A Disturbance in the Force
{{Short description|2023 documentary film on the Star Wars Holiday Special}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2023}}
{{Use list-defined references|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name = A Disturbance in the Force
| image = A Disturbance in the Force poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Film poster
| native_name =
| director = {{ubl|Jeremy Coon | Steve Kozak}}
| writer =
| screenplay =
| story =
| based_on = {{Based on|Star Wars Holiday Special}}
| producer = {{ubl|Jeremy Coon|Steve Kozak|Kyle Newman}}
| starring =
| narrator =
| cinematography = {{ubl|Tim Irwin|Jay P. Morgan|Quinn Hester}}
| editing = Jeremy Coon
| music = Karl Preusser
| studio =
| distributor = Giant Pictures
| released = {{Film date|2023|03|11|SXSW}}
| runtime = 86 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
A Disturbance in the Force is a 2023 American documentary film directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak. The film documents how the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special was created for CBS and aired only once on November 17, 1978.
The film premiered on March 11, 2023, at South by Southwest and was met with positive reviews.
Production and release
In November 2020, io9 announced that the documentary was being directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak with Kyle Newman and Adam F. Goldberg producing. The film was in the editing stage, and some additional interviews were still being conducted.
The film had its world premiere on March 11, 2023, at South by Southwest. There were additional festival screenings in May to celebrate Star Wars Day in Dallas and Milwaukee.
On "Life Day" 2023, a select theatrical run was announced leading up to a home release on digital and Blu-ray on December 5, 2023.
Reception
{{RT prose|score=100 |count=48 |consensus=A Disturbance in the Force pulls back the curtain on an infamous chapter from a beloved franchise in delightfully entertaining fashion. |ref=yes |access-date=May 30, 2025}} {{Metacritic film prose|73|seven}}{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-disturbance-in-the-force/|title=A Disturbance in the Force|website=Metacritic|access-date=May 30, 2025}}
The Hollywood Reporter{{'}}s Daniel Fienberg wrote, "Some of its mockery and many of its nerd-friendly celebrity talking heads — Seth Green! Kevin Smith! Paul Scheer! — are predictable, but when it isn’t poking fun at moments of iconic trash, it offers an insightful exploration of the production and context of the special."{{Cite web |last=Fienberg |first=Daniel |date=2023-03-12 |title=‘A Disturbance in the Force’ Review: Doc About ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’ Offers More Than Nostalgia |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/a-disturbance-in-the-force-review-star-wars-1235348343/ |access-date=2023-12-22 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} NPR's Linda Holmes said, "even if you just want to see a lot of clips of Harrison Ford looking like he wants to dissolve into goo and seep into the floor, never to be seen again, it's well worth tracking the documentary down."{{Cite web |last=Holmes |first=Linda |date=December 6, 2023 |title=A new documentary examines the 'Star Wars Holiday Special' and asks: Why? |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/12/06/1217487098/a-new-documentary-examines-the-star-wars-holiday-special-and-asks-why |access-date=December 22, 2023 |website=NPR}}
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite web |last1=Lussier |first1=Germain |title=See How The Star Wars Holiday Special Came to Be in a New Documentary |url=https://gizmodo.com/see-how-the-star-wars-holiday-special-came-to-be-in-a-b-1845691562 |website=io9 |publisher=G/O Media |language=en |date=November 17, 2020 |access-date=May 4, 2023 |archive-date=April 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403225210/https://gizmodo.com/see-how-the-star-wars-holiday-special-came-to-be-in-a-b-1845691562 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |title=A Disturbance in the Force |url=https://schedule.sxsw.com/2023/films/2079025 |website=SXSW 2023 Schedule |access-date=May 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414155451/https://schedule.sxsw.com/2023/films/2079025 |archive-date=April 14, 2023 |language=en |url-status=live}}
{{cite web |title=A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened {{!}} Dallas International Film Festival 2023 |url=https://diff2023.eventive.org/films/a-disturbance-in-the-force-how-the-star-wars-holiday-special-happened-6414e5d8b6cf8e0086c723f1 |website=Dallas International Film Festival |access-date=May 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505205018/https://diff2023.eventive.org/films/a-disturbance-in-the-force-how-the-star-wars-holiday-special-happened-6414e5d8b6cf8e0086c723f1 |archive-date=May 5, 2023 |url-status=live}}
{{cite web |title=A Disturbance in the Force |url=https://mkefilm.org/events/a-disturbance-in-the-force |website=Milwaukee Film Festival |access-date=May 4, 2023 |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410195654/https://mkefilm.org/events/a-disturbance-in-the-force |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |last1=Rubin |first1=Rebecca |title=Star Wars Documentary About Infamous 1978 Holiday Special Sets Release Date (Exclusive) |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/star-wars-documentary-1978-holiday-special-release-date-1235790381/ |website=Variety |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119142539/https://variety.com/2023/film/news/star-wars-documentary-1978-holiday-special-release-date-1235790381/ |archive-date=November 19, 2023 |date=November 17, 2023 |url-status=live}}
}}
External links
- {{Official website}}
- {{IMDb title}}
{{Unofficial Star Wars media}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Disturbance in the Force, A}}
Category:2023 documentary films
Category:American documentary films