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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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