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The Wrecking Crew

A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew", a band that provided backup instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boy, and Bing Crosby.
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WHAT ARE CRITICS SAYING?

50

Slant Magazine by

Overall, the documentary comes off as a solipsistic, uncritical look at an incredible moment in the history of American music.
60

Village Voice by Alan Scherstuhl

The crew's recollections and occasional demonstrations, on their instruments, are revealing and delightful, but the film itself could use more of their professionalism and chops; the editing's haphazard, and it's not always clear why one segment follows another.
70

Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan

Once the singer-songwriter model became the norm for the rock business, the Wrecking Crew's star began to wane, but seeing this film makes it clear what its members accomplished in their prime.
67

The Playlist by Kevin Jagernauth

There are a thousand stories to be told in the studios where these session players cut some of the greatest records of all time, which makes it disappointing that there isn't more to be found in the documentary The Wrecking Crew.
75

New York Post by Lou Lumenick

The documentary was filmed in the 1990s by Denny Tedesco, whose father Tommy is credited as the most recorded guitarist in history, including the instantly identifiable themes to “Bonanza” and “Mission: Impossible.”
75

Boston Globe by Mark Feeney

There’s a similar shared joy among the participants, a similar sense of discovery for the viewer, and, of course, a killer soundtrack.
70

The Dissolve by Noel Murray

The Wrecking Crew is a provocative look back at an art form in transition, reflecting on the moment when it started to matter whether Mickey Dolenz was actually playing drums on The Monkees’ albums, and the moment when, according to Dolenz, people started to “take the rock ’n’ roll very seriously.”

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