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A Disturbance in The Force

Play trailer 1:38 Poster for A Disturbance in The Force Released Nov 17, 2023 1h 26m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 46 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
In 1977, "Star Wars" became a cultural phenomenon that single-handedly revitalized a stagnant film industry, and forever changed how films were sold, made, and marketed. Movies would never be the same again. A year later, neither would television. In 1978, CBS aired the two-hour "Star Wars Holiday Special" during the week of Thanksgiving and was watched by 13 million people. It never re-aired. While some fans of the franchise are aware of this dark secret, this bizarre two hours of television still remains relatively unknown among the general public. Simply put, we will answer how and why did the "Holiday Special" get made.
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A Disturbance in The Force

A Disturbance in The Force

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Critics Consensus

A Disturbance in the Force pulls back the curtain on an infamous chapter from a beloved franchise in delightfully entertaining fashion.

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Critics Reviews

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Linda Holmes NPR Even if you just want to see a lot of clips of Harrison Ford looking like he wants to dissolve into goo and seep into the floor, never to be seen again, it's well worth tracking the documentary down. Dec 6, 2023 Full Review Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times There's no defending the half-witted, scruffy-looking TV show that aired only once, but this new movie gives the bomb some affection while putting it in context. Rated: 3/4 Dec 4, 2023 Full Review Christian Blauvelt indieWire Even as A Disturbance in the Force isn’t remarkable filmmaking, it is of true value because of the extraordinary number of clips from variety shows of the era. That’s where Kozak especially shines. Rated: B- Mar 13, 2023 Full Review Stephen Silver The SS Ben Hecht An entertaining examination of the first piece of Star Wars media that the fandom turned against- and far from the last. Rated: 4/5 May 9, 2024 Full Review Jack Bottomley Starburst If you can’t embrace something at its worst, how can you love it at its best? Rated: 5/5 Feb 23, 2024 Full Review Aaron Neuwirth We Live Entertainment There’s not much new insight for those already aware of the special. Still, for newcomers, there’s certainly value in that regard, and it’s not as though there isn’t any entertainment to come from this deep dive. Rated: 6/10 Jan 11, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jarrod R Last evening, I received an early birthday surprise—a screening of this documentary here in Indianapolis. I could try to claim that the guest appearances by two stormtroopers, a Rebel pilot, and Darth Vader himself didn't influence my review, but I can't honestly say that. What an incredible experience! As a six-year-old when the original Star Wars hit theaters, I was instantly hooked by everything that came from a galaxy "far, far away." This included The Star Wars Holiday Special. Yes, I have memories, albeit fuzzy, of watching it the one and only time it aired in 1978, and over the years, I've seen clips and bootleg copies of this wild moment in TV history. However, I had no idea about the behind-the-scenes chaos that went into the production of this cult classic. It seems that it could only have been brought into existence in the late 1970s, in a small window between the original Star Wars and the debut of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. To round out the story, there are interviews with comedians like Paul Scheer, Seth Green, Taran Killam, Kevin Smith, Gilbert Gottfried, and Weird Al. Each brought their unique perspectives to the Holiday Special, as most of them were in the prime demographic for the show and had a front-row seat to the fever dream. For fans of Star Wars, Hollywood, the creative process, or those who simply enjoy watching a train wreck, I highly recommend treating yourself to A Disturbance in the Force. This is the way. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/10/24 Full Review Simon T Even if you're not a Star Wars/George Lucas groupie, this is a droll exhumation of the cataclysm that is the Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978. Only ever aired once and never released on DVD, the only versions are umpteenth generation bootleg copies. It's a serious test of your allegiance to the Force if you can watch more than half an hour. It is truly terrible. If the makers of this documentary had trimmed the fat here it would have been a great tribute. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/24 Full Review Karl O As soon as you need Kevin "A Camera Count Me In" Smith ; Weird Al what's his name; the Greeney fella; Bobcat whoever and squeaky Gottfree guy as contributors - you realize the standard of documentary you are in for. A good story wasted for lack of worthwhile contributors. A lot of has beens and never were talking heads. Only those that actually worked on the event are worth listening to. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/07/24 Full Review Yoosik Ethan O The most fun documentary you'll ever see, particularly for Star Wars fan. If you remember that special, you can relate to everything the interviewees say, you can laugh with them and reminisce, like old pals joking about how bad that special was. Lots of great clips from all aspects of pop culture that tie in perfectly to the topic. The most fun geeky time you'll have watching a documentary. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/04/24 Full Review Garr V Hilarious! A fantastic documentary. Really well done. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/21/23 Full Review Milos B You're not a real Star Wars fan if you haven't seen the 1978 Holiday Special. Although, honestly, if you had seen it back in the day, it's more likely that you wouldn't have stayed a fan. A nice documentary film about the so-called worst TV show ever, if we exclude the fact that television in the 70s of the last century was mostly at the level of such and similar achievements. It's not a question of whether the "Star Wars Holiday Special" was a failure, it certainly was, when George Lucas himself disowned it. After all, the whole franchise has always been more of an industry for the sale of children's toys, than a serious sci-fi, driven by an idea, unlike some other series. But as bad as it was by all parameters, it is not worse than the Disney sequels that we got this century. On the other hand, this year we received an interesting documentary film, decently directed, fairly measured, with interviews and TV clips quite tailored, with the aim of a very realistic description of this kind of disaster. There are also reviews of the animated short and the Jefferson Starship performance, which we may or may not like. It is interesting to mention the missed opportunities for Cher, Robin Williams, and even Raquel Welch(?) to appear in the special. It is also interesting that the question of the importance of editing was raised, which certainly contributed to the debacle of the special. Allegedly, the original film "Star Wars" was also saved in the edit, about which you can find more information on the subject on blogs and YouTube. Will such documentaries be made and about all the failures of this serial in Disney's production in the future, I really don't believe, because they are not even worth this much mention. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1977, "Star Wars" became a cultural phenomenon that single-handedly revitalized a stagnant film industry, and forever changed how films were sold, made, and marketed. Movies would never be the same again. A year later, neither would television. In 1978, CBS aired the two-hour "Star Wars Holiday Special" during the week of Thanksgiving and was watched by 13 million people. It never re-aired. While some fans of the franchise are aware of this dark secret, this bizarre two hours of television still remains relatively unknown among the general public. Simply put, we will answer how and why did the "Holiday Special" get made.
Director
Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak
Producer
Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak, Kyle Newman
Screenwriter
Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak
Distributor
Giant Pictures
Production Co
Jeremy Coon Productions
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 17, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 5, 2023
Runtime
1h 26m
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