Searching for Sugar Man Reviews
March 10, 2021
If you go see Searching for Sugar Man - and I suggest you do - try not to know too much about him beforehand.
December 2, 2020
Stranger than fiction, this is an incredible story about a true talent.
September 22, 2020
Benefits from camera work by Camilla Skagerstrom that is nothing short of amazing and beautiful and the perfect meditative counterpart to Rodriguez's music.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3.5/4.0
February 13, 2020
Although its attempts to play out as some sort of missing person drama perhaps sit at odds with its subject, the film is an engrossing yarn with a touch of visual flair from Malik Bendjelloul.
November 26, 2019
Searching for Sugar Man is a sensitive yet creative documentary. Great for music and film fans alike.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
July 25, 2019
By far the best aspect of the film is to discover the music of Rodriguez, whose haunting lyrics truly were never appreciated in his native country.
January 31, 2019
A heart-warming documentary about holding onto your dreams -- and perhaps one of this year's most enjoyable and accomplished films.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
December 14, 2018
It is the model of the modern music documentary, which shines a well-deserved light on obscure artists or periods of their lives, and presents it in a way that appeals to broader audiences than mere music obsessives.
September 1, 2018
The best, most touching, most humbling documentary I've ever seen about a musician I've never heard of.
August 30, 2018
Whether or not you know what finally happened to the film's subject, the reality is as rewarding as the myth.
February 22, 2018
It becomes a portrait of a man who outlasted his times and went on to live in peace...
January 26, 2018
Director Malik Bendjelloul attempts clear the air and really analyze the thoughts and emotions that formed Sixto Rodriguez's past work.
Full Review
| Original Score: B+
April 8, 2017
An emotional fairy tale that doesn't fall into the melodramatic. [Full review in Spanish]
June 30, 2016
A first-rate doc about the unsung Latino Bob Dylan who brought the spirit of American civil rights and Vietnam War anti-establishment protests to South Africa's fight against apartheid.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3.5/5
May 3, 2015
So lightweight and underdeveloped, you leave the theatre feeling like they still haven't found him yet.
March 1, 2013
Intriguing docu about missing musician; some language, pot.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
February 20, 2013
Original Score: B+
January 24, 2013
As a documentary, "Searching for Sugar Man" falls short, but as an enormously satisfying feel-good story it hits the mark.
Full Review
| Original Score: 7/10
January 22, 2013
Full Review
| Original Score: A-
January 22, 2013
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5