81
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisBy introducing funky licks, fancy footwork and many of his own compositions to the band's stodgy set list of jazz standards, this indomitable leader (whose declining health adds a poignant twang to the film's final scenes) instilled racial pride alongside musical competency.
- 89Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenMusic has rarely appeared more essential to the human drama.
- 83The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinEverything here is pitched relentlessly toward uplift, but at least that uplift is genuine, the product of one visionary's indomitable will and a musical universe he brought into existence through vision, dedication, and plenty of stubborn hard work.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttA greater argument for music education in our secondary school curriculum can't be made than Mark Landsman's doc about a Texas high school funk band that tore up the music scene from 1968 to 1977.
- 80VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonMark Landsman's spirited Thunder Soul offers a heaping helping of uplift while documenting the past triumphs and recent reunion of a predominantly black Houston high school's singularly accomplished jazz stage band.
- 80New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierWarm memories of one school under a groove and a moving ending that no screenwriter could improve upon.
- 75Orlando SentinelRoger MooreOrlando SentinelRoger MooreOne serious omission in the film - identifying what these seemingly prosperous alumni of the band do for a living and did with their lives.
- 70Village VoiceMelissa AndersonVillage VoiceMelissa AndersonSometimes you just can't fight the funk; as much as you might resist the film's more maudlin scenes, not succumbing to the band's signature tune, "Head Wiggle," is impossible.
- 63Slant MagazineJesse CataldoSlant MagazineJesse CataldoForcefully traditional and sentimental, Thunder Soul benefits most from the cinematic turn of the actual events it documents, which allowed the beloved teacher's life to end on a perfectly bittersweet note.
- 60Time OutEric HynesTime OutEric HynesAmid its celebrations of black power, ambitious Afros and fly female trombonists, the film serves as a rousing testament to the singular blessings of music education, since there's nothing inherent or automatic about kids learning how to groove.