Harmontown

2014

1 hr. 41 min.

Documentary

List

73%

26 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmaker Neil Berkeley documents life on the road with sitcom writer/podcaster Dan Harmon ("Community") during a 20-city tour.

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Premiered Feb 22

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Critics Consensus

Harmontown offers a look at an artist grappling with his own flaws -- as well as some interesting insights about the nature of hardcore fandom in the internet age.

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Audience Member

I'm a nerd, love comedy and D&D.. this movie is fantastic!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A charming look at a unique podcast blended with the interesting story of Dan Harmon's story as a comedy writer starting with his firing from NBC and the subsequent rehiring. The strong point of the film is it does not hold back on criticism of Harmon himself. In interviews people criticize his work style as well as his short temper, and shows glimpses into his alcoholism and his sometimes abusive relationship with his girlfriend at the time of filming the movie. This doc does nothing more than make me want to listen to some Harmontown.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The beginning of the documentary felt rushed, but the film as a whole is great. Although some shots were questionable and the fade in into 2007 made me think I skipped part of the film, the editing is great. The shot on the highway is just great. And basically, if you like Dan Harmon, you will like this documentary, it's as simple as that.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

sean l

An intimate behind-the-scenes documentary covering Dan Harmon (creator of Community, co-creator of Rick and Morty) and his short tour of seat-of-the-pants live podcasts in the winter of 2012. It dangles precariously between worshiping the man (via dozens of high-profile testimonials) and vilifying him (the same talking heads almost unanimously have a bad story to tell about his self-destructive nature) which makes for a difficult, conflicted narrative. Especially as he seems to have no interest in seriously changing his ways, even after breaking down and confessing to his many sins. Harmon's connection with his audience, and with his small cast of cobbled-together costars, is special and real, the kind of rapport that thousands of wannabe cult productions chase to their last breath. Maybe his shortcomings as a human fuel that fire in ways that a more composed creative wouldn't, but it still begs a question: how much more prolific could this guy be if he'd ever get his act together? Even his most passionate fans seem to realize that he can be a real dick at times, most notably when he airs the dirty laundry of a late-night fight with his long-suffering girlfriend right there on one show. The same fans who lined up at the door to hear what he'll do or say next agree almost unanimously that he was in the wrong, leaving him to awkwardly eat a little crow. The documentary itself is a bit long, especially in getting to a conclusion, but otherwise does a nice job of mixing laugh-out-loud moments from the stage with heartfelt confessions and closed-door implosions away from the public eye. Great if you're already a fan, but a little narrow and long-winded if you're not.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An interesting film documenting an "army of nerds with hearts of love" that seems to be part informative, part tragedy, and part inspirational in equal measure.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

greg n

Outstanding documentary of a creative

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Neil Berkeley

Director

Dan Harmon

Actor

Jeff Bryan Davis

Actor

Erin McGathy

Actor

Spencer Crittenden

Actor

Steve Agee

Actor

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

A film that is far more complicated and entertaining than the fanboy home movie you might anticipate (and dread).

Jun 18, 2016

Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

[This] kind of honesty is the difference between sitcoms like Community and 30 Rock, which can be clever and amusing, and a truly brilliant, risk-taking show like Louie, which can be either hilariously funny or mortally depressing.

Oct 30, 2014

Full Review

Barbara VanDenburgh

Arizona Republic

It's in the exploration of how "Community" fandom formed its own distinctive community of outcasts that the film excels, finally making sense of the show's cult popularity by diving into that cult and crowdsurfing on it.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 30, 2014

Full Review

Allen Almachar

The MacGuffin

Those that know little about its subject will feel lost in the commotion.

Rated: C+

Jul 17, 2020

Full Review

C.J. Prince

Way Too Indie

Harmontown may not be a very memorable documentary, but it's funny and entertaining enough to earn a recommendation for Harmon fans (not that they need one).

Jun 21, 2019

Full Review

Bill Graham

The Film Stage

More than anything, though, the documentary explores a side of Harmon that you might expect but nonetheless feel privileged to see.

Rated: B

Jun 21, 2016

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Neil Berkeley documents life on the road with sitcom writer/podcaster Dan Harmon ("Community") during a 20-city tour.

Director: Neil Berkeley
Executive Producer: Dan Harmon, Bart McDonough, Joe Russo, Dino Stamatopoulos, James A. Fio
Screenwriter: Neil Berkeley
Production Co: Future You Media, Starburns Industries
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 4, 2015

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