn't Deep Enough
This week at the movies, we've got a magical remote control ("Click") and a father who's trying to rescue his son ("Waist Deep"). Will the critics dig... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man at Rotten Tomatoes
- Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man at IGN
- Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


