I saw the screening last night in Minneapolis. As a fan who considers the Replacements one of the best bands of all time and who considers Paul Westerberg the 2nd greatest songwriter of all time, behind Bob Dylan, I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the film. I went into the film knowing that I would not see any members of the band or hear any of their music. My problem lied in the directors' editorial choices on who tells a story. I thought some folks, who weren't that interesting to begin with (the nervous nellie writer, who grew up on a farm)got too much time, while others very little. I also knew that some people wouldn't participate, particularly people close to the band, but the director seemed to have left out many well-known 'Mats fans. In some cases, only used "article quotes" instead of having the actual person tell their story (Jeff Tweedy, Patterson Hood, etc.) Additionally, with the exception of local dj, Mark Wheat, the director didn't attempt to interview anyone from the UK. Although the Replacements never were huge in the UK during their time, they have gained legendary status throughout the world and I would have appreciated a larger scope. Yes. Any Replacements' fan should see this film, just don't expect it to be one of the better rock docs you'll ever see. Hopefully, one day a proper documentary with participation from the band and including the music will come out. Speaking of the music, I found it extremely frustrating to hear people talk about the importance and personal meaning of certain songs and not being able to hear it. I know that was the directors choice, but I still found it extremely frustrating. There were certainly great moments and interesting stories told, but I believe a lot of fat could be trimmed and unfortunately,left out some important people, who I'm pretty sure wouldn't have turned down the offer to have been interviewed.
