Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind

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Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind

Released Jul 29, 2020

1h 30m

Documentary

Biography

Music

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89%

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27 Reviews

86%

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

The filmmakers examine the life, influence and artistic legacy of Canadian musician and icon Gordon Lightfoot.

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Owen Gleiberman

Variety

"If You Could Read My Mind" celebrates how Gordon Lightfoot turned his own wreckage into something sublime.

Jul 31, 2020

Full Review

Raoul Hernandez

Austin Chronicle

Gordo got wasted too in a reveal appearing conspicuously at the film's two-thirds mark, which proves a veggie patty between the lightly toasted buns of artistic self-loathing faintly framing If You Could Read My Mind.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 30, 2020

Full Review

Kevin Crust

Los Angeles Times

A thoroughly engaging retrospective of a hard-working, hard-living performer who survived to tell the tale.

Jul 30, 2020

Full Review

Kathy Fennessy

Seattle Film Blog

If You Could Read My Mind joins the ranks of recent sensitively-drawn, well-constructed music documentaries about folk-rock peers Linda Ronstadt and David Crosby, who also found ways to stay relevant and energized years after their initial burst of fame.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 29, 2022

Full Review

Bill Brioux

Brioux.tv

An intimate and emotional examination of the artist’s profound relationship to his music and his Canadian roots.

Oct 11, 2022

Full Review

Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Music documentaries often veer into hagiography, looking back with rose coloured glasses at their subject but right from the outset this one displays an honesty rare in authorized bios.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 31, 2021

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luke l

An amazing talented man who lived an extraordinary life. A great introduction to his catalogue of songs from over 40 years of creative output. Beautifully done.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/25/24

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Tina B

So much I never knew about Gordon. Such beautiful music. A must see. RIP Gord.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/13/23

Full Review

John B

For anyone like me who *only* knew him from a handful of mid-70s AM radio hits, this documentary was a revelation.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/07/23

Full Review

paul d

Full disclosure: I am a lifelong fan of Gordon Lightfoot, I truly love the man's music and poetry. I am enough of a fan that I have been well aware of Lightfoot's weaknesses and troubles as well as of his successes, long before this film. That said, this documentary does a very nice job of exploring his life and his music. It's led by Lighthfoot's own blunt honesty about his demons and his relationships, nurtured by his gratitude at still being alive at an advanced age when his hard living, and a terrible abdominal aneurism in 2002, both could have, should have, killed him. The only mystery to me is why the film doesn't address the change in Gord's voice. That took place several decades ago and seems to me to have been much more than normal aging. I would love to know how and why he lost that beautiful baritone, and if he ever considered, like many professional singers quietly do, vocal cord surgery.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I just loved this movie. One of the highlights are the film (film, because there was no video back then) clips, which tell much of the story.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Martha Kehoe

Director

Joan Tosoni

Director

Martha Kehoe

Screenwriter

Joan Tosoni

Screenwriter

Martha Kehoe

Producer

Joan Tosoni

Producer

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Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The filmmakers examine the life, influence and artistic legacy of Canadian musician and icon Gordon Lightfoot.

Director: Martha Kehoe, Joan Tosoni
Producer: Martha Kehoe, Joan Tosoni
Screenwriter: Martha Kehoe, Joan Tosoni
Distributor: Greenwich Entertainment
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 29, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 14, 2020
Runtime: 1h 30m

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