27: Gone Too Soon (2018) Poster

User Reviews

Review this title
16 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
5/10
I thought it was weak.
subxerogravity18 May 2018
I'm a huge fan of music and the history of music, so the idea of this documentary appealed to me so greatly. I was looking for something to watch on Netflix and I saw this and decided I wanted to watch it.

Gone Too Soon talks about the infamous curse of musicians dying at the age of 27. Though they're were many over the years the documentary focus on six specifically. Not just any Six, these are possibly the most famous six (Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, Jimmi Hendrix, Janis Joplin ,Jim Morrison (the "big three" of the myth cause they all died the same year) Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse (last but not least).

Note that the documentary is also focusing on the ones who's death can be explain heavenly by drug abuse. Even though, everything being said is vaguely true about all these stars, each one of them having childhood issues that lead to their outburst in music and wanting attention that becomes too overwhelming and they try to drown it with substance abuse, that goes too far.

In a lot of ways I just feel that the documentary is a little unfair to the musicians that died simply because the stories being told are being told second hand from people who feel like they did not actually know any of these people personally.

It really feels like just a group of people like you and me just gossiping about musicians they like. Despite the fact that these people are shrinks, music authors and professionals as well as substance abuse experts, they don't seem more informed than anyone on the street who just happen to be a fan of the artist.

I especially felt this way about the first musician, Brian Jones. This could just be because, I was not as familiar with the terms of his death as I am with everyone else on the list, but they just made Jones look so depressing and how he seemed to matter so little. It set a tone for the whole thing that never goes away.

Not fully the docs fault, cause I'm sure in perspective what they said is genuine. Yet still, it felt so geriatric that it's a little insulting to the memory of these people.

I'm being harsh but with the exception of Jones, I know they have better docs that explain the death of these six with a little more heart and interest. I think VH1 did a doc called the 27 club that really goes into depth of the whole curse more interestingly (but Amy Winehouse was not part of this club at the time)
11 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Nice
prateekapeejay9 May 2018
Ya it was a nice and light watch. Could have been better, and crispier protagonists needs to do better job. Who are you, who am I his idea is not there neither here. but does it matter?
4 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Grave-dancing
paul2001sw-117 September 2023
Several famous musicians have died aged just 27. Fame doesn't neccessarily solve all your existing problems; rather, it creates a bunch of new ones and gives you access to near-unlimited quantities of drugs that are only going to make things worse. A well-rounded person might happily enjoy the money; someone with prior problems is more likely to exascerbate them. Individually, many of the stories covered in this documentary are moving and tragic; but collectively, what they have in common is actually so simple there's very little to be said. This particular program is made worse by the fact that its commentary is provided by a collection of talking heads who offer only the idlest of commentary, hackneyed and devoid of personal insight. The result feels ghoulish, dancing on the graves of the dead but telling us nothing we might learn.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
One of the worst documentaries I've ever seen
grantss29 July 2018
In rock music circles the '27 Club' is an infamous community, and not one you want to be a member of. Several famous musicians have died at the age of 27, giving rise to be it being considered a cursed number for musicians. This documentary examines the lives and deaths of the six most famous members of the club: Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse.

One of the worst documentaries I've ever seen. Incredibly superficial in its coverage and filled with unimportant non-experts making ridiculous, uninformed statements about the causes of the six stars' deaths.

The main aim seems to be to find someone to blame, as long as it isn't the stars themselves. Initially there's a segment on drugs, filled with patronising, hyperbole-filled comments from nobody who has anything factual to say. The interviewees are a mish-mash of unknowns, only one of which is actually a medical professional (and even he seems more about making outlandish statements than giving a professional opinion). The only person of any fame, and the only rock star, interviewed is Gary Numan, and his "insights" often seem tangential to the discussion. All the rest are C-grade media personalities and music critics, giving their two cents.

Once we move into cataloguing each of the six stars' stories, there is very little about their histories. Even when the stars' careers are discussed, the interviewees show how clueless they are (the Kurt Cobain segment was rather laughable in how they tried to belittle his accomplishments). The main aim seems to be to demonise the parents, making them somehow responsible for their child's death. There are a few stabs at other stars (eg Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in the Brian Jones segment) and at record companies and the music industry in general but, once again, it is all done in non-factual, hyperbole-filled fashion.

