It is about the "turning point" in American cinema in the 1970s: New Hollywood. This was the final film that Ted Demme directed before his death at the age of 38 from a heart attack.[2]
The film has a 77% approval rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 30 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Packed with amusing anecdotes and told through the perspective of those it lionizes, A Decade Under the Influence is too one-sided to serve as a comprehensive dissection of 1970s American film, but will still work a treat for movie buffs."[4]