The Crash Reel (2013)
96%RT Audience Score: 94%
Awards & Nominations: 13 wins & 8 nominations
Smart, compassionate, and moving, The Crash Reel uses the familiar sport-doc formula to subvert expectations and ask challenging questions about ambition and achievement.
The Crash Reel is one heck of a documentary! It’s got heart, it’s got soul, and it’s got some serious moves. This film takes the classic sports documentary formula and flips it on its head, leaving you with some serious food for thought about what it means to be ambitious and successful. It’s smart, it’s compassionate, and it’s downright moving. If you’re looking for a film that will make you laugh, cry, and think, then The Crash Reel is definitely worth checking out.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Phase 4 Films
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2013
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 49m
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Language(s):
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 13, 2013 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 4, 2014
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, Kevin Pearce, snowboarding, brain injury, family, rehab, sport, ambition, achievement, Lucy Walker, Julian Cautherley, Phase 4 Films, Shaun White, Mason Aguirre, Dr Daniel Amen, Sarah Burke, Rory Bushfield, critic reviews, Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, Kate Muir, Geoffrey Macnab, Ian Buckwalter, Liz Beardsworth, Adam Nayman, Robin Clifford, Laura Clifford, Chris Hewitt, Brent Simon, audience reviews, Antonius B, Wu C, genre, English, box office performance, budget, MPAA rating, produced by, directed by, written by
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Shaun White – Self
Mason Aguirre – Self
Dr. Daniel Amen – Self
Sarah Burke – Self
Rory Bushfield – Self
Lucy Walker – Director, Producer
Julian Cautherley – Producer
Director(s)
Lucy Walker
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Julian Cautherley, Lucy Walker
Film Festivals
Berlin
Awards & Nominations
13 wins & 8 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (2)
The only problem is that, with so much fascinating material to cover, The Crash Reel skips over half of it.
September 6, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh
metro.co.uk
TOP CRITIC
Jawdropping and jawbreaking stunts performed by professional snowboarders open Lucy Walker’s latest documentary, but it is the aftermath of accidents that form the powerfully disturbing core of the film.
December 22, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Lucy Walker’s documentary is exhilarating and grim viewing.
December 22, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Few documentaries manage to show character arcs as full as the one Walker captures here.
December 22, 2013 | Rating: 8/10
Ian Buckwalter
NPR
TOP CRITIC
Another memorable piece of storytelling from the Oscar-winning director.
December 22, 2013
Liz Beardsworth
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The hook of The Crash Reel is that it’s about the rivalry between two famous American snowboarders, but in reality, Lucy Walker’s slickly produced documentary is about one man’s ongoing battle with himself — on and off the slopes.
December 22, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Adam Nayman
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
Walker’s most fine-tuned character-driven documentary yet.
May 30, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Christopher Campbell
Nonfics
The Crash Reel is an affecting reminder of how suddenly circumstances can turn on us. But it’s also an inspiring look at how we can deal with even the most hobbling bad luck.
February 5, 2014 | Rating: B
Dan Schindel
Movie Mezzanine
Lucy Walker makes a multi-faceted documentary that deals with the demands on Olympic-level athletes to excel at their chosen sport.
January 31, 2014 | Rating: B+
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
Walker never preaches, she and Kos just lay out an incredible journey with a few supportive side trips to build her case against extreme sports while still celebrating the athletes who participate in them.
January 25, 2014 | Rating: A-
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews
Surprising and moving, it’s a nonfiction wonder.
January 9, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
Chris Hewitt
St. Paul Pioneer Press
The Crash Reel simply swells one’s heart; the Pearce family is a smart and loving one, and the lessons sprinkled throughout this amazing documentary are multitude.
December 25, 2013 | Rating: A-
Brent Simon
Shared Darkness…
Plot
Fifteen years of verite footage show the epic rivalry between half-pipe legends Shaun White and Kevin Pearce, childhood friends who become number one and two in the world leading up to the Vancouver Winter Olympics, pushing one another to ever more dangerous tricks, until Kevin crashes on a Park City half-pipe, barely surviving. As Kevin recovers from his injury, Shaun wins Gold. Now all Kevin wants to do is get on his snowboard again, even though medics and family fear this could kill him. We also celebrate Sarah Burke who crashed in Park City and died January 19, 2012.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features snowboarder Kevin Pearce and his family as he recovers from a traumatic brain injury.
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