American Utopia is a 2020 American concert film directed and produced by Spike Lee, from a screenplay by David Byrne. The film is a live recording of a Broadway performance of the show adapted from the touring show that supported the album of the same name. The film features selections from that album, as well as songs from throughout Byrne's career. Byrne performed alongside eleven musicians, all of whom used wireless or portable equipment. Frequent collaborator Annie-B Parson served as choreographer.
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2020.[6] It screened at the New York Film Festival on October 3, 2020,[7][8] and the BFI London Film Festival on October 14, 2020.[9][10] It was broadcast in the United States and Canada on HBO and made available for streaming through HBO Max (U.S.) and Crave (Canada) on October 17, 2020.[11][12]Universal Pictures distributes the film in all other countries.[1] The film received a limited theatrical release in the United States throughout September 2021.
Reception
American Utopia received critical acclaim. It holds a 98% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 135 reviews, with an average of 8.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Helmed in elegant and exhilarating style by Spike Lee, David Byrne's American Utopia is a concert film that doubles as a joyously cathartic celebration."[13] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 92 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[14]
Erik Adams of The A.V. Club devotes a lengthy review to American Utopia as "the right movie for 2020", noting how Byrne balances hope in a tumultuous world, writing, "The key to American Utopia's resonance isn’t so much one of joy versus despair as it is connection versus isolation".[15]
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