Through 20 years of sports and verite footage, The Crash Reel showcases the rivalry between Kevin Pearce and Shaun White which culminates in Kevin's life-changing crash and later comeback.

The film also showcases the Pearce family, including Kevin's father glass-blower Simon Pearce and Kevin's brother David C. Pearce who describes his struggle to accept his Down syndrome and fears with Kevin.

The film also premiered at the X Games on January 23, 2013 in Aspen as the first ever movie to play as a featured part of the event.

The website's consensus reads: "Smart, compassionate, and moving, The Crash Reel uses the familiar sport-doc formula to subvert expectations and ask challenging questions about ambition and achievement.

"[1] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.