85
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The GuardianAndrew PulverThe GuardianAndrew PulverIt's not exactly a documentary, more a lovingly-filmed homage, but some candid interview material allows scraps of Baker's story to emerge.
- 100Time Out LondonDave CalhounTime Out LondonDave CalhounAlongside archive material and new footage of Chet shot in his signature romantic, B&W style, Weber elicits frank reminiscences from his subject and a host of ex-lovers and friends.
- 91Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanJust about the only documentary that works like a novel, inviting you to read between the lines of Baker's personality until you touch the secret sadness at the heart of his beauty.
- 88Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaPhiladelphia InquirerSteven ReaBaker's life, like his music, was as sad as it was beautiful. And Weber's movie - obsessed with Baker's image as much as with his songs - hits all the right notes.
- 80The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinChet Baker's face, and the extraordinary ways in which Bruce Weber has photographed it, encapsulate the story of Baker's life in a succession of ghostly, indelible images that are at once hauntingly beautiful and desperately sad.
- 80EmpireDavid ParkinsonEmpireDavid ParkinsonThis is simply the finest jazz documentary ever made.
- 80Total FilmTotal FilmPlays like an elegy for the demise of the cool, thick with the small-hours allure of addiction and infatuation but smart enough to see clearly.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertWhat you remember most are the shots of Baker roaming around Santa Monica, Calif., in what feels like endless late-afternoon sun, or riding at night in the back of a convertible with a woman on each arm.
- 70The DissolveNathan RabinThe DissolveNathan RabinIt’s a cinematic love song, pure and simple, and Weber isn’t about to let ugly facts get in the way of a parade of gorgeous images and intoxicating ideas.
- 70New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsA combination homage, living obituary and darkly moody piece of cinematic poetry.