Bono in “Bono: Stories of Surrender.”
Bono: Stories of Surrender — a documentary featuring U2 frontman Bono — is new on streaming.
Directed by Andrew Dominik, Bono: Stories of Surrender held its world premiere on May 16 at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the South of France.
The official summary for the documentary reads, “Bono: Stories of Surrender is a vivid reimagining of Bono’s critically acclaimed one-man stage show, Stories of Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief… As he pulls back the curtain on a remarkable life and the family, friends and faith that have challenged and sustained him, he also reveals personal stories about his journey as a son, father, husband, activist and rock star.
“Along with never-before-seen, exclusive footage from the tour, the film features Bono performing many of the iconic U2 songs that have shaped his life and legacy.”
Bono: Stories of Surrender is now streaming exclusively on Apple TV+. Viewers must subscribe to the streaming platform to watch the documentary. Apple TV+ offers ad-free programming, which costs $9.99 per month after a seven-day free trial.
How Are Critics Receiving ‘Bono: Stories Of Surrender’?
Bono: Stories of Surrender to date has received a 76% “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics based on 29 reviews. The RT Critics Consensus and Popcornmeter score is still pending.
Among the top critics on RT who give the documentary a “fresh” rating is Owen Gleiberman of Variety, who writes,” Watching [Stories of Surrender], you come away knowing a great deal about Bono, feeling like you’ve touched his soul a bit, and that’s mostly a captivating journey. But you’re never convinced that he’s on a mission larger than the song of himself.”
Steve Pond of The Wrap also gives Bono: Stories of Surrender a “fresh” rating on RT, writing, “It’s bombastic, extravagant and melodramatic at times – but I don’t use those words as pejoratives, because in the hands of Bono and Dominik, it’s also pretty glorious.”
Bono: Stories of Surrender also earned a “fresh” review from Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian, who writes on RT, “It’s a confident, often engaging mix of music and no-frills theatrical performance, with Bono often coming across like some forgotten character that Samuel Beckett created but then suppressed due to undue levels of rock’n’roll pizzazz.”
Kyle Smith is one of the top critics on RT who gives Bono: Stories of Surrender a “rotten” review, writing on RT, “If Bono is melodramatic, Mr. Dominik is an enabler.”
Tim Robey of the Daily Telegraph (UK) also gives the documentary a “rotten” review, noting, “Bono may be his own worst enemy in the one-man show Stories of Surrender, but only just. His second worst is Blonde director Andrew Dominik, who has turned it into a more excruciating film than you might even have surmised.”
John Nugent of Empire Magazine also slammed Bono: Stories of Surrender, writing in his “rotten” review on RT, “Strictly-for-fans-only. Bono is a charismatic chronicler of his own life, but the self-conscious storytelling concept is a harder thing to stomach for non-enthusiasts.”
Bono: Stories of Surrender, featuring U2 singer Bono — whose real name is Paul David Hewson — is streaming exclusively on Apple TV+.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2025/05/30/bono-stories-of-surrender-is-now-streaming–how-to-watch-u2-singers-documentary/