75
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Original-CinOriginal-CinThe Stones and Brian Jones is an intriguing and surprisingly moving documentary that offers new insight into the man, the band, and the era.
- 83The Film StageChristopher SchobertThe Film StageChristopher SchobertBroomfield has created the definitive documentary on the early days of the Rolling Stones; even more crucially, he has shown both how the Stones became THE STONES and the cost of that success.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe rivalrous power dynamic between Jones and frontman Jagger is captured in brilliant subtlety in the glances between them during an impromptu interview. But the deeper throughline of The Stones and Brian Jones involves the primal wound of a prodigal son.
- 80The TelegraphAnita SinghThe TelegraphAnita SinghAn absorbing film which aims to restore Jones to his rightful place as a central figure in the story of The Rolling Stones.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleBob StraussSan Francisco ChronicleBob StraussDownbeat as it inevitably is, the film...is sure to delight for nostalgic Boomers and music historians, with its unseen footage and insights from survivors who were there.
- 75Slant MagazineWes GreeneSlant MagazineWes GreeneVia the film’s juxtaposition between footage of Jones performing in front of fawning crowds with the dark personal stories of those who knew him best, Nick Broomfield bitingly undercuts the rock star’s veneer of public adoration.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreIt is essential viewing for any fan of ’60s music history and The Rolling Stones’ place in it, even for those of us who haven’t forgotten Brian Jones and his place in it.
- 75RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireRogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireIn a sense, Jones’ musical talent and originality, as well as his status as a pioneer of world music, are alluded to more than seriously examined and appraised, and that must be counted as a lack in the film.
- 70The New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe New York TimesNicolas Rapold[Broomfield’s] announcer-like voice-over and sometimes dishy interviews might evoke a “Behind the Music” exposé, but he seems most like a fan with a rueful sympathy for his devil of a subject.
- 60VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanIt’s clear the filmmaker has never lost that besotted hero worship. The Stones and Brian Jones digs deep into the Jones mystique, trying to make the case for him as a misunderstood “genius.”