The Devil and Daniel Johnston
2005, Documentary, 1h 50m
112 Reviews 25,000+ RatingsWhat to know
Whether you think this mentally ill cult musician is worthy of being called a "genius," this document of his life is crafted with sincere respect and is fascinating to watch. Read critic reviews
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Critic Reviews for The Devil and Daniel Johnston
All Critics (112) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (99) | Rotten (13)
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... really more about the tragic effects of madness than the glory of art.
September 26, 2017 | Full Review… -
Riveting even when it borders on the hagiographic.
November 13, 2006 | Rating: B | Full Review… -
The Devil and Daniel Johnston is an unflinching yet loving look at the outsider musician's life. It's also the most revealing look at genius and mental illness since Terry Zwigoff's 1994 documentary Crumb.
August 10, 2006 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
A heartbreaking, yet strangely uplifting and inspirational, exploration of the fine line between genius and madness, and how sometimes, one becomes impossible to discern from the other.
June 9, 2006 | Rating: 3/4 -
At the end of the day, Johnston's childlike stream of unrequited love landed him on MTV, Atlantic Records, and now a feature-length theatrical recounting of his life. Take that, Satan.
May 13, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review… -
I found the documentary surprisingly diverting as a case study.
May 12, 2006 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for The Devil and Daniel Johnston
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Feb 22, 2013Sometimes genius is mistaken for crazy, and sometimes crazy is mistaken for genius. Falling dead into the latter camp, here is the story of a delusional soul who wished himself better than he was ( and still needed psych drugs ) and both the people who believed him along with those who knew the truth. The agonized look on the faces of this character's parents alone will haunt you for weeks.Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
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Oct 03, 2012A fascinating, ticklish and heart-ful look at this tortured artist's soul. It's a great watch to those who have never heard of Daniel yet, and his tearful art and sad but colorful life.Adriel L Super Reviewer
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Jul 10, 2012This fascinating stranger-than-fiction documentary is a beautiful statement about ambition, art, and insanity. It's not clear why Daniel Johnston himself was not interviewed in the making of the film when every major character in his life is, so instead of recent footage we mostly get low-production visual and audio quality (which admittedly mirrors his musical style perfectly). Still, it does justice to Daniel, his music, and his art, and is one of the more arresting character study documentaries I've seen.Sam B Super Reviewer
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Dec 14, 2010I've been a Daniel Johnston fan for a little while now, but hadn't gotten the chance to see this film until now. Really glad I did. I had known his career had been handicapped by his manic depression and time in and out of mental institutions at what was also his creative peak, but had no idea about what he was actually doing to continually e dragged back to the sanitarium. Great stories and great tunes for sure.Ed Fucking H Super Reviewer
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