Videoheaven is a 2025 American documentary film written, produced, and directed by Alex Ross Perry.

Synopsis

The film explores the birth, life, death and aftermath of video stores in Hollywood cinema and television.

Release

The film premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in January 2025.

Reception

On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes, 85% of 34 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "Pure mana for anyone who ever made a home for themselves at the now-endangered video store, Alex Ross Perry's essayistic exploration of the niche community staple is larded with insight and nostalgia." Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on four critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times wrote, "The observations range from the incisive to the grandiose, and at nearly three hours, Videoheaven could stand a tighter edit. Early on, a line of voice-over is sloppily repeated verbatim. And Perry only needs so many clips of obnoxious clerks, even if it's funny to see David Spade repeatedly typecast in that role. But the material will be irresistible to any cinephile who has spent countless hours in these spaces, and a critic would do well to admit susceptibility."

See also

External links