Pavements

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2:35

Pavements

Released May 2

2h 8m

Documentary

Biography

Music

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Popcornmeter

95%

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59 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

It's not just a story about a band. It's a story about mankind.

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Critics Consensus

Directed with a wry personal touch by Alex Ross Perry, Pavements distinguishes itself as a music doc by not only paying affectionate tribute to its subject but also unpacking the cultural philosophy it personifies.

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Danny Leigh

Financial Times

And yet the film is droll but never snotty, richly inventive, and so smartly executed that reality blurs.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 14, 2025

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

It is a palimpsest of approaches: four concepts placed on top of each other, but none can be seen clearly. For me, Perry’s masterpiece is still his 2015 drama Listen Up Philip. But this film might well provide something for the Pavement fanbase.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 9, 2025

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

Alex Ross Perry’s Pavements is a love letter, a mischievous jape and a deconstructed rock documentary all at once, a brilliantly unclassifiable salute to the 1990s indie-rock legends...

Rated: 4/5

Jul 9, 2025

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John Serba

Decider

Perry tells this story in a rather head-spinning matter.

Aug 12, 2025

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Filipe Freitas

Always Good Movies

Sadly, Pavements fails to do justice to Stephen Malkmus and his unforgettable band.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 23, 2025

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Adam Schoales

That Shelf

In many ways, Pavements defies categorization, but that’s what makes it so special and unique. It is undoubtedly unlike anything you’ll see this year, and probably unlike anything you’ll ever see again.

Jul 11, 2025

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Loretta

This was the perfect Pavement documentary. The humor, the peek backstage, the archival footage, the rehearsals, the musical, and Joe Keery as Stephen Malkmus was brilliant casting.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/13/25

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AgeofAdhz

As an OG Pavement fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this film but honestly could have done without so much of the “Range Life” mix film footage and just more Pavement footage. But overall, it was a fitting, lovely ode to one of the best bands of the 90s.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/13/25

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S K

I’ve been a fan since my buddy Pete gave me Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain for my birthday in 1995. And I got a chance to see them in Toronto during their 2010 reunion tour. And I continue to listen to them on the regular. With that background, I can say that this film is for hardcore fans only. It’s an “art for art’s sake” type of thing. Difficult, disjointed, ambitious. But not particularly enjoyable.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/26/25

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Tom F

On paper I should have been a fan of Pavement in their heyday, but they never really resonated with me then or during their unexpected recent revival. But they are a fascinating documentary subject. In a reverse Spinal Tap, the documentary features both a biopic and jukebox musical, simultaneously fake and real, of a band that is both actual but also maybe exists only in a dream.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/15/25

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Nathan A

A stuffy movie about one of the more boring indie rock bands of the 90s.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/25/25

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Zach K

How did I end up finding this farce wrapped in a biopic with layers of musical theater moving? Because it was made by a bunch of geniuses. Yes, I love Pavement. Yes, I bought Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain on the day of its release. Still: this is one of the most original films I've ever seen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

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Alex Ross Perry

Director

Stephen Malkmus

Actor

Scott Kannberg

Actor

Joe Keery

Actor

Jason Schwartzman

Actor

Nat Wolff

Actor

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Pavements: Trailer 1

2:35

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Synopsis

It's not just a story about a band. It's a story about mankind.

Director: Alex Ross Perry
Producer: Craig Butta, Alex Ross Perry, Robert Greene, Peter Klein, Danny Gabai, Lance Bangs, Alex Needles, Arrow Kruse, Chris Lombardi, Gerard Cosloy, Patrick Amory, Gabe Spierer
Screenwriter: Alex Ross Perry
Distributor: Utopia
Production Co: Alldayeveryday Productions
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 24, 2025
Runtime: 2h 8m

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