Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Benjamin Smoke

Play trailer Poster for Benjamin Smoke Released Jul 21, 2000 1h 13m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
70% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
This highly unorthodox documentary follows the crooked path of Benjamin (no last name). He lives in a hidden neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia called "Cabbagetown." Drag-queen, speed-freak, all-around renegade, Benjamin left the straight (in every sense of the word) world behind a long time ago.

Critics Reviews

View All (10) Critics Reviews
Roger Clarke Independent (UK) Smoke's life had not been an easy one in the rural Deep South, but this moving tribute comes across as vindication of his "folk-noir" music and unquenchable individuality. Rated: 3/5 Mar 26, 2024 Full Review Peter Travers Rolling Stone Rated: 3/4 Aug 14, 2007 Full Review BBC.com Rated: 4/5 Apr 17, 2001 Full Review David Noh Film Journal International It is the actual presence of Patti Smith that confers a profound sort of grace on the film. Dec 11, 2006 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jul 26, 2005 Full Review Hollywood.com Rated: 0/4 Apr 5, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (12) audience reviews
Audience Member How have I not heard of this guy before? Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member i adore him and his honesty, his husky voice, his dresses and his yellow nail-polish. such a lovely character. i enjoyed every single minute of this film. a total joy to watch. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Only just started watching this, but I'm gonna be audacious and rate it five stars based on the first five minutes. Looks fascinating and the music is like a more mournful, haunted Tom Waits. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Robert Dickerson, aka Benjamin Smoke, was an HIV positive indie-rock front man for the band Smoke, based in Atlanta. I saw this documentary at its premiere at the Chicago Underground Film Festival and was blown away, by the music, by Dickerson's gentle flamboyance and indomitability, by the filmmakers' experimental spirit. A must-see. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member A nostalgia bomb for anybody who lived down in Atlanta proper during the late 80s & 90s, made all the more wistful by the mournful music and lingering look back at a time and a place and a person all long gone. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Jem Cohen definitely has a way of conveying the face behind the sound, while not diminishing the effect of the artist's music... Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Benjamin Smoke

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

More Like This

View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
American Pimp 55% 73% American Pimp Watchlist Dogtown and Z-Boys 92% 88% Dogtown and Z-Boys Watchlist The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack 94% 82% The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack Watchlist Mule Skinner Blues 82% 81% Mule Skinner Blues Watchlist The Eyes of Tammy Faye 87% 72% The Eyes of Tammy Faye Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All Benjamin Smoke photos

Benjamin Smoke

Benjamin Smoke (2000) Benjamin Smoke (2000) Benjamin Smoke (2000) Benjamin Smoke (2000) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis This highly unorthodox documentary follows the crooked path of Benjamin (no last name). He lives in a hidden neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia called "Cabbagetown." Drag-queen, speed-freak, all-around renegade, Benjamin left the straight (in every sense of the word) world behind a long time ago.
Director
Jem Cohen, Peter Sillen
Screenwriter
Jem Cohen, Peter Sillen
Distributor
Cowboy Booking International
Production Co
C-Hundred Film Corp., Pumpernickel, Gravity Hill Films
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 21, 2000, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA)
$36.8K
Runtime
1h 13m