78
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottNew Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottFrom a filmmaking standpoint, capturing so successfully the spirit of such a multi-faceted celebration sounds like a logistical impossibility. But here it is.
- 90Film ThreatFilm ThreatTake Me To The River: New Orleans is edited together in a way more organic to music than traditional documentaries, which works wonders.
- 88RogerEbert.comNell MinowRogerEbert.comNell MinowAfter the pure joy of the musical numbers, the best thing about this movie is that even with all of its abundance it leaves you wanting more.
- 85TheWrapSteve PondTheWrapSteve PondIt’s a history lesson you can dance to, and at times it’s an unexpectedly mournful and moving portrait of a city that has an intimate relationship with death and damage.
- 80VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonTo paraphrase an admonition from a classic Rolling Stones album: This movie should be played real loud. And in venues where people can, if they choose, get up and dance.
- 80The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyThe ebullient history — which also cites on-site food tents as a mind-blowing component of the fest’s appeal — becomes tearful when Hurricane Katrina decimates New Orleans in 2005.
- 78Austin ChronicleAustin ChronicleAfter a decade of false starts, the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival opened in 1970, and in 2019 celebrated its 50th anniversary. That occasion is the subject of Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story, a vivid documentary that earns its subtitle as a story of its host city.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreThe film captures the essence of an event that “ties the city together.”
- 75Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanThere are gray hairs on some of the people in this fascinating film: Jimmy Buffett, Tom Jones (yes, that Tom Jones — he played the 2019 show) and others. But the energy that the film puts out is vital and full of sap.
- 70Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert Abele“Jazz Fest” isn’t without flavor and rhythm, but what’s lacking is the thickness.