American Utopia (film)

• David Byrne – lead vocals, occasional guitar, percussion
• Chris Giarmo – backing vocals, dancing, melodica, percussion
• Tendayi Kuumba – backing vocals, dancing, percussion
• Karl Mansfield – keyboards, backing vocals, musical director, percussion
• Angie Swan – electric guitar, backing vocals, percussion
• Bobby Wooten III – bass, backing vocals, percussion
• Mauro Refosco – percussion, drums, backing vocals, musical director
• Tim Keiper – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Gustavo Di Dalva – percussion, backing vocals
• Jacquelene Acevedo – percussion, drums, backing vocals
• Daniel Freedman – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Stephane San Juan – drums, percussion, backing vocals

• "Here" (from American Utopia)
• "I Know Sometimes a Man Is Wrong" (from Rei Momo)
• "Don't Worry About the Government" (from Talking Heads: 77)
• "Lazy" (from Muzikizum by X-Press 2)
• "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" (from Speaking in Tongues)
• "I Zimbra" (from Fear of Music)
• "Slippery People" (from Speaking in Tongues)
• "I Should Watch TV" (from Love This Giant)
• "Everybody's Coming to My House" (from American Utopia)
• "Once in a Lifetime" (from Remain in Light)
• "Glass, Concrete & Stone" (from Grown Backwards)
• "Toe Jam" (from I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat by The Brighton Port Authority)
• "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" (from Remain in Light)
• "I Dance Like This" (from American Utopia)
• "Bullet" (from American Utopia)
• "Every Day Is a Miracle" (from American Utopia)
• "Blind" (from Naked)
• "Burning Down the House" (from Speaking in Tongues)
• "Hell You Talmbout" (from The Electric Lady by Janelle Monáe)
• "One Fine Day" (from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
• "Road to Nowhere" (from Little Creatures)
• "Everybody's Coming to My House: Detroit" (End Credits)

In June 2020, it was announced Spike Lee had directed a filmed version of the Broadway performance American Utopia by David Byrne, with HBO distributing.[2][3]

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2020.[4] It screened at the New York Film Festival on October 3, 2020,[5][6] and the BFI London Film Festival on October 14, 2020.[7][8] 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.[9][10] Universal Pictures will distribute the film in all other countries.[11]

American Utopia received highly positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 97% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 35 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.47/10. 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."[12] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 92 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]

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".[14]

• American Utopia on IMDb