Unable to speak from a non-fan's viewpoint, I want to say how moving and inspiring I found this film to be.
With almost too many highlights to mention, the crew skip from one uncomfortable situation to another on a gradual path to equilibrium. The claims of unintentional laughability are ridiculous, I read a couple of review that compared this to Spinal Tap, which I found very annoying. Anyone who laughs at this film is doing so because that's the way that some people deal with being uncomfortable. It is a funny film but only when it's intentional. A very skillfull piece of comic direction comes to mind, Hetfield talking about his crazily painted car, interspersed with clips of him driving along at a million miles an hour, "I like speed", he says and then in the next cut we see him pulled over by a policeman. One of a few comic highlights.
The documentary follows Hetfield's trip into rehab, the preceding argument with Ulrich contains one of two Ulrich highlights, "you're just acting like a dick today". Hetfield's re-emergence from re-hab is when the film really gets into gear. He becomes almost like a rock star version of Jesus, totally unaffected when confronted with a stream of abuse from Ulrich, "when I went running today, I thought about seeing you and just thought "fuck"", he sits there motionless. He talks about his emotions and goes to his daughter's ballet recital. The band seems fractured at this point but then along comes, in my opinion, the highlight of the film. Asked to record a soundbite for some radio stations they find themselves unable to do it because it is so tacky and they begin to joke around, "Enter now and we'll shove $50,000 dollars up your ass," Ulrich jokes, "One bill at a time," Hetfield retorts. In this scene, we once again feel the combined unit of Metallica against the world like the way it used to be and this is the turning point of the movie. Along the way we meet a number of interested characters, Ulrich's father with his snowy white beard for one. And we meet Dave Mustaine, who is not exactly the epitome of rock 'n roll either. The film spirals towards a denouement in a packed arena, what the band has been waiting for, the band arriving, a new unit, embracing each other like brother, waiting to go onstage, The Ecstasy Of Gold blaring in the background and then Hetfield racing on stage and shredding the first chords of Frantic. It seems that only real life produces the kind of chills that any Oscar contender could only dream of. What a film. A profoundly moving experience.
With almost too many highlights to mention, the crew skip from one uncomfortable situation to another on a gradual path to equilibrium. The claims of unintentional laughability are ridiculous, I read a couple of review that compared this to Spinal Tap, which I found very annoying. Anyone who laughs at this film is doing so because that's the way that some people deal with being uncomfortable. It is a funny film but only when it's intentional. A very skillfull piece of comic direction comes to mind, Hetfield talking about his crazily painted car, interspersed with clips of him driving along at a million miles an hour, "I like speed", he says and then in the next cut we see him pulled over by a policeman. One of a few comic highlights.
The documentary follows Hetfield's trip into rehab, the preceding argument with Ulrich contains one of two Ulrich highlights, "you're just acting like a dick today". Hetfield's re-emergence from re-hab is when the film really gets into gear. He becomes almost like a rock star version of Jesus, totally unaffected when confronted with a stream of abuse from Ulrich, "when I went running today, I thought about seeing you and just thought "fuck"", he sits there motionless. He talks about his emotions and goes to his daughter's ballet recital. The band seems fractured at this point but then along comes, in my opinion, the highlight of the film. Asked to record a soundbite for some radio stations they find themselves unable to do it because it is so tacky and they begin to joke around, "Enter now and we'll shove $50,000 dollars up your ass," Ulrich jokes, "One bill at a time," Hetfield retorts. In this scene, we once again feel the combined unit of Metallica against the world like the way it used to be and this is the turning point of the movie. Along the way we meet a number of interested characters, Ulrich's father with his snowy white beard for one. And we meet Dave Mustaine, who is not exactly the epitome of rock 'n roll either. The film spirals towards a denouement in a packed arena, what the band has been waiting for, the band arriving, a new unit, embracing each other like brother, waiting to go onstage, The Ecstasy Of Gold blaring in the background and then Hetfield racing on stage and shredding the first chords of Frantic. It seems that only real life produces the kind of chills that any Oscar contender could only dream of. What a film. A profoundly moving experience.