Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007)
90%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 4 nominations
Displaying Joe Strummer warts and all, The Future is Unwritten succeeds as both an engrossing documentary and a comprehensive examination of one of music’s most legendary figures.
Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten is a documentary that tells the story of the legendary punk rocker and his band, The Clash. Critics have praised the film for its energetic and inspiring portrayal of Strummer and his commitment to staying true to his ideals. Some have even called him one of the most important cultural figures of the 20th century. While the film may be a bit bloated at times, it offers fans an intimate look at the man behind the legend. Overall, it’s a must-see for anyone who loves punk rock and wants to learn more about one of its most iconic figures.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros.,
Distributor
IFC First Take
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2007
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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:2h 5m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 2, 2007 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 8, 2008
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
Joe Strummer, documentary, Julien Temple, Amanda Temple, Anna Campeau, Alan Moloney, The Clash, punk, music, archive footage, Steve Jones, Mick Jones, Brigitte Bardot, Bono, Steve Buscemi, warts and all, engrossing, comprehensive, legendary, critic reviews, Tomatometer, audience score, box office, gross USA, IFC First Take, English, 2h 5m, 2007, released in theaters, released in streaming, rent/buy, reviewed by Joshua Rothkopf, Dave Calhoun, Roger Moore, Amy Nicholson, Peter Howell, Liam Lacey, Toni Vall, Benjamin H Smith, Dave White, Dennis Schwartz, Emily Blunt, Joe Strummer, Steve Jones, Mick Jones, Brigitte Bardot, Bono, Steve Buscemi, punk rocker, guitarist, documentary, music, The Clash, Julien Temple, Amanda Temple, Anna Campeau, Alan Moloney, released in theaters, released in streaming, box office, gross USA, IFC First Take, Tomatometer, audience score, critic reviews
Worldwide gross: $1,193,491
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,709,757
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,453
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 186,451
US/Canada gross: $248,362
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $355,795
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,419
US/Canada opening weekend: $20,880
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $29,912
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,369
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
Steve Jones – self
Mick Jones – self
Brigitte Bardot – self
Bono – self
Steve Buscemi – self
Amanda Temple – producer
Anna Campeau – producer
Alan Moloney – producer
Julien Temple – director
Director(s)
Julien Temple
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Amanda Temple, Anna Campeau, Alan Moloney
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (64) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (7)
November 16, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
November 16, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
Dave Calhoun
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Julien Temple’s film is an energizing work of art, a visually striking and inspiring look at a band that never ‘sold out’ and the leader who saw to it that they didn’t.
June 20, 2008 | Rating: 4/4
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
The big unanswerable question is: Do we wish Strummer would have listened to David Lee Roth’s advice that “You don’t have to take life so seriously, honey”?
February 3, 2008 | Rating: B
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Miracle of miracles, a valuable portrait of Strummer manages to emerge from the chaos, helped by the film’s one consistent thread: tapes of a BBC World Service radio show he hosted in his final years.
February 1, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
Temple, who chronicled the Sex Pistols…offers the full, sometimes bloated, context of Strummer’s life through the testimony of his many friends and collaborators.
February 1, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
An at times exciting, restless and absorbing film. [Full review in Spanish]
November 5, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Toni Vall
Cinemanía (Spain)
… effectively paints a three dimensional portrait of Strummer, unafraid to confront his philosophical contradictions, though neither dwelling on his flaws, and showing how by finding his humanity, he ultimately lived up to the ideals he espoused.
January 24, 2018
Benjamin H. Smith
Decider
April 4, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
Dave White
Movies.com
Lively doc on the late Brit punk rocker guitarist for the Clash.
October 18, 2009 | Rating: B
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
This offers Strummer fans unlimited access to the man behind the legend. Though it really is for fans – who should run and buy it.
October 22, 2008 | Rating: 5/5
Emily Blunt
Blunt Review
[Director Julien Temple] stops short of hagiography, while exhaustively positing Strummer as one of the most important cultural figures of the 20th century.
February 1, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/5
Jim Slotek
Jam! Movies…
Plot
As the front man of the Clash from 1977 onwards, Joe Strummer changed people’s lives forever. Four years after his death, his influence reaches out around the world, more strongly now than ever before. In “The Future Is Unwritten”, from British film director Julien Temple, Joe Strummer is revealed not just as a legend or musician, but as a true communicator of our times. Drawing on both a shared punk history and the close personal friendship which developed over the last years of Joe’s life, Julien Temple’s film is a celebration of Joe Strummer – before, during and after the Clash.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features interviews with a variety of celebrities, including Bono, Steve Buscemi, and Brigitte Bardot.
Julien-Temple.jpg
