Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck (2015)
90%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 7 Primetime Emmys
4 wins & 17 nominations total
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck makes a persuasive case for its subject without resorting to hagiography — and includes plenty of rare and unreleased footage for fans.
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is a documentary that takes a deep dive into the life of the iconic musician. While some critics found it to be a moving tribute to Cobain’s creativity and empathy, others felt that it didn’t offer much new insight. Personally, I thought it was a fascinating look at the man behind the music, and I appreciated the way it explored his art and his struggles with addiction and mental health. Plus, the vintage footage and rare recordings were a real treat for any Nirvana fan. Overall, I’d definitely recommend checking it out if you’re a fan of Cobain’s music or just interested in the history of grunge.
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Studio Canal, Working Title Films,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
Year of Release
2015
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 12m
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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): Apr 24, 2015 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 13, 2015
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
starring Kurt Cobain, directed by Brett Morgen, written by Brett Morgen, documentary, Nirvana, music career, childhood, personal archives, rare footage, unreleased footage, fans, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Judy Berman, reviewed by Jason Bailey, reviewed by Adam Nayman, reviewed by Sarah Larson, reviewed by Verne Gay, reviewed by Dan Fienberg, reviewed by Michael J Casey, reviewed by C.J Prince, reviewed by Nick Evan-Cook, reviewed by Helen Razer, reviewed by Asia Frey, reviewed by Daniel Krauze, producer Brett Morgen, producer Danielle Renfew Behrens, MPAA rating, Universal Pictures
Worldwide gross: $687,649
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $858,370
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,630
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 93,606
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
Don Cobain – Self
Jenny Cobain – Self
Kim Cobain – Self
Jason Everman – Self
Courtney Love – Self
Director(s)
Brett Morgen
Writer(s)
Brett Morgen
Producer(s)
Brett Morgen, Danielle Renfew Behrens
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 7 Primetime Emmys
4 wins & 17 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (94) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (91) | Rotten (3)
Of the many films that have been made about Kurt Cobain, documentary and fiction, [director Brett] Morgen’s is the best because what it leaves us with is the one thing that most defined his life: empathy.
September 21, 2017
Judy Berman
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
It’s a rare profile that’s about the person instead of the personality, the artist instead of the art.
May 30, 2016
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
Montage of Heck isn’t an investigation into its subject’s death so much as an homage to his creativity and life force — it’s tender and sad.
February 29, 2016
Adam Nayman
The Walrus
TOP CRITIC
We see-almost from the inside-the evolution of Cobain’s sensitive brilliance and the art and destruction that it fed.
January 4, 2016
Sarah Larson
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
Morgen and his editors have simply done a remarkable job — also an artful one — in piecing together this residuum.
January 3, 2016 | Rating: A-
Verne Gay
Newsday
TOP CRITIC
Montage of Heck is about the representation and self-representation of Kurt Cobain, a fascinating process for any figure whose entire fame was based on modes of self-representation.
January 3, 2016 | Rating: B+
Dan Fienberg
HitFix
TOP CRITIC
Two decades on, the life and work of Kurt Cobain is still being discussed, consumed and processed. Montage of Heck doesn’t just contribute to that conversation; it elevates it to a whole new level.
July 2, 2019
Michael J. Casey
Boulder Weekly
It’s inherently fascinating material, but Morgen’s attempt to delve deep into Cobain’s life doesn’t prove to be especially illuminating.
June 5, 2019
C.J. Prince
Way Too Indie
Cobain’s music and his striking artwork coalesce to help us understand his mind – however the rest of this documentary plays it a little too safe to take us much further.
May 10, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Nick Evan-Cook
One Room With A View
The most depressing, tragic and, of course, marketable version is presented here and what we have is not good record but Sundance-friendly miserablism…
May 7, 2019
Helen Razer
The Daily Review/Crikey
Seeing him through the eyes of his parents was the most poignant segment in a very detailed and moving documentary about his artistically fruitful, personally painful and very short life.
August 22, 2018
Asia Frey
Lagniappe (Mobile, AL)
Fortunately, the original material of Montage of Heck is so captivating that [director Brett] Morgen’s intrusions do not ruin the multifaceted portrait we get of Cobain… [Full review in Spanish]
January 12, 2018
Daniel Krauze
El Financiero…
Plot
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is a documentary that uses personal archives to examine the life, music career, and untimely death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features interviews with Kurt Cobain’s family members, including his parents and his wife Courtney Love.
Brett-Morgen.jpg
