In this wonderfully musical, funny, good-hearted movie, the strong don't just survive, they thrive.
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05/09/03
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Only the Strong Survive (2003)
62
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Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:45
Fresh:28
Rotten:17
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: Though this documentary could be more informative, the performances themselves are wonderful.
Theatrical Release:May 9, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: Influential documentarian D.A. Pennebaker, perhaps best known for his 1967 Bob Dylan documentary DON'T LOOK BACK, co-directs ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE, a fascinating look at some of the most... [More]
Starring: William Bell, Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore, Wilson Pickett
Director: Chris Hegedus, D.A. Pennebaker
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Reviews for Only the Strong Survive
A film that even with its flaws should be cheered for preserving the later years of these towering musical talents.
05/09/03
Dives deep into the soul and rhythm-and-blues genres, spotlighting some first-rate performers who are still making powerful, vibrant music.
03/22/03
I would have prefered deeper insights... [but] as a concert film, this one’s a blast.
01/31/04
A human and warm film, in the vein of the mellow, though quite different, 'Jazz on a Summer's Day' and 'Round Midnight.'
02/02/03
The artists remain charismatic presences.
03/10/03
Witnessing these singers' grace is a pleasure.
05/08/03
No review available.
10/01/05
Only the Strong Survive offers a joyous tribute to soul music with some of the best singers of the 60s and 70s strutting their stuff on stage.
05/09/03
Only the Strong Survive is a joyous tribute to soul music with some of the best singers of the 60s and 70s strutting their stuff on stage.
05/09/03
Winningly revived soul music, reports of whose death have been grossly exaggerated.
01/24/03
Lacks the journalistic hook of Standing in the Shadows of Motown, but there are moments that will induce the susceptible to break into a big foolish grin.
05/06/03
Top CriticThe scrappy country cousin to the high-gloss Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
05/11/03
Invaluable as a record of its subjects (including the late, great Rufus Thomas), but it doesn't cohere as a feature...
05/15/03
It's fascinating to watch a group of artists who still get an enormous buzz from performing.
01/25/03
The film offers a terrific lineup, performers whose ability to enthrall audiences is undiminished years after their peak of popularity.
05/08/03
Top CriticAn entertaining documentary that catches up with R&B and soul superstars whose heydays were in the '50s to '70s.
05/09/03
Top CriticMust be appreciated as an idiosyncratic chronicle as well as a collection of performances, some better than others.
05/08/03
Top CriticThese survivors share a timelessness and a universality that remain untouched by the fickle shifts of popular culture.
05/10/03
Worth the time and money some of the summer's effects-driven spectacles probably won't be.
05/09/03
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