All I Can Say
| All I Can Say | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Shannon Hoon Danny Clinch Taryn Gould Colleen Hennessy |
| Produced by | Lindha Narvaez |
| Starring | Blind Melon Shannon Hoon |
| Cinematography | Shannon Hoon |
| Edited by | Taryn Gould |
| Music by | Blind Melon |
| Distributed by | Oscilloscope Laboratories |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
All I Can Say is a 2019 documentary film about Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon, consisting largely of footage he shot on his Hi8 camcorder during the last five years of his life, from 1990 to 1995. It was directed by Hoon and, after his death, by Danny Clinch, Taryn Gould, and Colleen Hennessy. It documents Hoon's life, his family, his creative process, his band's formation and rise to fame, and his struggles with addiction, up to his death at the age of 28.
Synopsis
The title comes from the opening lyric of Blind Melon's song "No Rain". The film is set mostly in chronological order using Hoon's own handheld Hi8 camcorder footage. It includes early footage of Blind Melon's formation in 1990 in Los Angeles, Hoon's contributions to the Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II recording sessions with Guns N' Roses, his relationship with his family and bandmates, the band's rapid success following the hit song "No Rain", and events leading up to and including the day he died on October 21, 1995, while on tour in support of Blind Melon's second album, Soup.
Release
All I Can Say premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2019,[1] and was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Oscilloscope Laboratories on November 24, 2020.[citation needed] The home media release includes an interview between Judd Apatow and the film's surviving directors, among other added features.[2]
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81% based on 16 reviews, and an average rating of 6.7/10.[3]
For Variety, Andrew Barker wrote, "At one point, Hoon is asked how he keeps from getting lost in the whirlwind of stardom that has taken over his life, and he replies that this is the very reason he’s always walking around with a video camera: capturing enough of the mayhem so that he can try to make sense of it later on, when things finally calm down. He never got that opportunity, but full credit to the makers of All I Can Say for giving the rest of us a chance."[4]
For Rolling Stone, David Fear gave the film a 4 out of 5 star rating, and wrote, "These are just home movies, you think. Then, this music doc strings them together and makes you feel like they aren’t just home movies at all. It turns them into a firsthand portrait of fame, making someone’s dreams come true and then majorly fucking with their head."[5]
For Alternative Nation, Greg Prato wrote, "Thanks to Clinch, Gould, and Hennessy, we now have a fascinating glimpse into the tragically short life of one of the most captivating rock singers/performers of the era (and beyond) – Shannon Hoon."[6]
For BraveWords, Aaron Small gave it an 8 out of 10 rating, and wrote, "Impactful, intriguing, intimate, and honest, All I Can Say is an insider’s less than glamorous look at essentially immediate, and short-lived success."[7]
Accolades
The film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sound Unseen,[8][9] Best Documentary Feature at the New Hampshire Film Festival,[10][9] and Best Feature Length Documentary at the Rincon International Film Festival.[9] The film was included on Esquire magazine's list of "The Best Movies of 2020".[11]
The film was awarded Best International Musical Documentary at the 2020 In-Edit Festival.[12]
References
- ^ "All I Can Say". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ "All I Can Say". Oscilloscope Laboratories. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ "All I Can Say (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ Barker, Andrew (June 30, 2020). "'All I Can Say': Film Review". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Fear, David (June 26, 2020). "'All I Can Say' Review: The Life and Death of a Rock Star, in His Own Words". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Prato, Greg (April 28, 2019). "Review: Shannon Hoon Lives On In 'All I Can Say' Film". Alternative Nation. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Small, Aaron (January 22, 2021). "ALL I CAN SAY". BraveWords. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ "Sound Unseen wraps up 20th Anniversary edition and names ALL I CAN SAY as the Grand Jury Prize Winner". Films Gone Wild. November 25, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ a b c "All I Can Say". Double E Pictures. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ "2019 Award Winners". New Hampshire Film Festival. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ Schager, Nick (December 16, 2020). "The Best Movies of 2020". Esquire. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ "Ganadoras de In-Edit 2020". In-Edit (in European Spanish). Retrieved May 23, 2021.