FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

JoelRoll I watched this documentary out of curiosity after recently finding his music on Youtube, and enjoying most of it. This film is about him and his music, but to me they seem like separate entities. Let me put it this way, this movie doesn't do a well enough job showing how good his music is. While it does show that people are obsessed with him—fans singing along, his art being bought instantly—the film doesn't show why he is a genius.That said,I don't know if I appreciate Daniel Johnston more or less after watching this film. If I'm being honest, Johnston now seems to me like a much more disturbed man than a music genius. And if someone went into this film not having an appreciation for Johnston, they might feel the same way. He comes off as a tragic, mentally-ill person trying to be a musician (which he was), but he should have been painted more as a great musician held back from greatness.I agree with both types of reviews: those that praise him, and those that don't get the excitement.Other than some quips about the way Daniel Johnston is portrayed, this is a great documentary. The director was lucky to have access to so much of Daniel's life captured on film, so it was fun to watch the story chronologically.If you like Johnston, you'd be interested in this film. But I must say, it is required to listen to his music before viewing.

Niklas Pivic This, the story of the very living and breathing Daniel Johnston, is a well-made shot at capturing the spirit of his work until 2005, when the documentary was made.Even if you haven't heard his music, or even if you don't like it, this is a remarkable person and makes for a bigger film than most sci-fi can lay claim to.Johnston started making music while living in his parents' basement. His mother berated him with not being a good Christian while he drew, painted and filmed with unrestrained zeal, and suddenly he started playing the piano and writing lyrics. He released his own music on cassette and started getting known.At the same time, his mental problems started surfacing; he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has gone through major periods of manic behaviour, often connected to visions of The Devil.His songwriting is monumental, and this documentary follows him well through bouts of creativity, friendship, his One Love, his relationship with his mother, working with other musicians, his long-standing job at McDonalds and his incarceration with mental institutions.This documentary provided me with a peep-hole into everybody's soul, not just Johnston's. He's a lovable guy

tomgillespie2002 The struggle of an artist battling against his own demons has long been played out in both the movies and reality. Musicians such as Ray Charles, Johnny Cash and Jim Morrison fought against drug and alcohol addiction and led to their lives being played out on screen. They suffered for choices they made. Daniel Johnston, a cult figure and genius songwriter, battled with mental illness for most of his life. His art both benefited and suffered for his affliction. But Johnston was helpless of his fate. His mental instability deepened as his fame grew, and it's all captured in detail in this wonderful documentary.Daniel Johnston was always a strange child, growing up with a seemingly obsessive compulsion for art, and later to music. He was vastly creative, inspired and individual in his output. When he decided that he wanted to be a musician and be famous, his produced an album on tape, and advertised his work to producers and writers, and blew everyone away. Always influenced by his muse - a girl he fell in love with at college and never saw again - his songs were tortured and heart- rendering, yet joyous and upbeat. But his increasingly unstable mental state put his career on hold. After indulging in marijuana and LSD, he was submitted to a mental hospital after attacking his friend with a lead pipe. And so began Daniel Johnston's tragic public decline, as he alienated himself from his family and friends, and intensified his obsession with God, and ultimately, the Devil.I had never heard of Daniel Johnston's music before this film. His music is not for everyone's taste - his voice is high-pitched and unbalanced, and his techniques non-conformal and almost old-school - but no-one could deny the tortured genius behind it. Seeing him go on stage for the first time, all skinny and uncomfortable, glancing nervously at the camera every now and then, there was something awe-inspiring about him. It makes it all the heart-breaking to see him now, bloated and old, physically damaged by his mental illness. And yet his thirst for art remains.There are plenty of bio-documentaries and music documentaries out there that are capable of blowing you away (Gimme Shelter and The Last Waltz come immediately to mind), but although this is a great music documentary, it just as brilliant as a serious portrayal of the devastating effects of mental illness. As Johnston had the nack of recording practically everything he did on tape, we get to witness almost first hand his life and breakdown. There are early tapes of him arguing with his mother, and phone calls asking him to wash the graffiti he did on the Statue of Liberty. We also hear troubled calls from his loved ones and friends, and hear the effect it was having on them. One friend states that the troubled genius's of the past, like Van Gogh, are fascinating to read about and amplifies their God-like status. But no- one living has ever had to live with them, and witness it unfold before their eyes.An excellent documentary that really gets to the heart of it's subject. And I'll definitely be hunting down Daniel Johnston's work.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Conall Jones This film is a documentary biopic of struggling creative genius. Told from the perspective of his friends, family and the artwork of Daniel Johnston. More than 80% of the film must be video, audio, art and music from the artist. None of it is told from his 1st person present day perspective. This gives me the tragic feeling that he only exists in the shell of what he used to be before... Well you'll just have to see the film. I knew nothing of Daniel Johnston, before I saw the film, which does an amazing job of covering every significant moment in his life up to a few years ago. If you have ever wondered what would happen if a creative genius was born in middle America then this is it and it's beautifully documented.