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CBGB Reviews

May 10, 2025

Great movie! Solid storyline, educational, the performers and characters seem so real as if this is a documentary. Good humor, very entertaining.

Feb 19, 2025

Solid movie. Enjoyed it multiple times. Critics don’t know what they’re talking about as usual.

Jan 7, 2025

The movie was great and unexpected. I didn't go into it expecting anything and was thrilled by the story with big twists near the end which brought an even greater clarity of why some of the main characters did what they did. A raw glimpse of the poor, disturbed and ignored with a rough stench of Teenage Excitement. I was unfamiliar with any of the bands so hearing music from an unbiased angle helped me ground my expectations more towards reality where most humans would have experienced the film. If you like justice and a true hero story in the realm of reality I think you will like this film. Not all the music was good but this is a film not an album.

Dec 27, 2024

This just proves. Some ppl shouldn’t review movies. If you find the music, loud, strange and irrelevant. I guess rock music isn’t your thing. I don’t know, who would ever find rock music, much less the history of it irrelevant, but anyway. Maybe you should switch to some more your style. Like a Britney Spears movie or Taylor swift. I loved it. Music was amazing, acting was great, tons of great actors too. Comic book style was cool too. Was a bit slow at times, but still worth watching if you love rock music culture!

Aug 13, 2024

This is a mess but it has so much potential for a great story about a slacker revolutionizing a culture and it just never can figure out how to tell it in a cohesive manner. The cinematography isn't good and is a complete mess. The comic book Warriors style doesn't go with the realisitic settings and dull colors at all of the live action. This needed to find someway to be more creative, colorful, and have more creative camerawork in order to make that work. The settings aren't that memorable, even the main bar, and the lighting is lifeless half the time. The bands themselves are pretty memorable and the best part is the middle when we see all the punk icons perform. There very memorable and distinct. Too bad it can't figure out how to make it seem like anything oher than a MTV music video compilation. The music is the most bizarre thing, it's just ok overall. How this doesn't have the most kickass soundtrack of the 2010's for a movie is beyond me and a crime with the subject matter. When the bands perform it's pretty good and the best part but most of the time it just has what I can only describe as Punk Rock Elevator Music playing in the background most of the time. And it's so forgettable and plays constantly. The acting is ok. I don't know how to feel about Rickman here, a pretty rare thing. I see what they were going for here with him but he just seems off at times, miscast, passable, and other times bizarre. Whoever chose grint as a punk rocker was really clever actually. Everyone else is just kind of ok too. The editing and pacing aren't that good either. This is very jumpy in the first third, becomes a Punk Rock compilation in the second which is arguably the best part, and becomes about Hilly growing up kind of in a very unfocused manner. It can never tie all the stuff going on around Hilly with his own character. This feels like a biopic and a music compilation documentary drama that can never figure out how to make it all work together. I would say unless your a hardcore punk and big fan of any actors here to skip this. You'd probably get more bang just watching a documentary video on this.

Aug 12, 2024

When you are talking about CBGB,you are talking about the club that kickstarted the careers of all my favorite bands of all time. The Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, etc.. So obviously this film was of interest to me. It starts kinda flat and took about 40 minutes to get going. Not a great movie, but Hilly and the club deserved a film, at least they got one.

Apr 21, 2024

Maybe my expectations were low , but I thought this was awesome. The music is incredible. It ripped along at a great pace. Grab some beers & pizza. Maybe knock over the pizzas early on though, those dunnies & the dogs bowels are disgusting!

Jul 17, 2023

Kept waiting for it to get better but it never did. Lots of strange characterizations and dog poop Yo!

Jun 7, 2023

Enjoyed learning a bit of music History. Filled holes in my knowledge.

Dec 17, 2022

There is no respect for musicians, but it was fun watch, maybe because I'm not a hardcore punk rock fun and not experienced the movement in real time. I didn't know about CBGB until I watch this, so it was an education. Alan Rickman is always effective.

Jul 24, 2022

just a look at the punk era and the bar brings back memories it is a good watch

Mar 12, 2022

I enjoyed the movie watched it several times really enjoyed it ! Sure it’s not the best movie ever made but I enjoyed it and didn’t even know of cgbg before so I’m really glad I watched the movie

Mar 8, 2022

I didn't hate it while watching it. Alan Rickman is always at least a little bit enjoyable even in shit films. But generally biopics change the story to make it a little more interesting, whereas this movie was less interesting than the actual history of CBGB's. Some of iconic punk icon characters felt a little tacked on like Iggy Pop.

Feb 21, 2022

Takes a steaming dump on a potentially great story. The script is unfocused, the cast is ignored, the editing is nauseating, & the directing… an afterthought. The non-stop use of great music makes sense, but it can’t save this mess. #nitrosMovieChallenge

Feb 6, 2022

Nostalgic for a Young Boomer

Dec 22, 2021

Rickman was great in this. It was a really interesting tale about an iconic NYC club.

Nov 20, 2021

Still not a particularly good movie, but I love the music so that gives it half a star right there.

Jul 1, 2021

Evidently not to everyones taste but I really enjoyed it. Alan Rickman is a hoot.

Jan 19, 2021

I understand that it's far from the best musical biopic but it certainly better than a 7%...but then Wonder Woman 1984 scores over 60% and is absolutely the worst movie I've seen for a year so don't trust most people's idea of a good movie. I love most of the bands in the movie and if you don't then don't watch it , but if you do its a nice enjoyable dose of nostalgia to spend an evening on.

May 12, 2020

Perhaps a little staid for the club and era it portrays, but a very decent music-centered dramedy overall.

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