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Cracked Up

Play trailer Poster for Cracked Up 2019 1h 35m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
The story of actor, comedian, master impressionist and "Saturday Night Live" vet Darrell Hammond.

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Cracked Up

Critics Reviews

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Michael Rechtshaffen Los Angeles Times 09/19/2019
Esrick's "Cracked Up" affectingly peels back the years of protective layers trapping the trauma, revealing a man who has found a semblance of peace after a lifetime of battling demons. Go to Full Review
Jason Zinoman New York Times 09/12/2019
This isn't your typical show business documentary. Go to Full Review
Frank Scheck The Hollywood Reporter 09/11/2019
Throughout the documentary, Hammond relates the story of his past traumas and current struggles with honesty and humor. Go to Full Review
Simon Foster Screen-Space (Substack) 05/04/2020
4/5
With Cracked Up, Hammond is only doing what he hoped someone might have done when he was a child - speaking up. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Jeff M 02/11/2024 Although parts of this documentary sometimes feel like an extended infomercial for Hammond's book GOD, IF YOU'RE NOT UP THERE, I'M F*CKED, I have the utmost respect for him being so candid and honest about an absolutely horrific childhood and how it affected his entire life. His recollections are often devastating and heartbreaking, and one is simultaneously repulsed by what he went through and inspired by his attempts to overcome what would sink many of us. It's often said that behind the smile of a clown exists an abundance of pain, and Hammond is the ultimate example. He chose to share his experiences after both parents died, and while I certainly respect this decision, it would have been even more effective to hear the other side of the story. Moments Hammond shares with a childhood friend who admits he had a hard time believing what happened are particularly powerful. After watching this, I will always view Hammond in a bit of a different light - I will always see a bit more of pain in his humor. See more dave d 08/03/2021 An important and under the radar documentary that is unlike any celebrity doc you've ever seen and likely will ever see. It's really raw and often hard to watch, but if you've experienced anything like Darrell Hammond has, then this could change your life. How stories about mental illness like this get pushed aside over outlandish reality TV is beyond me. Now Get off my lawn!! 10/10!!! See more 02/15/2021 An excellent, honest and authentic documentary that manages to keep humour, reality and audience engagement throughout. A profoundly moving portrayal of one man's journey to empowerment from a life lived with profound trauma and all the personal hardships that entailed. Moving, inspiring. See more georgan g 07/06/2020 Interesting. Nothing new as I'd read his book. See more 05/03/2020 Excellent documentary. It's hard to imagine how much he accomplished living with the scars of that much trauma in his childhood. See more 05/03/2020 I'm very happy for Darrell Hammond, an exceptionally talented performer, and by most all accounts a very decent human being who wasn't always so largely due to childhood trauma that NO ONE should have to even imagine going through. He seems to have reached a place, a long last, where he has some homeostasis, some very solid grounding, for him to live on now. This doc covers his story in a very pragmatic, straight forward manner, eschewing the types of recreated scenes, symbolism, mixed media you see in more arthouse type docs. Hopefully this will help others who have lived through the same or similar hell. 3.8 stars See more Read all reviews
Cracked Up

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Movie Info

Synopsis The story of actor, comedian, master impressionist and "Saturday Night Live" vet Darrell Hammond.
Director
Michelle Esrick
Producer
David Becker
Distributor
Abramorama
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 13, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 2, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.7K
Runtime
1h 35m
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