75
Metascore
23 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 85NPRMark JenkinsNPRMark JenkinsOnly the genre's most studious followers will be able to watch Muscle Shoals without being regularly astonished: Even if it sometimes gets lost in its byways, Greg "Freddy" Camalier's documentary tells an extraordinary story.
- 83The PlaylistRodrigo PerezThe PlaylistRodrigo PerezWhile Muscle Shoals and its presentation doesn't reinvent the wheel—this is your standard talking heads documentary—the treasure trove of stills and found footage makes for a compelling and effortlessly watchable film that even the casual music fan should find themselves totally engrossed in.
- Overall, it’s joyous, uplifting – and as funky as the music at its heart.
- 80Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlGreg "Freddy" Camalier's engaging new doc Muscle Shoals stands as a winning tribute to the coastal Alabama studio, musicians, and engineers who laid down some of the greatest pop tracks of the late '60s and early '70s.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeA trove of great stills and movie footage accompanies the colorful anecdotes, but the film's most consistent pleasure is the way interviewees recall the moments before the tape rolled on an immortal recording.
- 75RogerEbert.comRogerEbert.comWith such great music coming, one hit after after another, it's always a joy to watch.
- 70The DissolveKeith PhippsThe DissolveKeith PhippsMuscle Shoals’ story has needed telling, and Camalier packs that telling with memorable stories and music—though the film sometimes substitutes admiration for investigation, paving over conflicts and moving on to the next amazing piece of music to get recorded in town.
- 67The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyAlthough the intriguingly named first-time director Greg “Freddy” Camalier makes the twice-told tales of the film’s second hour watchable, they end up paling in comparison to its essayistic first half.
- 60Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfThe film manages to span from feisty Wilson Pickett to Confederate-flag-flaunting Lynyrd Skynyrd, but if ever a music doc needed insight from the fans who went along for the ride and forgot their troubles, it’s this one.
- 50The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisAt once overstuffed with interviews and intellectually underdeveloped, the movie charts the area’s music industry and what is lyrically if elusively called the Muscle Shoals sound.