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Personality Crisis: One Night Only

2022

Martin Scorsese, David Tedeschi

Documentary, Self: David Johansen

6.5

Documentary Follow artist David Johansen's luminous set at Café Carlyle from January 2020. A concert that is wonderfully intimate and a testament to both a lost New York and an artist who remains as fresh and exciting as ever.

	Media	Author	Review
		David Ehrlich IndieWire	"A sweet and snappy homage"
		Jason Bailey The Playlist	"[It] offers maximum vibes (...) Great documentaries offer the unique ability to juxtapose a person's young and old selves and to meditate on how one became the other"
		John Anderson The Wall Street Journal	"When the film does dissolve into the past, it is rich"
		Neil Young Screendaily	"An even more effective showcase for [Johansen's] spoken-word talents as sharp, amiable raconteur and rambunctious comic (...) There's no special reason for 'Personality Crisis' to sprawl beyond two hours"
		Odie Henderson rogerebert.com	"Johansen handles each [song] with amazing vocal and interpretive skill. The camera [creates] the intimacy that must have been felt by the fans and friends. Scorsese and Tedeschi share this love; it's evident in every frame"
		Valerie Complex Deadline	"A love letter to Johansen's musical legacy, the people who influenced him and vice versa, his impact on punk, rock, and pop, and an intimate portrait of someone who refuses to accept convention"
		Lisa Kennedy The New York Times	"A viewer should consider herself primed for a droll and cheeky evening"
		Michael Frank The Film Stage	"When the frontman is onscreen, their doc hums along. 'When he’s not, Personality Crisis' becomes a biography that’s more admiration than information"
		Owen Gleiberman Variety	"David Johansen is so winning, as a personality who seems to have transcended every crisis, that you watch this movie grateful to sink into his anecdotes of wised-up nostalgia"
		Brian Tallerico rogerebert.com	"[It] gave me a much greater appreciation of Johanssen as a singer and songwriter, but it will play even better to people who know more than I do about the formative era of '70s NYC punk (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Kristy Puchko Mashable	"In 'Personality Crisis: One Night Only', Johansen's identities collide, offering a fascinating blend of concert doc and hangout movie"
		Daniel Fienberg The Hollywood Reporter	"At 127 minutes, 'Personality Crisis' is already on the over-filled side, so I guess it comes back to my favorite refrain: This could have been a TV series"
		Johnny Loftus Decider	"One of the things 'Personality Crisis' does well to illustrate is how much David Johansen has been a sieve for information, charged connections, and the perfect word or phrase to sing or shout"
		Matthew Jackson Paste Magazine	"It enhances the beautiful mystique of David Johansen"
		Tony Sokol Den of Geek	"It works as an introduction for the uninitiated, while slipping in just enough unearthed footage, genuine class, and hitherto lesser-known nuggets for lifelong devotees (...) Rating: ★★★★½ (out of 5)"
		Dmitry Samarov Chicago Reader	"This music documentary starring David Johansen finds its success by living in the moment"

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