83
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Time Out LondonDave CalhounTime Out LondonDave CalhounThe film conceals as much as it reveals, and its beauty is that it pretends to do nothing else. It embraces a mystery and protects it, and it’s thrilling to behold.
- 100Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekVillage VoiceStephanie Zacharek20,000 Days on Earth is meticulously crafted but nonetheless feels casual and heartfelt. It's revelatory, and wonderful, to watch Cave walking (or driving) around, being a real person — if the movie is somewhat staged, it's never stagey.
- 100The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenIt is as intimate and honest a portrait of a rock artist’s creative roots as any film has attempted.
- 83The PlaylistCory EverettThe PlaylistCory EverettWhile the doc should prove essential for Nick Cave fans, it should be inspiring for those interested in the creative process or anyone searching for their muse.
- One thing that ties all his projects together is a grainy, cinematic quality, which is partly the reason why 20,000 Days On Earth works so beautifully.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyWhat makes 20,000 Days on Earth distinctive is that it provides an overview of the man and his art while creating the illusion that this has come together organically -- out of poetic ruminations, casual encounters, ghost-like visitations and good old Freudian psychoanalysis.
- 80VarietyRob NelsonVarietyRob NelsonAn aptly intense and innovative study of pioneering rock poet Nick Cave, 20,000 Days on Earth playfully disguises itself as fiction while more than fulfilling the requirements of a biographical documentary.
- 80EmpireEmpireIt may not be an access-all-areas portrayal of one of rock's most enigmatic characters, but then, where would be the fun in that?
- 70The New YorkerAnthony LaneThe New YorkerAnthony LaneNo one who was not laughably self-involved would agree to a project like 20,000 Days on Earth, and yet Cave, to his credit, comes most alive in his hymns to other selves.
- 63Slant MagazineSlant MagazineWhile the film is seemingly accessible as a portrait of an artist who seems particularly attuned to his own creative process, and particularly adept at describing this attunement, it's unlikely that many who aren't already whole-hog Bad Seeds fans would be able to stomach much of Cave's self-styled pomposity.