77
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100New York PostHannah BrownNew York PostHannah BrownThose with the stomach to sit through Decline will be rewarded with a lively, masterful documentary.
- 88New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanOverwhelmingly powerful.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanUnlike the first two Decline films, this one is only tangentially concerned with music.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranWith her unblinking but nonjudgmental eye, Spheeris doesn't shy away from the horrifying, at times violent messes these kids make of their lives, but she is always sensitive to the pain behind everything, to the unhappy futility of squandered potential.
- 80The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottBest and most touching when it shows how willing punk is to eat its young.
- 80Chicago ReaderLisa AlspectorChicago ReaderLisa AlspectorSpheeris, who includes her offscreen questions, evidently sympathizes with her subjects, though this doesn't stop her from pointing out their hypocrisy.
- 70Village VoiceJessica WinterVillage VoiceJessica WinterSpheeris gives every indication of having gotten too close to her material, but her film's overall air of discombobulation is poignant in itself.
- 60TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineSpheeris succeeds in creating a touching portrait, although the depressing nature of their dead-end, emotionally numb lives offers little hope for a cheerful resolution.
- 50Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittThere's lots of atmosphere and information to be gained, but stay away unless you can tolerate graphic plunges into the wildest kinds of youthful excess.