Name: Long Strange Trip: The Untold Story of The Grateful Dead
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2017-01-07T17:51:50-08:00
Rating: 100

critics consensus

Like the Grateful Dead's best music, this documentary justifies its expansive running time -- and offers audiences a Long Strange Trip that's well worth taking. Read critic reviews

Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

Awesome!

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer
Step 2 of 2

How did you buy your ticket?

Let's get your review verified.
Fandango

AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

Enter your Ticket Confirmation# located in your email.More Info

Cinemark Coming Soon

We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

Regal Coming Soon

We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

Theater box office or somewhere else
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

Awesome!

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)
How did you buy your ticket?
- Fandango
- AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew
  
  Enter your Ticket Confirmation# located in your email.More Info
- Cinemark Coming Soon
  
  We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
- Regal Coming Soon
  
  We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
- Theater box office or somewhere else
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You haven’t finished your review yet, want to submit as-is?

You can always edit your review after.
Are you sure?

Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers.
Want to submit changes to your review before closing?

Long Strange Trip Videos

View All Videos (1)

Long Strange Trip Photos

View All Photos (11)

Movie Info

Emerging from the Bay Area's vibrant 1960s counterculture, the Grateful Dead were a motley crew whose unique sound sprang from an eclectic blend of influences: bluegrass, folk ballads, R&B, free-form jazz, classical and jug band.

Rating:

R (Drug Content Throughout|Some Graphic Nudity|Language)
Genre:

documentary, music
Original Language:

English
Director:

Amir Bar-Lev
Producer:

Ken Dornstein, Eric Eisner, Nick Koskoff, Justin Kreutzmann
Release Date (Theaters):

May 26, 2017 limited
Runtime:

3h 58m
Production Co:

Sikelia Productions

Cast & Crew

Bob Weir
Self

Bill Kreutzmann
Self

Phil Lesh
Self

Mickey Hart
Self

Amir Bar-Lev
Director

Ken Dornstein
Producer

Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for Long Strange Trip

Critics’ Choice Documentary Award Winners

Critics’ Choice Documentary Award Nominations

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Baywatch Hit Choppy Waters

View All

Critic Reviews for Long Strange Trip

All Critics (32) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (32)

There's something to be said for getting lost in a four-hour movie, set adrift from the traditional markers of time, so that by the film's conclusion, you feel like you've been on a journey too.

June 8, 2017 | Full Review…

Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
It tells the story beautifully, organically, and, by the end, tenderly, as it moves through six thematic "acts."

May 31, 2017 | Full Review…

Matthew Gilbert
Boston Globe
I'm glad I persisted. It begins as a standard, if meticulous rock doc... But the film seeks the key to the band's magic -- what elevated them from a group of musicians who toured endlessly into a US phenomenon inspiring cult-like devotion.

May 26, 2017 | Full Review…

Julia Raeside
Guardian
Using never-before-seen footage and interviews, Bar-Lev's warts-and-all approach fits a band that backed into fame in spite of itself.

May 26, 2017 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Scott Marks
San Diego Reader
These multivalent tales of the Dead are awe-inspiring and thought-provoking without fail.

May 26, 2017 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…

Glenn Kenny
RogerEbert.com
You don't need a VR headset to watch Amir Bar-Lev's documentary about the Grateful Dead, because this four-hour movie is as immersive a wade into the waters of the Bay Area-germinated psychedelic band's history as 2D gets.

May 26, 2017 | Full Review…

Robert Abele
TheWrap
[Long Strange Trip] unravels a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll that doesn't come off as cliché, cloying, or hagiographic.

March 30, 2020 | Full Review…

Victor Stiff
Goomba Stomp
Love 'em or hate 'em, when someone goes this deep, you can't help but feel absorbed.

November 28, 2018 | Full Review…

Thrillist Entertainment Staff
Thrillist
Compelling whether you care about the band or not, the film provides a historical understanding of the Dead and of the fan base rather than just a case for their enjoyment.

February 9, 2018 | Full Review…

Christopher Campbell
Thrillist
Although the film is never sentimental, it would be difficult to watch it without warming to its subject.

February 2, 2018 | Rating: 4.5/5 | Full Review…

Jennie Kermode
Eye for Film
Long Strange Trip takes a heady, tie-dyed, well-deserved place in the upper echelon of music documentaries.

January 22, 2018 | Full Review…

Conrad Doucette
Decider
Pleasing documentary.

January 15, 2018 | Rating: A- | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews