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Reviews Counted:36
Fresh:26
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: With a constant voiceover of his own words, About A Son is a deeply personal look into Cobain's life that is sure to please his many fans.
Theatrical Release:Oct 3, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: An intimate and moving meditation on the late musician and artist Kurt Cobain, based on more than 25 hours of previously unheard audiotaped interviews conducted with Cobain by noted music... [More]
Director: AJ Schnack
Many of the images aren't particularly compelling and neither, frankly, are Cobain's comments, which range from dull anti-press diatribes to familiar stories about the musical influence of his Aunt Mary to inarticulate blather.
Personally, I would have preferred to just listen to a CD of Azerrad's engrossing interview in my car -- then pop in a Nirvana album for the rest of the drive home. Smells like a fine idea to me.
There is much to fault in this tedious exercise in pseudo-hipster cool masquerading as, well, what exactly?
Only loosely connected to the story, the visuals quickly grow monotonous.
The ending section, where Schnack and Azerrad let Cobain ramble philosophically about life and music, is a muddled intellectual mess.
Throughout the film there is a maddening lack of context.
It’s hard to know who the audience might be for the documentary oddity Kurt Cobain About a Son, but I bet its subject would have hated it.
This isn't so much a movie documentary as it is an audio book with visuals.
About a Son is essential viewing for what remains of the Nirvana/Kurt Cobain cult, interesting but more problematic fare for everyone else.
As an illustrated audio tour through the life of a gifted but self-destructive performer, 'About a Son' is enlightening to a point, but one has to wonder when filmmakers will stop exhuming the corpse of a man who desperately craved privacy.
You'll come out of this knowing more about Cobain's self-destructive talent, and lifelong depression, than a more conventional treatment could offer.
Top CriticAs important for what it reveals about a seminal and grievously misunderstood artist as for how it rejuvenates a moribund documentary form.
Startlingly de-mythologizing at first, then just plain poignant . . . it's fascinating to reconcile Cobain's slacker howl over chipping guitar chords with a sodden Pacific Northwest of logging trucks and fishing boats.
Allows the fans that the legendary musician will keep gathering for decades to come a brief look inside Cobain's troubled mind, and it does so in a refreshingly bold and innovative way.
About a Son is essentially a dead rock star talking about his life for an hour-and-a-half. And it’s deeply moving.
...generally does an effective job of matching Cobain's musings with visuals that are often stunning...
Impressionistic docu Kurt Cobain: About a Son is a counterpoint to the iconic late Nirvana rocker's legacy.
Top CriticIf you've ever been a fan of Cobain's music and want to learn what made him tick, this film is an amazing experience that's not to be missed.
So personal and intimate that it begs only one major question (usually answered by traditional documentaries): Does Cobain really deserve this honor and attention?
A deeply personal movie about a gifted, complicated man who could never shake the feeling that he didn't belong.
February 17, 2009:
Marc Forster Eyes Cobain Biopic 
Nothing's set in stone yet, but according to Production Weekly, Marc Forster is considering helming a Kurt Cobain biopic. More...
February 11, 2008:
RT on DVD: The Brothers Affleck Lead the Pack With Gone Baby Gone
One of the best films of last year comes to DVD this week (Gone Baby Gone, written and directed by Ben Affleck, starring brother Casey Affleck), but there are tons more to pick... More...
October 04, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Heartbreak Needs Discipline, Jane Worth Perusing, Seeker Reeks
This week at the movies, we've got honeymooners (The Heartbreak Kid, starring Ben Stiller and Michelle Monhagan), teenage heroes (The Seeker, starring Alexander Ludwig),... More...
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