Lightning in a Bottle (2004)
90%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 2 nominations
Lightning in a Bottle pays dazzling tribute to the blues by capturing its power and excitement through backstage interviews and performance footage.
Lightning in a Bottle is like a blues concert on steroids. With performances from legends like B.B. King and Buddy Guy, it’s impossible not to tap your foot and nod your head along to the music. Even if you’re not a die-hard blues fan, this film will make you appreciate the genre and leave you feeling like you just witnessed something truly special. It’s the perfect movie to watch when you need a little pick-me-up or just want to feel like you’re at a concert without leaving your couch.
Production Company(ies)
Stanley Kubrick Productions,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Radio City Music Hall – New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language
Year of Release
2004
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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):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 22, 2004 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 10, 2012
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
Lightning in a Bottle, documentary, blues, B.B King, Lucille, Radio City Music Hall, Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Dr John, Macy Gray, Chuck D, Aerosmith, Antoine Fuqua, Margaret Bodde, Alex Gibney, Jack Gulick, PG-13, brief strong language, English, Sony Pictures Classics, Dolby SR, Surround, Philip Shane, Steve Jordan, reviewed by Lisa Schwarzbaum, Peter Travers, Richard Harrington, Sean Daly, Roger Moore, Howard Cohen, Jason Gorber, Eric D Snider, Jeffrey Bruner, David Cornelius, Jeff Vice, Sean P Means, starring Buddy Guy, Solomon Burke
Worldwide gross: $201,711
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $318,196
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,840
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 34,700
US/Canada gross: $201,711
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $318,196
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,444
US/Canada opening weekend: $5,300
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $8,361
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,738
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
Solomon Burke – self
Antoine Fuqua – Director
Philip Shane – Film Editing
Steve Jordan – Original Music
Margaret Bodde – Producer
Director(s)
Antoine Fuqua
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Margaret Bodde, Alex Gibney, Jack Gulick
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (62) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (54) | Rotten (8)
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B-
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
August 14, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
The event’s musical director, Steve Jordan, marvels at one point: ‘Looks like y’all hired the phone book . . . just looked up “Blues” in the Yellow Pages.’
December 17, 2004
Richard Harrington
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Features a who’s who of world-wise bluesmen (and women) and newbie practitioners.
December 17, 2004
Sean Daly
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
If you know the blues, you’ve heard it all before. And if you don’t, the film, after a promising step-by-step primer opening, won’t help you.
December 3, 2004 | Rating: 3/5
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Some of the blues performances here are rousingly hot and could make believers out of the staunchest classical music snob.
December 3, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
Howard Cohen
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
The filmmakers really have captured something quite spectacular with this one.
June 21, 2007 | Rating: A-
Jason Gorber
Film Scouts
It is as much a lesson in musical appreciation as it is a thrilling concert.
March 28, 2005 | Rating: A-
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com
Lightning in a Bottle is a feel-good film, ironically, for fans of the blues and a solid primer for newcomers to the sound.
March 25, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/5
Jeffrey Bruner
Des Moines Register
This is music for which there are not enough superlatives.
March 4, 2005 | Rating: 5/5
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com
Features performances by such masters of the form as Buddy Guy, Solomon Burke, B.B. King. But the movie doesn’t depend on your knowledge of them or their works.
January 7, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
Jeff Vice
Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
[It] achieves the goal of every concert film, to make you feel like you were there – or at least wish you were there.
January 7, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
Sean P. Means
Salt Lake Tribune…
Plot
Beginning with a stirring African folk song (Zélié performed by Angélique Kidjo) the roots are established and rapidly swell into a trunk thickened by the hardships of the Great Depression (Gamblin’ Man performed by David ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards) and the oppression of segregation (Jim Crow Blues performed by Odetta). Finally, this Blues family tree shows off vibrant new growth as it reveals the Blues’ influence on our modern wealth of talented musicians (Midnight Special performed by John Fogerty and Hound Dog done by Macy Gray). Ruth Brown gives Blll Cosby a full-throttle serenade (and a playful smoldering gaze), along with Mavis Staples and Natalie Cole. Angélique Kidjo persuades Buddy Guy to an unforgettable rendition of ‘Voodoo Child,’ shortly before Bonnie Raitt and Robert Cray accompany B.B. King and Lucille for the final number, ‘Paying the Cost to be the Boss.’ This documentary presents to the audience, with authority and candor, an authentic history of this musical form. The highly esteemed elders of this musical family are exemplary in their humbleness toward one another, rich with decades of shared memories; and their performances are of a quality rarely seen in modern times. These men and women are true artisans, yet they continue to generously pass their legacy down to select members of each musical generation. Those who grew up on this music find themselves performing on the stage with the very heroes who served as their earliest inspiration. Legends, such as Ruth Brown, Honeyboy Edwards, Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown, B.B. King, Howling Wolf, and Buddy Guy, gave the world a double helping of their genius-first with song and secondly as the spirit which supplies the continuation of their art: in such artists as Natalie Cole, Jimmie Vaughan, John Fogerty, Macy Gray, Alison Krause, and Bonnie Raitt.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features performances by blues legends such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Solomon Burke.
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