The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's American Pie

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The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's American Pie

PG

Released Jul 8, 2022

1h 34m

Documentary

Music

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Popcornmeter

70%

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10 Reviews

71%

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

The story of America -- our past and our future. More than just a song or a man, this film is about a cultural moment in America's history that has followed us from the 1970s. Featuring a new generation of artists, inspired by the same values and ideas that inspired Don McLean in writing American Pie -- one of the great musical touchstones of pop music and culture.

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Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

Somehow, the more McLean explains the song, the more wondrous it seems.

Jul 22, 2022

Full Review

Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

Don McLean shares his ‘American Pie’ recipe in this thorough documentary.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 20, 2022

Full Review

Glenn Kenny

New York Times

McLean, who has frequently been portrayed as a prickly figure, and worse, puts on his most ingratiating mien here. And why not. Few musicians are given such generous opportunities to be docent to their legacies.

Jul 19, 2022

Full Review

Robin Holabird

KUNR (Reno, NV)

While filmmakers emphasize a storytelling universality for the song, it still seems locked in a specific era.

Aug 26, 2022

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Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Although the song is repeated countless times across the doco, the viewer never tires of it.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 12, 2022

Full Review

Stephen Silver

Splice Today

Takes a maximalist approach to its exploration of McLean’s 1971 hit

Rated: 4/5

Aug 5, 2022

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Joe D

This is an amazing biography of a song. It is hard to believe that it has been 50 years since its release. The film was extremely well directed and edited, so it moved quickly and didn't leave much out. I would have liked to have had more of The Big Bopper's story told, but he was relegated to the sidelines.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Best takeaway— Teenage Bronkin’ Buck line came about because of childhood chronic bronchidas

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I loved it. If you're looking for an explanation of the lyrics, skip to 1:12 minutes. But if you want the whole thing, sit down for the whole ride and you won't be disappointed.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Chester

This documentary- as epic as the song itself- has everything you ever wanted to know about "American Pie", fifty years later. Near the end, Don McLean clears up a few of the misconceptions about the meaning of the lyrics.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/06/22

Full Review

Audience Member

This film was an excellent tale of the story behind the iconic song 'American Pie'. The film does a great job at showcasing the heart behind the song, and it's ability to connect generations of people worldwide.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Who doesn't know this song ? So catchy and it has such a great vibe! I sang this song in the car many times, but I never really paid a lot of attention to its lyrics. It's always so interesting to know how a writer comes up with the lyrics for a song and it was fascinating to hear the story behind the most iconic song of Don McLean - American Pie; one thing is for sure, this song will never die!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

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Mark Moormann

Director

Don McLean

Self

Garth Brooks

Self

Brian Wilson

Self

Peter Gallagher

Self

Dave Harding

Producer

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Synopsis

The story of America -- our past and our future. More than just a song or a man, this film is about a cultural moment in America's history that has followed us from the 1970s. Featuring a new generation of artists, inspired by the same values and ideas that inspired Don McLean in writing American Pie -- one of the great musical touchstones of pop music and culture.

Director: Mark Moormann
Producer: Dave Harding, Spencer Proffer
Distributor: Paramount+
Production Co: Meteor 17, MTV Studios
Rating: PG
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 8, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 19, 2022
Runtime: 1h 34m

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