Heaven Adores You

I was able to catch the world premiere of this film in San Francisco. When I came in, I had absolutely no idea who Elliott Smith was, and that's what made this experience good. Elliott Smith is a very talented musician (as most fans already know), and it was a great choice from the director to use his music to move the film forward and to be a part of telling this story. But not even his music could make this "documentary" any less bland.

I put quotations over the word because this did not feel like a documentary, rather a nice tribute to a renowned artist. I give props to the director for helping introduce this young man, showing his awkwardness, humbleness, messy look, and troublesome upcoming into the music industry. But what starts out as a promising look into Elliott Smith's mind is ultimately diminished by lack of substance. I felt that there wasn't enough of Elliott Smith's own perspective of himself, rather memories of family and friends. And though memories can be exciting, funny, etc., there is still something missing from the entirety of a memory when told to people who weren't there.

When watching the movie, it is obvious that the director has background in cinematography because there are some beautifully filmed things. But the shots are so gratuitous. Quite frankly, it drove me crazy to see shots of Portland after a while because it took up almost half the movie! The film shouldn't have revolved around Portland, rather Portland should have been an aspect of Elliott Smith's career.

Overall, this movie is definitely more for fans than for those who don't know about him.

Heaven Adores You is a wonderful, funny, heartbreaking, and real look into the life of late, singer-songwriter, Elliott Smith. There is an incredible collection of personal photographs, interviews, and new music for those, like me, who are die hard Smith fans. If you're someone who's never heard the music of Elliott Smith, you'll leave this film and run to the nearest record store to buy every album. The amazing team behind Heaven Adores You has really put together a beautiful tribute to a beautiful soul. This film will reach new generations and create Elliott Smith fans so that the music can continue to be spread. If you have the chance to see this film, do it.

I am a diehard Elliott fan, and this was very nice to watch. It was heartbreaking, bittersweet, hilarious, and featured great tunes. He was one of the greatest singer songwriters of all time, and hearing about his early days jumping from band to band, experimenting, and finding his sound was super interesting.

This being said. I think if you don't know about Elliott going in, you'll like it. If you love Elliott going in, you'll love it. It was a lot of interviews and cinematic shots, which I loved, but could see if someone didn't know much about Elliott, they may find it repetitive.

Lastly, I believe they did this correctly. The pacing and digging was perfect, and overall was just a celebration of a man who created some of the most beautiful music imaginable. "He would be heartbroken to know that people discover him and think he was just super bummed, cause that was just a fraction."

Some people want to know about the music. Some people want to know about the tragedy.I'm glad that this take on the Elliot Smith story will have some reach for the generations to come who discover him.

Sometimes, it's best to be remembered for what you gave to society with the talent that you had, and how it impacted thousands of people long after you were gone, than to focus on the drama, the tabloid fodder and the allegations of your personal life for strangers to obsess over.

I'm glad this film focused on the music. After all, what were you doing going to see an Elliot Smith film if it wasn't about the music in the first place?

I saw the international premiere in Toronto during Canadian Music Week and can't wait to see it again.

By showing the overall history of Elliott's career, it's both easy for new fans to learn about his career, while older fans will hopefully discover something they didn't already know.

The film contains plenty of music I hadn't heard, which was just one of many reasons to see the film.

I honestly feel that Elliott deserves as much attention as possible, so detailed films like this one should make it easier for new fans to discover his music, either with his early bands or solo career.