My Father And The Man In Black

Village Voice by

As Cash might say, it has the heart, and it has the blood, and by the time childhood chatter is played back again, feeling is soaked through it like the sweat in Cash's guitar strap.

The Guardian by Andrew Pulver

For Cash devotees who want a hitherto-hidden perspective on their man, though, this is invaluable viewing.

The New York Times by David DeWitt

No one in this complex and haunting documentary feels fully explained.

Empire by David Parkinson

Slightly jerry-built reconstructions detract from an intriguing film with a unique angle on the country legend.

The Hollywood Reporter by John DeFore

The film offers a privileged perspective on crucial moments in Johnny Cash's career, and serious fans will likely warm to it on the small screen.

The Dissolve by Keith Phipps

There’s a wealth of information in My Father And The Man In Black, but Holiff’s directorial choices don’t always help in conveying them.

The Telegraph by Robbie Collin

Holiff assembled this memoir from his father’s papers and audio diary, although the portrait of Cash that emerges is that of a pill-popping religious nut, and there is next to no insight into his music or creative process.

Los Angeles Times by Robert Abele

In the end, despite the clunky mix of narrative formats, My Father and the Man in Black makes for an illuminating alternate history of sorts to the Hollywoodized version of Cash's ascendancy in "Walk the Line."

Variety by Ronnie Scheib

Holiff Sr.’s extensive audio diaries and taped phone conversations with Cash give authentic voice to the film’s otherwise stodgy re-creations of this true odd couple’s stormy relationship.

Time Out London by Tom Huddleston

The film overdoes it with the awkward, unconvincing re-enactments, many starring the director himself. The result will amuse hardcore Cash fans, but few others.