Frank Zappa was a unique and extremely talented composer and producer, with a sharp mind and a lovely dark sense of humour. I was quite the fan as a young man and have seen him in concert on several occasions. His death at only 52 came too soon, the body of work he managed to produce in such a short life defies belief.
However this documentary falls flat in showing this brilliance. Most of the material showing Frank is not new, the added interviews don't add much as everything has basically been said before. The editing is messy, jumping around timeperiods without a rhythm or arc. It struck me that Moon and Dweezil weren't interviewed, but when I saw that Ahmet was a producer it made sense; unfortunately Zappa's children have fallen out so they probably weren't asked or interested.
Zappa was great, but most of the stuff that came out after his death, including documentaries, is missing the quality that made his work so special. If you like FZ, listen to his music. I you want visual stimulation, just watch the things he made himself, it will tell you al you need to know about the man. Or read The Real Frank Zappa Book.
However this documentary falls flat in showing this brilliance. Most of the material showing Frank is not new, the added interviews don't add much as everything has basically been said before. The editing is messy, jumping around timeperiods without a rhythm or arc. It struck me that Moon and Dweezil weren't interviewed, but when I saw that Ahmet was a producer it made sense; unfortunately Zappa's children have fallen out so they probably weren't asked or interested.
Zappa was great, but most of the stuff that came out after his death, including documentaries, is missing the quality that made his work so special. If you like FZ, listen to his music. I you want visual stimulation, just watch the things he made himself, it will tell you al you need to know about the man. Or read The Real Frank Zappa Book.