Sample This

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Sample This

2013

1h 25m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

The creation of one of the most influential albums in popular music.

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Odie Henderson

RogerEbert.com

Sep 13, 2013

3/4

For a documentary filled with such joyous, danceable beats, there's still a note of sadness playing through Sample This.

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Frank Scheck

The Hollywood Reporter

Sep 13, 2013

This improbably fascinating documentary will be manna from heaven to pop culture devotees.

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Mark Jenkins

Washington Post

Sep 12, 2013

3/4

The movie provides a vivid sense of the period, as well as an intriguing backstage look at the making of improbable pop classics.

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Graeme Tuckett

The Post NZ

Nov 30, 2021

Sample This is a jaw-dropping true story.

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Christopher Schobert

The Playlist

Oct 11, 2013

B

...it is hard to walk away too disappointed when the stories are this fascinating-and when the music is this triumphant.

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Avi Offer

NYC Movie Guru

Sep 15, 2013

7.5/10

Not nearly as moving, crowd-pleasing or powerful as Searching for Sugar Man or Standing in the Shadows of Motown, but it's nonetheless an insightful, slick and engaging music doc for fans of hip-hop.

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georgan g

@RT98616417 Mar 16, 2021

Some good riffs but overall not much there.

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Dec 24, 2020

Fascinating documentary about hiphop and the studio music world. All of the music you heard but didn't know who played it. Definitely worth watching..

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Jan 30, 2019

It's an interesting story about the producer, the musicians and the music in general. For me though, I'm a bit disappointed because they don't discuss the actual recording of "Apache". They process of putting the musicians together, what brought it on and the song's impact is discussed. But they don't talk about HOW the song was recorded at all. I was interested in that, and I didn't get it. I recommend this film, but it's not as stong a recommendation as I would have liked it to be.

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ma'ark t

@RT57514104 Jan 18, 2019

Probably only for those who love learning the story behind music. True Hip Hop fans will love.

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Apr 25, 2018

A great musical education about what is essentially the origin story of hip hop. Fascinating.

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Dec 1, 2013

Just had nothing for me. Guess you have to really know/care about the subject to enjoy it.

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Dan Forrer

Director

Gene Simmons

Narrator

Dan Forrer

Screenwriter

Bob Burris

Producer

Tara Larsen

Producer

Philip Hurn

Cinematographer

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Synopsis

The creation of one of the most influential albums in popular music.

Director: Dan Forrer
Producer: Bob Burris, Tara Larsen
Screenwriter: Dan Forrer
Distributor: GoDigital Media Group
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 13, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2016
Runtime: 1h 25m

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