71
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- In the documentary profile It’s Only Life After All, Emily Saliers and Amy Ray of indie folk rockers Indigo Girls convey what they want the audience to experience from their music: self-esteem, a shared experience, and healing, likening it almost to a warm hug from a loved one. And that’s exactly what the film provides.
- 83ColliderRoss BonaimeColliderRoss BonaimeBombach’s documentary shows that there's much more to the Indigo Girls, presenting a remarkable duo who have not only meant the world to countless people, but have used their music and their platform to change the world as best they can.
- 80The New York TimesElisabeth VincentelliThe New York TimesElisabeth VincentelliThe film is especially good about contextualizing the band’s emergence in the midst of condescension (at best) from the mainstream media.
- 80VarietyChris WillmanVarietyChris WillmanBombach’s movie finds its real flavor in exploring the differences in the duo’s two very distinct personalities, which up till now might have seemed like a fuzzy, singular unit by all but the most hardcore fans.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreEven the shortcomings in this documentary suggest it’s just another part of a long-overdue “moment” for two most-deserving musicans, still not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but “Closer to Fine” than ever.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterRobyn BahrThe Hollywood ReporterRobyn BahrAs loving a portrait as this film is, it’s not entirely hagiographic either and I don’t think Ray and Saliers would ever let it be anyway. Throughout the one-on-one interviews, you get the sense that these people are their own biggest critics.
- 50RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyRogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyIf you already are a fan of the Indigo Girls (and this writer is), then you know what their music means and the impact it's had on you. But if you don't know, if you want to learn more, “It’s Only Life After All" doesn't get the job done, even at 2 hours long.
- 40TheWrapDan CallahanTheWrapDan CallahanThe most serious flaw of “It’s Only Life After All” is that Bombach has us spend so much time with these women, yet we learn so little about them.