I'll say this right off the bat, I think "The 2nd Greatest Story Ever Told", the first novel by Gorman Bechard, is probably the best book I've ever read. It's about God sending his 18 year old daughter to save us. Of course, she's a Mats fan.
So, it's 20 years later, and Mr. Bechard delivers us a documentary on who I believe to be the greatest rock band ever, The Replacements. And, as he said at the Tampa premiere (and if you read the novel, you'll believe him), he might not believe in God, but he does believe in the Mats. AND IT SHOWS! And while everyone else will recount here how it's great to hear all the stories and such (I do love Robert, the guy from the farm, and Bil MacLeslie is a hot older guy I could listen to for days!), I want to talk instead about the filmmaking.
It's a music documentary, people...WITHOUT ANY MUSIC! As the bumper-sticker for the film says, "Kinda brilliant. Kinda dumb".
In this case its 110% BRILLIANT! Mr. Bechard makes it work. That's filmmaking! In fact, aside from recommending this movie to Mats fan and indie rock fans, I strongly urge fans of independent cinema to see this film. Forget it being a music doc, forget it being about the Mats, it's plain and simple a great movie. It's about passion, it's about how art changes your life, it's about how a band becomes a part of your family, how their music is forever etched on your soul. PASSION! It will also teach you things about success and insecurity, and about how a small band from the Midwest changed the face and sound of rock music forever. (Really, I thought knew a lot about The Mats until seeing this film. They story about how "Tim" was named is hysterical!) Put aside any misgivings you might have about there being no music (really, it's not missed), and give two hours to a great filmmaker who will take you to a place you've never been before. It's brave. It's beautiful. It's unique and funny.
To paraphrase someone in the movie talking about their song "Hayday", I love this movie. I love this movie. I. Love. This. Movie.
So, it's 20 years later, and Mr. Bechard delivers us a documentary on who I believe to be the greatest rock band ever, The Replacements. And, as he said at the Tampa premiere (and if you read the novel, you'll believe him), he might not believe in God, but he does believe in the Mats. AND IT SHOWS! And while everyone else will recount here how it's great to hear all the stories and such (I do love Robert, the guy from the farm, and Bil MacLeslie is a hot older guy I could listen to for days!), I want to talk instead about the filmmaking.
It's a music documentary, people...WITHOUT ANY MUSIC! As the bumper-sticker for the film says, "Kinda brilliant. Kinda dumb".
In this case its 110% BRILLIANT! Mr. Bechard makes it work. That's filmmaking! In fact, aside from recommending this movie to Mats fan and indie rock fans, I strongly urge fans of independent cinema to see this film. Forget it being a music doc, forget it being about the Mats, it's plain and simple a great movie. It's about passion, it's about how art changes your life, it's about how a band becomes a part of your family, how their music is forever etched on your soul. PASSION! It will also teach you things about success and insecurity, and about how a small band from the Midwest changed the face and sound of rock music forever. (Really, I thought knew a lot about The Mats until seeing this film. They story about how "Tim" was named is hysterical!) Put aside any misgivings you might have about there being no music (really, it's not missed), and give two hours to a great filmmaker who will take you to a place you've never been before. It's brave. It's beautiful. It's unique and funny.
To paraphrase someone in the movie talking about their song "Hayday", I love this movie. I love this movie. I. Love. This. Movie.