Synopsis
Explores the seminal music magazine from its 1969 launch in Detroit to the untimely death of its publisher Barry Kramer in 1981.
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Cast
- Lester BangsSelf - Senior Editor (archive footage)
- Barry KramerSelf - Publisher (archive footage)
- Alice CooperSelf - Musician
- Wayne KramerSelf - MC5
- Joan JettSelf - Musician
- Michael StipeSelf - R.E.M.
- Thurston MooreSelf - Sonic Youth
- Paul StanleySelf - KISS
- Bob GruenSelf
- Dave MarshSelf - Editor-in-Chief
Recommendations
- 90
Arizona Republic
Crawford's documentary celebrates the legacy of CREEM in all its dysfunctional glory, not only addressing but owning all the things about it that would never fly in 2020. - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
As the documentary shows, while it lasted, it was really something. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
The documentary, running a brief 75 minutes, at times feels rushed and cursory in its account of the magazine's 20-year existence. But it also, appropriately, boasts an energy and propulsive pace that feels just like rock and roll. - 70
Rolling Stone
Mostly, it’s a testament to a storied legacy that may be gone, but deserves never to be forgotten. - 67
Austin Chronicle
Fake beer brands, star cars, crotch shots – a boy’s life unfolded, according to co-writer Uhelszki. Red Hot Chili Smith opines Mad magazine meets Esquire, and Uhelszki echoes equally extinct forces: “Everybody was politically incorrect. No one watched their words. That’s what made Creem so good ... If you put it through that politically incorrect filter, you would have lost 60% of what made Creem great.” - 63
Boston Globe
The magazine changed hands a number of times before shuttering in 1989, but JJ Kramer now owns the brand and the archives and with this movie hopes to reintroduce them to a new generation. And why not? One thing about CREEM is that it always rises to the top. - 60
Time Out
This doc isn’t exactly a puff piece, but it’s certainly not the in-depth record that the magazine deserves. - 50
Los Angeles Times
How might Crawford have brought cinematic life to pages full of words? No clue. But the director who took up the job simply relies on people who were there to tell us how great it all was. And that keeps Creem trapped in history — a fading memory as opposed to a useful example.
