Paul Williams Still Alive

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  • Opened June 8, 2012 
  • 1 hr 24 min
  • PG-13 | Brief Strong Language and Drug References

  • He won Grammys and an Academy Award, wrote many #1 songs from Barbra Streisand's "Evergreen" to the Carpenter's "We've Only Just Begun" as well as Kermit the Frog's biggest hit, "The Rainbow Connection," and you might not have heard of him. In the 1970s, Paul Williams was the singer / actor / songwriter that emotional, alienated teenage boys all over the world wanted to be, a sex symbol before MTV, when sex symbols could be 5'2" and sing songs about loneliness with the Muppets. One of those boys was Steve Kessler, a chubby kid from Queens. Thirty years later, Kessler discovered something amazing: Paul Williams didn't die. And no one had ever tried to make a documentary about him. Paul Williams: Still Alive is the charmingly self-narrated story of Stephen Kessler's lifelong obsession with the former superstar-and what happens when the nostalgic filmmaker finally catches up with him. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Paul Williams, Stephen Kessler, Mariana Williams, Chris Caswell
  • Director: Stephen Kessler
  • Genres: Comedy, Documentary, Music/Performing Arts

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72 out of 100
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Fan Reviews

Must Go!
"Still Alive" is a must see!

by val836

Steve Kessler knocks one out of the park with this awesome documentary about Paul Williams. This movie is so honest, and so very charming. Prepare to fall in love all over again with Paul's music,...

Must Go!
Paul Williams Still Alive

by russturk

Great little doc about one of the great songwriters of the 70s. Funny, touching and memorable....

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See it!

by magbue

The NYT didn't get it -- this is film that started out as a documentary and ended up a buddy-movie. The eyes of an adoring fan (the filmmaker) are opened with the candor of this exceptional...

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Critic Reviews

88
New York Post
| Lou Lumenick

Williams, who was elected president of ASCAP in 2009, speaks frankly and eloquently about his problems dealing with fame, and his recovery. And more important, he earns our thanks by resolutely refusing to let Kessler turn this into a clichéd documentary. Read full review

83
Entertainment Weekly
| Owen Gleiberman

The movie is fascinating, though it smacks its own lips a bit too much at the tackiness of freak '70s stardom. Read full review

80
The Hollywood Reporter
| Kirk Honeycutt

The film has a winning combination for all sorts of platforms as the story is highly intriguing and the music speaks, or rather sings, for itself. Read full review

80
Time Out New York
| Keith Uhlich

The oft-hilarious push-and-pull between director and subject - Williams wryly notes that the film is turning into "the Steve and Paulie Show" - effectively hacks away at the celebrity-enthusiast divide. By the end of this perceptive dual portrait, both men are content to merely be human. Read full review

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