A Man Named Scott

2021 American film

Christopher Noviello
Brandon Riley

StarringKid CudiCinematographyNathan SalterEdited by

Freddie DeLaVega
Joseph Volpe

Music byNathan Matthew David

Production
companies

Mad Solar
Film 45

Distributed byAmazon Studios

Release date

November 5, 2021 (2021-11-05)

Running time

95 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

A Man Named Scott is a 2021 documentary film centered on American musician and actor Scott Mescudi, better known as Kid Cudi. Directed by Robert Alexander, it was released on Amazon Prime Video on November 5, 2021. The title of the film, which is reminiscent of Cudi's 2008 breakout mixtape A Kid Named Cudi, is borrowed from his scrapped 2011 mixtape of the same name.

Summary

The film follows the career of Kid Cudi (born Scott Mescudi), beginning with the release of his influential 2009 debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day, which featured songs that dealt with depression, anxiety and loneliness. The film explores his creative process over the past decade, as well as his struggles and breakthroughs.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Cast

Scott Mescudi
Kanye West
Timothée Chalamet
Shia LaBeouf
Willow Smith
Jaden Smith
Lil Yachty
Pharrell Williams
ASAP Rocky
Schoolboy Q
Polo G

Release

The promotional trailer for the film was released on October 26, 2021.^[1] The film was released on Prime Video on November 5, 2021.^[3]

Reception

Chris Azzopardi of The New York Times wrote, "This film about Kid Cudi is that rare musician-focused documentary, one as sensitive, fully formed and noble in its intentions as the artist himself."^[4]

Jude Dry of IndieWire wrote that the film "rightfully highlights Cudi's contribution to culture as an emotional truth teller," but added that it "lacks the artistic vision of Cudi's musical talents, despite its best efforts."^[5]

Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter commented on how the film's ending would “start to feel like forced attempts at profundity, as if Cudi's testimony alone hasn't always been enough.”^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b Strauss, Matthew (26 October 2021). "Kid Cudi Shares Trailer for New Documentary A Man Named Scott". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
^ Zemler, Emily (27 October 2021). "Kid Cudi Pulls Back the Curtain in 'A Man Named Scott' Trailer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
^ ^a ^b McGuire, David (31 October 2021). "'A Man Named Scott' Trailer Pulls Back the Curtain on Kid Cudi's Career". Collider. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
^ Azzopardi, Chris (4 November 2021). "'A Man Named Scott' Review: Bending Genres, Coping With Struggles". New York Times. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
^ Dry, Jude (4 November 2021). "'A Man Named Scott' Review: A Self-Aggrandizing Case for How Kid Cudi Changed Music Forever". IndieWire. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
^ Gyarkye, Lovia (4 November 2021). "Amazon's 'A Man Named Scott': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 November 2021.