Zappa

"Ultimately, your enjoyment of Zappa is going to depend a lot on how much you enjoy spending time with Frank Zappa himself. Between the archival footage of Zappa performing, his conducting works for orchestra, and Ruth Underwood’s exquisite performance of ‘The Black Page’ filmed especially for this documentary, the music in Zappa is of such variety and quality that even those so-so on Zappa ought to get a lot out of it."

"A fine introduction to a unique character, his music and those times."

"Winter gives Zappa pride of place among the most important composers of the 20th century..."

"There's little fault that even the most hardcore fan could find with Mr. Winter's film..."

"There's a charming wealth of home movies from Zappa's childhood and adolescence..."

"Foregrounds the laudable and often astonishing aspects of the man's work and personality."

"A complex and surprisingly satisfying portrait..."

"Captures its subject's spirit without tipping into mere hero worship."

"Top-to-bottom solid, sometimes exceptional music bio..."

"[Winter has] made a certain peace with the low ceiling of his film's conventional structure."