Not a film for the faint of heart or conservative of spirit, but for the rest of us -- especially San Francisco lovers -- it's a spirited film and a must-see.
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05/10/02
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The Cockettes (2002)
89
%
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Reviews Counted:38
Fresh:34
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: The Cockettes provides a colorful, eye-opening view of the counterculture 1960s.
Runtime: 90 mins
Genre: Education/General Interest
Synopsis: In 1969 San Francisco, a group of hippies were assembled by a charismatic free spirit known as Hibiscus to create an act to go on before a midnight film festival. They dressed in outlandish and... [More]
Starring: Sylvia Miles, John Waters, Holly Woodlawn
Director: David Weissman, Bill Weber
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Reviews for The Cockettes
An edifying glimpse into the wit and revolutionary spirit of these performers and their era.
06/15/02
Not so much a gushing tribute to a troupe of only rudimentary and frankly dubious talent as it is a celebration of a now-distant time remembered only through the bracing movies and music that it produced.
06/28/02
It celebrates the group's playful spark of nonconformity, glancing vividly back at what Hibiscus grandly called his 'angels of light.'
07/26/02
An insightfully cheeky entertainment.
08/21/02
Top Critic"The Cockettes" is the microcosm of a culture entertainingly tied up in a ninety minute package.
06/23/02
...a bit of offbeat nostalgia and a well-rounded glimpse into counterculture Americana.
07/01/02
Gaudily filmed, tenderly imagined.
08/23/02
A funny, triumphant, and moving documentary.
07/11/02
Top CriticThis is one of those rare docs that paints a grand picture of an era and makes the journey feel like a party.
12/28/02
The real value of the film ... lies in its retrieval of a hugely influential -- even revolutionary -- arts collective from the cultural dustbin where anything that didn't happen yesterday, or on MTV, is casually remaindered.
07/25/02
A fascinating case study of flower-power liberation -- and the price that was paid for it.
07/24/02
Fond, funny documentary.
06/25/02
Top CriticAs Weber and Weissman demonstrate with such insight and celebratory verve, the Cockettes weren't as much about gender, sexual preference or political agitprop as they were simply a triumph of the indomitable human will to rebel, connect and create.
09/06/02
Top CriticColorful, informative documentary.
07/12/02
Manages to transcend the sex, drugs and show-tunes plot into something far richer.
08/08/02
Top CriticA wild, endearing, masterful documentary.
06/28/02
A succinct, intelligent and scintillating slice of cultural history.
05/12/02
Much has been written about those years when the psychedelic '60s grooved over into the gay '70s, but words don't really do the era justice. You have to see it.
10/21/02
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