Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time

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2:42

Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time

2021

2h 7m

Documentary

Biography

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Popcornmeter

93%

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58 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

KURT VONNEGUT: UNSTUCK IN TIME is a dazzling, worthy tribute to Vonnegut and a compelling introduction for the uninitiated. The feature documentary -- the first of its kind on Vonnegut -- is a deep, immersive dive into the author's upbringing and his creative output. It spans his childhood in Indianapolis, his experience as a Prisoner of War in World War II, his marriage, family, and divorce, his early careers as a publicist for General Electric and a car salesman, and his long years as a struggling writer, leading to eventual superstardom in 1969 following the publication of his lightning-bolt anti-war novel Slaughterhouse-Five. The film began 39 years ago when young, struggling filmmaker Robert Weide (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth) wrote a letter to his literary idol proposing a documentary on Vonnegut's life and work. Shooting began in 1988 and the resulting film reflects the friendship and bond Weide and Vonnegut formed over the decades. In the film, past, present, and future cease to become linear as Weide strives to get an overview of his subject's life and his own role in it. KURT VONNEGUT: UNSTUCK IN TIME is first and foremost a biography of a beloved American author. But it also documents a filmmaker's odyssey as he examines the impact of a writer's legacy on his own life, extending far beyond the printed page.

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Critics Consensus

A fitting if not groundbreaking tribute, Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time will inspire viewers to seek out -- or revisit -- his work.

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James Jackson

The Times (UK)

04/26/2023

4/5

Vonnegut remains such contradictory company. His harrowing observations of inhumanity, most famously in Slaughterhouse-Five’s first-hand descriptions of the bombing of Dresden, seemed to render him ever more goofy.

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Ben Dowell

The Times (UK)

04/25/2023

[Weide's] thoughtful approach largely fits a subject where sadness, cynicism, laughter and optimism jostle fascinatingly together.

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Edward Porter

The Times (UK)

08/08/2022

It barely tries to assess the literary value of the author’s work, but it captures his good-humoured personality...

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Mark R. Leeper

Mark Leeper's Reviews

09/18/2022

6/10

KURT VONNEGUT: UNSTUCK IN TIME, a biography of Kurt Vonnegut, has most of his early life told with home movies. Later the narrative is from photos of his articles, books, first pages of manuscripts, and footage shot by director Robert B. Weide and others.

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Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

07/27/2022

5/5

A film full of intimacy and affection, of insight into the effort it takes to be both an artist and a human being.

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Brian

11/20/2021

A fantastic view of the life of Vonnegut. It was funny and touching.

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Dallas H

@RT53171010 Nov 18

A rule of thumb for non-fiction storytelling is for the author to avoid being included as part of the subject matter. But when the subject is Kurt Vonnegut, an author who frequently inserted a variation of himself into his fictional stories, the rule about authorship exclusion becomes pointless.

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Henry S

@Hankschmo 11/23/2024

I really enjoyed it!

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Renee D

@RT08654957 01/15/2024

So appreciated this documentary. It was very rewarding to experience such a deep and generous biography of Mr. Vonnegut.

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Torin F

@nonlinearize 04/10/2023

A multi-faceted portrait of a complex man, in which the biographer's own relationship to Vonnegut and his work are actually an important part of the story. UNSTUCK IN TIME celebrates Vonnegut's virtues (chiefly his humor as a powerful response to trauma, tragedy and loss) without omitting his flaws and the challenges he faced, both personal and professional.

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07/31/2022

Robert B. Weide's documentary, some 40 years in the making, was well worth the wait. For fans of the late Kurt Vonnegut, it's a treasure that continues the legacy of one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. To read my full review, click here: https://medium.com/cd-critical-appraisals/so-it-goes-again-f9ea40e04180?source=friends_link&sk=332f51804083297d52a24cf9222e16b8

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Robert B. Weide

Director

Don Argott

Director

Robert B. Weide

Self

Robert B. Weide

Writer

Robert B. Weide

Producer

Demian Fenton

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Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

KURT VONNEGUT: UNSTUCK IN TIME is a dazzling, worthy tribute to Vonnegut and a compelling introduction for the uninitiated. The feature documentary -- the first of its kind on Vonnegut -- is a deep, immersive dive into the author's upbringing and his creative output. It spans his childhood in Indianapolis, his experience as a Prisoner of War in World War II, his marriage, family, and divorce, his early careers as a publicist for General Electric and a car salesman, and his long years as a struggling writer, leading to eventual superstardom in 1969 following the publication of his lightning-bolt anti-war novel Slaughterhouse-Five. The film began 39 years ago when young, struggling filmmaker Robert Weide (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth) wrote a letter to his literary idol proposing a documentary on Vonnegut's life and work. Shooting began in 1988 and the resulting film reflects the friendship and bond Weide and Vonnegut formed over the decades. In the film, past, present, and future cease to become linear as Weide strives to get an overview of his subject's life and his own role in it. KURT VONNEGUT: UNSTUCK IN TIME is first and foremost a biography of a beloved American author. But it also documents a filmmaker's odyssey as he examines the impact of a writer's legacy on his own life, extending far beyond the printed page.

Director: Robert B. Weide, Don Argott
Producer: Robert B. Weide
Screenwriter: Robert B. Weide, Robert B. Weide
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: 9.14 Pictures, Whyaduck Productions
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 19, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 19, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $60.0K
Runtime: 2h 7m

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