Metacritic-Rezensionen

The documentary's soundtrack is composed entirely of Source Family music, and some of it's not half bad.

More than just a footnote to a wayward period of cultural history, The Source Family portrays an American type, the transcendent charlatan, a latter-day Gatsby, not of material riches but of the soul.

The research and elucidating synthesis on display effectively illuminate the pernicious aura of a lifestyle pursued by the yearning, lost souls of the time.

The Source Family is a comprehensive and fair-minded look at the life and times of an inspired, mystified and possible deranged man.

Baker's transformation from "spiritual father" to megalomaniac follows a familiar path of brainwashing and hedonism.

The latest addition to the booming library of docs archiving the Nixon-Nam era, this magnetic pop-history memorial has everything: free sex, celebrity, psychedelic rock, polygamy and beyond.

Unearthing a decent sample of these former members, as well as a wealth of archival film and photographs, the directors elicit testimony that’s diversely sharp, spacey, nostalgic and heartbreaking.

The Source does hold enough anthropological value to please some audiences. Despite lacking the recognition factor and lurid tragedy of a phenomenon like Jonestown, the story should attract viewers on the small screen.

Watching the movie is like riffling through an author’s index cards: It’s all detail and no big picture.

With some focus and critical perspective, The Source Family might have documented more than a spectacle of its time.