PRESS
Dean Martin: King of Cool is out to define not just Martin but the quality of “cool” itself, at least in its postwar, Eisenhower-to-Kennedy-era sense.
An affectionate and incisive documentary portrait of the fabulously famous and intensely private star.
The film collects an impressive list of big names, from Carol Burnett to Bob Newhart, although perhaps Jon Hamm is the best choice of all to explain Martin’s unique appeal.
What’s truly extraordinary about this documentary is the sheer number of people who were interviewed. Half the fun is seeing so many familiar faces.
The doc gave me newfound appreciation for Dean Martin as an independent artist who cut his own path through mainstream culture of the 1950s and 1960s.
The documentary sets out on the foolhardy task of finding Dean Martin’s Rosebud: the puzzle piece to unlock what made him tick, but The King of Cool slowly begins to evolve into something else that’s more evident with time.
