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Review Schedule:
Tues: The Agony & The Ecstasy (screening Thurs @ The Southern Theater -- 7:30)
Wed: Wheedle's Groove (screening Thurs @ Trylon -- 8:45)
Thur: Ride Rise Roar (screening Fri @ The Southern Theater -- 8:00)
Fri: This Movie Is Broken (screening Fri @ Trylon -- 7:00)
Fri: Everyday Sunshine (screening Sat @ Trylon -- 5:00)
Fri: Who Is Harry Nilsson? (screening Sat @ Southern Theater -- 8:00)
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There’s a misguided belief among a small group of music fans that some musicians are so great their work speaks for itself. I had a roommate who’s passion for music was so great it couldn’t be contained entirely within himself. Many times he would force me to drop everything and listen to some legendary song he recently discovered. The speakers were playing some of the best music ever made, but I wasn’t hearing it. At that point my roommate had already spent weeks with the same record and consumed every single article and review that existed on the artist or song or album or all of the above. I, however, had no context to appreciate the music.
Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him) is well aware of the cult status the subject’s accumulated among seasoned music professionals. The documentary’s hope is that, by overwhelming its audience with interview after interview of endless praise, you’ll be too overwhelmed to disagree. The filmmaker brings up all the hallmarks of a conflicted genius: After his dad left him at an early age his alcoholic mom raised him by herself. He’s all the Beatles rolled into one. He subconsciously desires self-destruction. And on and on and on.
I don’t doubt that Nilsson was troubled or that his talents were immense. But all the personalities interviewed seem either so far removed from the man or hold no real authority to discuss Nilsson’s motivations, madness or brilliance. The result is a movie that sounds more like a documentary about the people who surrounded Nilsson than the man himself. Truly momentous and life-altering events in Nilsson’s life are discussed by individuals who can only describe the man’s decisions with phrases like “for whatever reason,” “I never really knew why,” “he always shied away from that subject,” or “I have no idea.”
Somewhere in the middle of the documentary is a great 20-minute film where record producer Richard Perry discusses the studio sessions where him and Nilsson made the award-winning Nilsson Schmilsson and it’s compelling follow-up Son of Schmilsson. We finally have an individual in Perry who can drive the story behind Nilsson’s more famous moments with a good deal of credibility. We get a glimpse into the egomaniacal legend that, up until this point, we only heard about. As a whole, though, the movie plays like a two hour trailer that fails to engage.
The assumption this documentary makes, that Nilsson’s music has an instant appeal, is a stretch to say the least. Which isn’t to say that his talents don’t live up to the hype. Another disturbed artist with endless comparisons to The Beatles and credibility among all of rock’s nobility, Daniel Johnston, was a musician that took five years of exposure to my ears before I finally heard the greatness others were talking about. The fact that I’m spinning a copy of Nilsson Schmilsson right now is a hopeful sign that I’ll get to a similar place with Nilsson. Additionally, it signifies that I must give this documentary some credit for rekindling my interest in this highly touted and influential artist. The “re-” in “rekindling” is the part you should focus on when deciding if this movie is for you.
Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him) is well aware of the cult status the subject’s accumulated among seasoned music professionals. The documentary’s hope is that, by overwhelming its audience with interview after interview of endless praise, you’ll be too overwhelmed to disagree. The filmmaker brings up all the hallmarks of a conflicted genius: After his dad left him at an early age his alcoholic mom raised him by herself. He’s all the Beatles rolled into one. He subconsciously desires self-destruction. And on and on and on.
I don’t doubt that Nilsson was troubled or that his talents were immense. But all the personalities interviewed seem either so far removed from the man or hold no real authority to discuss Nilsson’s motivations, madness or brilliance. The result is a movie that sounds more like a documentary about the people who surrounded Nilsson than the man himself. Truly momentous and life-altering events in Nilsson’s life are discussed by individuals who can only describe the man’s decisions with phrases like “for whatever reason,” “I never really knew why,” “he always shied away from that subject,” or “I have no idea.”
Somewhere in the middle of the documentary is a great 20-minute film where record producer Richard Perry discusses the studio sessions where him and Nilsson made the award-winning Nilsson Schmilsson and it’s compelling follow-up Son of Schmilsson. We finally have an individual in Perry who can drive the story behind Nilsson’s more famous moments with a good deal of credibility. We get a glimpse into the egomaniacal legend that, up until this point, we only heard about. As a whole, though, the movie plays like a two hour trailer that fails to engage.
The assumption this documentary makes, that Nilsson’s music has an instant appeal, is a stretch to say the least. Which isn’t to say that his talents don’t live up to the hype. Another disturbed artist with endless comparisons to The Beatles and credibility among all of rock’s nobility, Daniel Johnston, was a musician that took five years of exposure to my ears before I finally heard the greatness others were talking about. The fact that I’m spinning a copy of Nilsson Schmilsson right now is a hopeful sign that I’ll get to a similar place with Nilsson. Additionally, it signifies that I must give this documentary some credit for rekindling my interest in this highly touted and influential artist. The “re-” in “rekindling” is the part you should focus on when deciding if this movie is for you.
-Tom Schmidt
Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everbody Talkin' About Him) screens at The Southern at 8:00 tonight.
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