I guess it wouldn't be the 21st century if there wasn't someone else to blame for anything bad that befell us...
14 out of 14 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
No insight, no point
bishbash7312 May 2018
I was hoping for some insight into the reasons for the untimely deaths of some of my favourite artists, but all you get is cheesy back ground music and some random people who say heroin lots of times and that they had a difficult upbringing. The fact is that the 27 club is nonsense, all these genuine talented musicians resorted to drinking excessively and using hard drugs for many different reasons and to try and badge this as a club is pointless and disrespectful. Total waste of time, go and search out the real stories of each of these special talents for your self, read, listen and YouTube.
22 out of 24 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
Weak documentary
inkswamp-985172 July 2018
Instead of delving deep into the mythology of this "27 Club," the documentary just reviews the careers of a handful of prominent members offering no real insight and connecting very little of each segment to the main idea. And what little is connected is obvious and didn't require a documentary. Gee, yeah, Jim Morrison was moody and depressed and drinking himself to death. And...? Given that and a few glaring factual issues (most annoyingly, the guy who keeps asserting incorrectly that Nirvana had "one hit song" and "one hit album") this is a disappointing documentary that rambles on and on about the celebrities but sheds very little light on the actual title topic.
16 out of 17 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
Disappointing
AmosMulder10 May 2018
Random people repeating stuff that we have already heard much more comprehensive and interesting in nice films such as 'Amy', 'Cobain: Montage of heck', 'Crossfire Hurricane', etc. Its all pretty superficial and unfocused and nothing new comes to the table.

It could have still be sort of entertaining if the artists would have played a role in the film, but there is almost no music from them, just a lot of cheap-sounding background music. Also almost no visual material, but lots of random close ups of tape machines, record players, random 60's shots and a lot of talking heads in a dull studio setting.

So not really worth your time if you ask me. Watch one of the films mentioned above instead, or read a good biography of these people.
16 out of 18 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
3/10
Background music soooo annoying!
anniec6220 May 2018
Interesting, but nothing I haven't heard before. Enjoy watching any kind of rock and roll documentary. However, the annoying and cheesy background music made me want to turn it off. Geez, never been so annoyed with something that was NOT necessary. Give us some background music from time to time that is relevant. Really cheapens the whole documentary.
12 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Could have been interesting if accurate
brittmeyer11 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I love documentaries, but if they are inaccurate or just full of lies, what's the point? I stopped watching this movie after the Jimi Hendrix segment. Here's why.

Lesley Ann Jones (whoever she is) claimed that Jimi Hendrix played the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock because he was "castigating" his government, "loathed his country", and was protesting the war in Viet Nam. She claims this is the "sole reason" he is remembered by many. Her statements are wrong in so many ways, but I'll only touch on two.

First of all, Jimi Hendrix was in the 101st Airborne. The 101st Airborne you may have seen in "Band of Brothers". He was not anti-military and was not a known Viet Nam war protester. In fact, he said to a Dutch periodical in 1967: "Did you send the Americans away when they landed in Normandy? That was also interference... but that was concerning your own skin. The Americans are fighting in Vietnam for a completely free world. As soon as they move out, they will be at the mercy of the communists. For that matter, the yellow danger (China) should not be underestimated. Of course, war is horrible, but at present it's the only guarantee of peace."

On another occasion, while watching a protest, he said "When the Reds come down from China and they take over North Vietnam, and South Vietnam, and then they go for Japan, and beyond, then are you going to understand why the U.S. is there fighting these guys?"

Over time he became less vocal about his views. He just wanted to make music. And it's his MUSIC, Ms. Jones, for which we remember him.
11 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Rather Bland and Stupid
Michael_Elliott25 September 2018
27: Gone Too Soon (2018)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

I watch a lot of documentaries and and sometimes I run across a few where I really wonder if the filmmakers knew anything about the subject they are covering. This documentary takes a look at the "27 Club" of musicians who died at the young age of 27.

You know, you really have to question any documentary that covers this topic and not once mentions Robert Johnson and the notorious "Crossroads" where a lot of this legend began. What we get here are brief bios on Brian JOnes, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse.

