Synopsis
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez.
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Cast
- Stephen SegermanSelf
- RodriguezSelf
- Regan RodriguezSelf
- Eva RodriguezSelf
- Mike TheodoreSelf
- Dennis CoffeySelf
- Sandra Rodriguez-KennedySelf
- Clarence AvantSelf
- Steve RowlandSelf
- Malik BendjelloulSelf (uncredited)
- 91
The A.V. Club
Though unabashedly manipulative in its storytelling and structure, Searching For Sugar Man ultimately earns its happy ending and buzzy, crowd-pleasing populist appeal by alchemizing trembling inner-city pain into transcendent international beauty. - 80
Empire
Music fans will love this indie documentary. Try to avoid Googling him before you watch, though. - 80
Total Film
The tale is better than the telling – and the soundtrack's better still – but music this monumental demands its moment. Now go and buy the album. - 70
Variety
A winning musical detective story about a failed, forgotten early '70s rocker. - 70
Village Voice
Fluid, open-ended documentaries that demand more of an audience than foregone assent or fleeting bouts of passive outrage are rare these days, which is what makes Malik Bendjelloul's Searching for Sugar Man such a gift. - 67
Entertainment Weekly
The yarn is too irresistible: We're fed plenty of sugar in this authorized fairy tale, but are left hungry for beef. - 63
Slant Magazine
Despite crafting a consistently engaging film, the director doesn't present the full scope of Sixto Rodriguez's life. - 60
Boxoffice Magazine
Like "Anvil," this is a crowd-pleasing triumph of the spirit, framed around a story so bizarre it sounds like an urban legend.