The Sparks Brothers: A Fun-Filled Musical Odyssey
The Sparks Brothers marks the documentary feature film debut of Edgar Wright, who approaches the film with the same kinetic intensity of his narrative works. With a brisk pace and playful style, Wright chronicles the decades-long career and influence of the enigmatic rock pop duo Sparks, examining how one rock band can be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time?
With commentary from celebrity fans Flea, Beck, Jack Antonoff, Jason Schwartzman, Neil Gaiman, and more, The Sparks Brothers takes audiences on a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers/bandmates Ron and Russell Mael.
If you’re like most Americans, the band Sparks, comprised of brothers/bandmates Ron and Russell Mael (and a revolving door of collaborators/backing musicians), is presumably the greatest band you’ve never heard of. Considering their obscurity and the hush-hush nature of their triumphs, there’s no shame there — after all, the band had more success in the UK than they ever did in the US, which makes sense given that their unique sound often gets them mistaken for a UK band. Ironically, with a career spanning an astonishing five decades (which kicks off with 1971’s self-titled Sparks and courses through present day in a discography that shows no signs of fatigue), Edgar Wright’s aptly titled The Sparks Brothers will serve as an introduction to a band who was lightyears ahead of their time (which gives you a wealth of material to explore and savor). For those long-time fans of the band, Wright’s film tells an unexpurgated story (as of this point in time, at least) of these massively influential, yet quietly commercial musical juggernauts, who have never really had their story told.
The duos saga begins in the Pacific Palisades of western Los Angeles County, California, where they were exposed to a wealth of hip, cutting-edge music thanks to their cool mom (who actually carted them off to see the Beatles not once, but twice). Enamored by the British sound of the bands like Pink Floyd and The Kinks (amongst others), these self-professed Anglophiles with a soft spot for cinema (particularly that of the French New Wave) and graphic art decided to make some music of their own. They were initially discovered by musician/producer Todd Rundgren, whose appreciation ultimately helped them get their foot in the door. From there, the band created a sound that evolved with each new record, giving way to a career full of highs and lows that, despite all their success, still somehow rests in the shadows — an injustice Wright ultimately strives to correct here.
With an infectiously fanboy approach that mirrors the cheeky ingenuity and quirky nature of the band itself, Wright goes straight to the source for a majority of the film, which is mostly told from the Mael brothers themselves. However, to round out the film’s perspective, Wright has also assembled an entourage of talking heads comprised of celebrity fans, old bandmates, and friends of the band to share their appreciation and better illustrate Sparks’ influential reach. Combining a slew of filmmaking techniques (including interviews, archival footage, visual gags, 2D animation, stop-motion, etc), Wright creates a fun-filled musical odyssey to a band he clearly loves (so much so that he unnecessarily put himself in the film as an interview, so he can tell you directly why he made the film). However, for all his playfulness with the form, Wright can’t mask the fact that this is a straightforward film comprised mostly of talking heads and archival footage. For all intents and purposes, it’s a more dressed up and creatively energized Suzi Q.
As fun and informative and entertaining as The Sparks Brothers is, it still suffers from the same exhaustion of many of Wright’s narrative films. There’s 50 years of material to burn through here, and while Wright blazes through it with the creative charge and kinetic attitude you’d expect, it still feels a bit overly long and draining — particularly in its last 30 minutes. The film’s horde of interviews is a bit too overstuffed, and while they occasionally add a layer to the Mael’s sprawling story, they also give way to a few redundancies. There’s also several points in which Wright doesn’t exactly probe as hard as you’d wish (like with the bandmates who were just abandoned by the Mael’s or with the potential jealousy that may have arisen between the two brothers). He doesn’t seem interested in digging too deeply or unearthing conflict that may lie below the surface; he’s just content to have the band’s story be told. The album-by-album approach also bogs down the film’s runtime. It seems more suitable for a mini-series format than it does a feature film. Even thought this method provides fuller scope and a potentially deeper appreciation, it doesn’t always provide new information and can cause a viewer to disengage slightly.
Wright’s first foray into documentary filmmaking doesn’t reinvent the form, but he adequately — and more importantly — captures the essence of the band, whose sense of humor and overflowing creativity is infectiously charming. Whether you’re a long-time fan or uninitiated to the Mael’s musical idiosyncrasies, there’s a little bit of something for everyone. Their story is interesting, and Wright portrays it with all energy and style it deserves, but it’s not exactly something you’ll want to watch more than once. The real gift lies in Sparks’ expansive treasure trove of a discography, which will give you plenty to explore when the credits finally roll.
Recommendation: Fans of Sparks, Edgar Wright, or music in general should definitely give this one a watch! The film hits theaters this Friday, June 18th.
Rating: 3.5 hits outta 5.
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!