Even if you just look at 27: GONE TOO SOON as a documentary on those people it's still quite awful because everyone interviewed are rather annoying and their thoughts on the subject seem a bit... I guess stupid the word. I say that because it seems they want to narrow everyone down to some sort of stereotype and you've even got one guy questioning Cobain being included as a great musician.

The bio's of these people are quite poor and more times than not it seems those being interviewed are just guessing at things. These people have much better stories about them out there so there's no point in watching this documentary for that. The documentary also doesn't take a look at the myths or legends around the 27 Club and all in all this here is just rather poorly made and laughable.
7 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Garbage that's not even accurate
distroya17 December 2019
No research was done and half of what is said is either made up or just completely false!
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Ugh... so annoyed
cherry_drealee8 June 2019
This popped up on my Netflix suggestions list - I'm a fan of documentaries which explore music history and other fascinating topics. Aside from the annoying background music that doesn't stop, I was turned off that they did not acknowledged how the 27 club began. They went straight to the 60s and drug usage. It would have been fitting to add some information about Robert Johnson or how American music history was vital to Rock and Roll history. Don't bother watching this - they just want to discuss drug usage and addiction and not music.
3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
Inaccurate and boring
bren-8757624 February 2022
A waste of time. You can get more information...accurate information by an internet search than by what this "documentary" gives you. I was terribly disappointed and very bored. I learned nothing that I didn't already know about each of these musicians and their lives and deaths. If you want to know more, learn more about the "27 club" there are much better documentaries out there. This one is garbage.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Grasping for air
mmarianne13 February 2019
I am a documentary buff and I love stories about musicians, writers, movie makers... But this one. There is one clear object to why it is so bad. It's the background music. It's tedious and frankly, very dull. Now, this is a story about some of the greatest musicians in the world. How can anyone succeed of making a movie about them so bad? Well, these people can and could. I'd love to hear other people than the few "experts" that speak of all of them in the same way, and in the same words. It's a bit tragic and a bit laughable. A music docu should contain a lot of music, no? Well, there is hardly any of that stuff, which leads me to believe that this movie might be the cheapest one ever made. Så sad Brian. Jimi, Janis, Jim, Kurt and Amy. They deserve respect and not nonsens.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
VIEWS ON FILM review of 27: Gone Too Soon
burlesonjesse523 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
"It's a shock, we can't believe that it happened". But it did. The 27 Club has got quite the sample size. Six famous rock stars died at the young age of 27. We're talking Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. Now did I admire their avant-garde tuneage? Sure, who didn't. It's just a shame that we'll never know what these people would've progressed into.

Fan-made yet never feeling like anyone involved were actual fans, 27: Gone Too Soon chronicles a handful of rock and roll icons through interviews and old hat archive footage, all without so much as a smidgen of featuring their legendary ditties. I mean for about seventy minutes, "Gone" comes off as a prosaic, self-serious blague, anemic in appearance and apparently lacking funding, authorization, and/or permission from "the powers that be", rock world hierarchy. Um, can you blame them? I sure as heck can't.

Directed by a dude that's a former rock manager himself (Simon Napier-Bell) and featuring the production company of Premiere Picture (that's an oxymoron for sure), 27: Gone Too Soon is not so much a bad docu as it is a totally misguided one. The main problem, well it lies in the persons that Napier-Bell puts the questions to, all industry C-listers feeling like they know Janis and Jim and Kurt and whatnot more than they know themselves. It's all conferenced through condemnation and criticism, undercut with grainy muniments and toneless background music in rinse, rinse, repeat fashion. I mean would I get more contentment reading these rocker's standard wiki pages than feeding off the shoddy visual stimuli and tactless swipe that is 27: Gone Too Soon? Oh for sho. At least I wouldn't have to hear (and see) a bunch of smug voices attached to the words. "Gone" through the motions.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Take the time to listen to their music than watch this
bettycjung25 May 2018
5/23/18. What a disappointing rockumentary. This could have been a lot more interesting since all the people they talked about were music icons of their time. More archival footage would have helped a lot and maybe some concert footage?
7 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed