[Long Strange Trip] unravels a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll that doesn't come off as cliché, cloying, or hagiographic.

| Mar 30, 2020

Love 'em or hate 'em, when someone goes this deep, you can't help but feel absorbed.

| Nov 28, 2018

Compelling whether you care about the band or not, the film provides a historical understanding of the Dead and of the fan base rather than just a case for their enjoyment.

| Feb 9, 2018

Although the film is never sentimental, it would be difficult to watch it without warming to its subject.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Feb 2, 2018

Long Strange Trip takes a heady, tie-dyed, well-deserved place in the upper echelon of music documentaries.

| Jan 22, 2018

Pleasing documentary.

| Original Score: A- | Jan 15, 2018

A particularly well-chosen mix of some 60 songs by the band fits the history of this long-lived act, both in the the dawning and the ending of their time.

| Jan 2, 2018

There are those who say you don't have to be a fan of the Grateful Dead to watch this four hour long documentary film about it. Maybe, but it would help a lot. After watching this, I think I have a better idea of why the Deadheads are so fanatic.

| Original Score: B | Dec 22, 2017

Long Strange Trip may be a challenging proposition for non-devotees, but it's worth diving into if you have even a mild interest in 20th-century music or American history.

| Aug 24, 2017

This isn't just one of the best movies of the year, it's one of the best movies ever made about rock 'n' roll.

| Jun 20, 2017

Dead Heads will appreciate the tribute, dig the music, and the stories it tells. But if you're wondering why the iconic band is considered one of the greatest music groups of all time, watching this can provide you with answers.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 20, 2017

There's something to be said for getting lost in a four-hour movie, set adrift from the traditional markers of time, so that by the film's conclusion, you feel like you've been on a journey too.

| Jun 8, 2017

I've always admired the band more than enjoyed it. This time around, watching every minute of this long film without ever being bored, I really enjoyed the Dead, a lot.

| Jun 5, 2017

It tells the story beautifully, organically, and, by the end, tenderly, as it moves through six thematic "acts."

| May 31, 2017

I'm glad I persisted. It begins as a standard, if meticulous rock doc... But the film seeks the key to the band's magic -- what elevated them from a group of musicians who toured endlessly into a US phenomenon inspiring cult-like devotion.

| May 26, 2017

Using never-before-seen footage and interviews, Bar-Lev's warts-and-all approach fits a band that backed into fame in spite of itself.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 26, 2017

These multivalent tales of the Dead are awe-inspiring and thought-provoking without fail.

| Original Score: 4/4 | May 26, 2017

You don't need a VR headset to watch Amir Bar-Lev's documentary about the Grateful Dead, because this four-hour movie is as immersive a wade into the waters of the Bay Area-germinated psychedelic band's history as 2D gets.

| May 26, 2017

Long Strange Trip is packed with incident in its expansive length, and for the most part, the pace never flags. Even better, the insights and perspectives keep on coming at a breezy clip.

| Original Score: 7.5/10 | May 25, 2017

A bountiful trove of archival images and rare footage sketches their communal life offstage and the counterculture in which they played so formative a part. Crew members, family and fans share memories and lore.

| May 25, 2017