90
Los Angeles Times by Noel Murray
Unlike most rock docs, “Life in 12 Bars” isn’t a look back from a distance. It’s like living through one man’s pain.
Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
A documentary reflecting on Eric Clapton's traumatic childhood, his struggles with drugs and alcohol, the loss of his son, and how he found his inner strength and healing in music. It features extensive interviews with Clapton himself, along with his family, friends, musical collaborators, and heroes – including icons B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, and George Harrison.
Stream Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars
What are critics saying?
75
RogerEbert.com by Godfrey Cheshire
The film does a good job conveying the excitement generated by that band as a live act, especially in San Francisco and Los Angeles. But though it produced some remarkable music, Cream’s success was short-lived.
60
The New York Times by Glenn Kenny
As a musical biography, this comes up short; it plays substantially better as a story of recovery and recovered integrity.
60
Variety by Dennis Harvey
As absorbing as much of this material is, the lengthy feature does not feel definitive: It commits the typical music-doc sin of devoting nearly all its time to a celebrated first professional decade, then hastily skimming past all events since.
50
The Hollywood Reporter by John DeFore
The film's title promises a story told with the tidy structure of the blues. (Either that, or it's a bad joke about Clapton's long struggle with alcoholism.) But Life proves weirdly assembled, with counterintuitive emphases.
40
Time Out
Clapton has led a fascinating life, and is a contradictory and inspiring figure. Save for a few moments, this film just doesn’t serve him well enough.
40
Time Out by Alex Godfrey
Clapton has led a fascinating life, and is a contradictory and inspiring figure. Save for a few moments, this film just doesn’t serve him well enough.
Loading recommendations...
Loading recommendations...