Ain't In It For My Health: A Film About Levon Helm Reviews
Top CriticLess than satisfying treatment of beloved musician, who never quite lets his guard down.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2.5/4
It's a sympathetic portrait of an artist whose heart lay more with new work than old glories, right up to the end.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
Director Jacob Hatley clearly earned the complete trust of Helm's inner circle, enough to capture the icon's crusty humor, singular talent and significant bravery in the face of his fate.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
For the fans left bereft by his 2012 death, it's impossible to imagine a more exquisite, honest, and beautifully detailed documentary about the life of Levon Helm than Jacob Hatley's Ain't in It for My Health.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
And of all the figures - Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons, et al. - who smuggled those sepia-toned seeds into rock 'n' roll, Helm, was arguably the most authentic.
Full Review
| Original Score: 88/100
[A] fascinating if not entirely revealing portrait.
An affectionate tribute and a gift for fans who grew fond of his company on records or at concerts and who would like a little bit more.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3.5/5
Loose and ragtag, stirring and poignant, the documentary "Ain't in It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm" proves a fitting tribute to its late star ...
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Despite his flashes of bitterness, the Helm captured here seems like a man at peace with where he ended up - however taxing the road that brought him, however many friends lost or discarded along the way.
Hollywood & Fine
A portrait of a tough American musical spirit, fighting through until the end and taking energy and solace from the music he created.
Film Journal International
Heartfelt tribute to musician Levon Helm receives a theatrical release on the anniversary of his death in 2012.
The portrait of the ailing artist is bittersweet, but when Helms sings or plays, the look on his face is pure joy.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
[A] bittersweet, frustratingly impressionistic documentary ...
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
An unsentimental, salt-of-the-earth tribute that keeps the beat in a way that would make this extraordinary journeyman beam.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
