I have been seeking this film out for years based on the buzz and the soundtrack, but now that I have seen it, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. The story feels a bit flat to me, with a lot of dialogue at the expense of characterization. It's great to see such a strong cast of rock musicians in one film, but the story feels a bit flat.
7/10 from me. What did you rate it?
I'd say you were generous. I gave it a 4.
What this movie does is latch onto every bad rock and roll twist it can fit into the 2 hours or so onscreen. Mostly its a Beatles story, but with some Bob Dylan, some Peter Green and so on and so on. It's all too much really.
It's a hard life being a rock and roller? Well, no one puts a gun to your head. Indulgent beyond belief when you look at it objectively.
And the music...apart from the snippets of classic rock and pop that are squeezed in, the music made for the film is execrable. And that isn't just my subjective opinion: there is a very good reason that music has remained buried for 40 years.
And, no one in this film can really act. That includes the 'pro' actors like Hagman, who one assumes just showed up to earn his paycheck.
This is a pop star vehicle, but unlike the usual fare in this genre, this one attempts to 'say' something. The result is pretentious and fatuous.
Thanks for your thoughts. You make some excellent points about this film's weaknesses. I had been anticipating it for so long, I wanted to like it more than I actually did. I'll watch it again someday and possibly downgrade.
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