Parents' Guide to

27: Gone Too Soon

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Unsatisfying docu about addiction, death, lost talent.

Movie NR 2018 70 minutes
27: Gone Too Soon Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 17+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 18+

You forgot someone

I’m not a review but just hoping someone connected to this movie will read this. You forgot a Musician that I can’t believe you overlooked him. It’s “ Blind Al Wilson “ of Canned Heat. He died like a month before Hendrix and then Joplin was a couple months later. I’ve done extensive research on Al Wilson and even had some e-mail contact with his sister. Al was the first. Check it out you blew it on this movie. The theme song for the movie Woodstock is the song Going down the Country by Canned heat. How in the Hell did you miss this?
age 16+

Meandering rubbish with no purpose. Life is too short don't waste yours !

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (1):

This documentary about the addictions and deaths of five music legends is not only a huge downer, it's also very unsatisfying. 27: Gone Too Soon quickly abandons the idea that there's a "27 club" or there's anything about that age itself that ties these untimely deaths together, and instead it focuses on the roles of drugs, alcohol, and addiction. But it lacks focus and real insight and leaves gaping questions unasked. Its ridiculous premise, that there's something about being 27, makes it seem mostly like a flimsy excuse for industry "insiders" and hangers-on to demonstrate all they know about the lives of these five artists and to offer platitudes and pop psychology while looking for somewhere to point a finger.

Hard-core fans won't find any new information or insight here. With only a very few very brief performance clips shown, and no use of any of the subjects' own music, viewers who may not be familiar with the artists won't experience firsthand their charisma or gain an understanding of the talent that was lost. Teens who are unfamiliar with the artists will learn a little about them and possibly want to learn more on their own. At best they may at least come away with an aversion to excessive drug and alcohol use.

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