72
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlHe may not be likable, but he remains fascinating. The film is on firm ground when examining Knievel's actual measurable impact: the action/extreme sports that have flourished since his retirement.
- 83The PlaylistDrew TaylorThe PlaylistDrew TaylorThe documentary, like its subject, is unapologetically dazzling.
- 80Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzThere was a dark side to this complex man, and while it takes director Daniel Junge a while to get there, he does eventually in Being Evel, his entertaining and sometimes uncomfortable documentary about the daredevil.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterDuane ByrgeThe Hollywood ReporterDuane ByrgeBeing Evel is a warts-and-all portrayal of a man whose ambition and need to be in the spotlight was both a positive and a negative. His insatiable appetites – liquor, women, attention – were parts of his personality that fueled his downfall.
- 80Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenLos Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenThe rise-and-fall trajectory of Knievel's career is colorfully captured in Daniel Junge's Being Evel, a savvy documentary that gives the granddaddy of extreme sports his due while gauging the national climate that welcomed his shrewdly timed arrival.
- 75The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayBeing Evel’s story is too plain in the telling, but it’s still incredible, and relevant in the way it shows how a person can achieve wealth and fame if he’s willing to leap way high—and to endure the inevitable wipeout.
- 70The New York TimesAndy WebsterThe New York TimesAndy WebsterThe movie overreaches when trying to contextualize Knievel as a hero inspiring the country after Vietnam-Watergate disillusionment. He was simply an all-American self-promoter. But Being Evel largely nails his story.
- 70VarietyGeoff BerkshireVarietyGeoff BerkshireAn exercise in hero worship that doesn’t shy away from its subject’s least admirable traits, “Being Evel” attempts to deliver a complex portrait of a man who preferred to be seen as a self-styled myth
- 67Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovAustin ChronicleMarc SavlovJunge’s ridiculously entertaining documentary includes a wealth of archival clips that still, after all these years, make you wince.
- 60New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierThose who came of age during Knievel’s rise, rise and fall will enjoy the fun moments. But this family-sanctioned film comes up short in terms of objectivity.