CSNY: Deja Vu

R

Released Jul 25, 2008

1 hr. 36 min.

Documentary

Music

List

68%

41 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Recalling the antiwar sentiment of his band Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's music from the Vietnam era, musician Neil Young (using the pseudonym Bernard Shakey) directed this anti-Iraq War documentary, which follows the group's 2006 "Freedom of Speech" tour. The film combines music from Young's controversial "Living with War" album with footage of the touring band during the U.S. midterm elections in 2006, while it also examines the ongoing relationship between art and politics.

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Critics Consensus

Half concert doc, half political exposition, CSNY: DeJa Vu straddles the old and new slant on politics in music with diligence and not a little self-promotion.

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Audience Member

I like Neil Young and to a certain extent CSN. I do like the Deja Vu record a lot. Neil Young is one of those musicians where maybe he has a few good albums and a lot of good songs but not someone who I get excited when I hear that they have new records. This just missed the mark and was very weak

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Solid documentary about CSNY's 2006 Freedom of Speech tour. It was nice to see the level of involvement that these guys still have with what's happening in the world, and I think the people that complained about four aging millionaire hippies daring to making noise about something completely missed the point. I think one of the reviews that is quoted in the film hits the nail on the head: Neil Young (and co.) would probably be just as happy with a negative reaction from fans because at least it's a reaction, and invokes some kind of feeling as opposed to apathy. The parallels between Vietnam and Iraq are drawn, and there's a disappointment in the fact that today's society doesn't seem to question nearly as much as it did then. Kudos to Young (director under his Bernard Shakey ID) for airing clips of fans who were absolutely outraged at the band for daring to question the war as well as of those who applauded them for doing so. As David Crosby remarks, "To me, good art has to evoke some kind of feeling" [whether love, hate, anger, joy, sadness, outrage].

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very interesting take on the whole tour and war in Iraq issue, very similar in many ways to Shut Up & Sing about the Dixie Chicks and the same issues, this movie had a much more straight ahead storyline as the protagonists knew their minds going into it, as did the rightwing pro bush supporters featured. Great music and thought provoking, shame it didn;t really have the impact desired

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I know it has been out for awhile, but boy does it get to the HEART of the issue that other media sources don't. A clean clear real image of how people feel about the war. What lies have been told, what disbelief really exists. Thank You CSNY Whatever your position on the war...this is a must see American and World Movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It was funny. One of them fell over and couldn't get up. They had to get someone to pick him up off the stage. I didn't like it though. I guess it was because I thought it was just the concert, and not a documentary about the concert. The ATL concert made me laugh, I knew some people (not in the documentary though) that were there. They didn't "leave abruptly" like some though. The movie just wasn't want I expected. I wanted to listen to the music and watch a concert, not watch a movie about a concert and the music at the concert.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I saw this tour in NY and loved it. The band has so much more energy when Neil is involved for some reason. Having said that, the idea for this documentary is an interesting one -- and seeing/hearing the reactions from the audiences and critics was good. I was glad to see that Young, as director, made sure to keep it objective and add much of the negative reaction to the songs they were performing across the country. Some nice old footage from the 60's as well when the band was protesting an altogether different war. I would like to have had more interviews from the band members here. The film does drag a bit at times. If you are not a CSNY fan, I doubt you'll enjoy it. Excerpts from songs are here, but not one is played out in full.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

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Neil Young

Director

David Crosby

Actor

Stephen Stills

Actor

Graham Nash

Actor

Neil Young

Actor

Tammy Duckworth

Actor

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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Rated: B

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

It is a good, strong documentary.

Aug 4, 2008

Full Review

Aidin Vaziri

San Francisco Chronicle

Many come to the shows unprepared for the heavy sermonizing. Others call for it. The documentary seems equally divisive.

Rated: 2/4

Jul 25, 2008

Full Review

Nora Lee Mandel

Film-Forward.com

The combination of music with the performers' dedication makes this more moving than a concert souvenir, though they are almost upstaged by touching moments with veterans.

Rated: 6/10

Nov 27, 2008

Full Review

Lee Marshall

Screen International

This is not a rock tour film for CSNY fans so much as a rambling, occasionally thought-provoking, sometimes moving enquiry into the question of whether the sixties protest music generation has lost its leverage over hearts and minds.

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

James Verniere

Boston Herald

Rated: B+

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

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Synopsis

Recalling the antiwar sentiment of his band Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's music from the Vietnam era, musician Neil Young (using the pseudonym Bernard Shakey) directed this anti-Iraq War documentary, which follows the group's 2006 "Freedom of Speech" tour. The film combines music from Young's controversial "Living with War" album with footage of the touring band during the U.S. midterm elections in 2006, while it also examines the ongoing relationship between art and politics.

Director: Neil Young
Executive Producer: Steve Bing, Elliot Rabinowitz
Screenwriter: Neil Young
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Production Co: Shangri-La Entertainment, Shakey Pictures
Rating: R (Brief War Images|Some Language)
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 25, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 7, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $65.0K

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