Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me

And listening to his music and knowing something about his life's travails, mostly self inflicted as usual, I'll Be Me is an endearing and exceptionally touching film This is not so much about Alzheimer's as the general affliction of growing old and seeing the familiar pass whether from memory or life. As noted in the heart wrenching finale it is Campbell's family that bears the weight of his illness.The depth of their suffering may not be presented in wails and screeches but is always present. And there is our loss, of a family friend as only TV can make of someone who was never met and known otherwise. I really like it.

Probably the best documentary on Alzheimer's you will watch. It also makes the perfect companion piece to the music documentary, "Alive Inside" which also highlights the interaction between music and dementia.

I'm only a mild Glen Campbell fan - enjoy about half a dozen or so of his songs. But I have always had a lot of admiration for him as a fellow musician - one of the best. His work as a session musician with the wrecking crew in the 1960s was phenomenal in itself - and it was such a touching moment, that when in this film, they got some of those guys in to record Glen's final song with him.

It doesn't matter if you're a Glen Campbell fan or not, this is a well-made documentary, predominantly about Alzheimer's. The fact Glen was a world famous musician was almost just a footnote to the overall feel of the film. Amazing that the "music part" of his brain was one of the last areas to be affected. Inspiring to see him perform intricate guitar solos when he can't remember lyrics. Heartbreaking to see him have Alzheimer's meltdowns onstage and off.

Rest in peace, Glen. Rest in peace, my Nan.

Country musician Keith Urban describes life in Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me quite simply and whimsically, saying it's a culmination of experiences and events but, above all, memories of those experiences. All we have in life at our fingertips is the very-recent past and the very-near future, with little idea of the present other than in a momentary sense. We rely on our memories, positive and negative, to take us back to times that have came and went, possibly days, weeks, months, or years ago.

Alzheimer's disease is such a cruel and unforgiving disease because it robs a person of their memories and, in turn, themselves, which takes away their knowledge of their footprint on life. Country musician Glen Campbell is the perfect example of a high-profile Alzheimer's case; following his heartbreaking diagnosis in 2011, Campbell didn't resort to seclusion, living his life in permanent confusion, but instead, with the help of his patient family and loving children, gave the world one final tour and beared his condition with us all. He reminds me a lot of Roger Ebert, who, following thyroid surgery that robbed him of his ability to eat, drink, and speak, decided to become socially active, appearing on numerous talk shows to raise awareness about his illness, in addition to writing more than he ever had before in his life.

Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me focuses on Campbell's Alzheimer's diagnosis, subsequent tour, and ongoing battle with the disease. An early scene in the film has him watching old home movies with his current wife Kim, where he mistakes his second wife for his daughter, cannot recall the names of any of his children, and sits in awe of the memories as if he's watching them for the first time. When Kim takes him to a neurologist to analyze his condition, resulting in the Alzheimer's diagnosis, Glen states that he thought his forgetfulness was a way the mind "cleanses" unnecessary information. When a doctor gives him four basic terms for Glen to try and recite back to him, Glen simply shrugs it off and says something like, I already heard them, I don't need to repeat them; he even responds to the doctor's simple question of "what year is it?" by saying, "the 1870's" before giggling shortly after.

Kim and Glen's numerous children decided that, following the decision to make Glen's battle with Alzheimer's public, they'd orchestrate a farewell tour across the United States. They'd arm Glen with extensive rehearsals and a teleprompter, in addition to being there on-stage with him playing instruments, in order to give his fans one last show for the books. Unheard of and completely out of left field, Glen went on stage, performing his classics, like the soulful "Wichita Lineman" (which he apparently played twice in a row on occasions without even knowing) and the infectious "Rhinestone Cowboy," which ended up being the song he performed before the Grammy's when he receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. A clearly ecstatic Glen performed it before an energized and fully supportive crowd, in a performance that might even bring tears to your eyes; he even makes Paul McCarthy complete swoon over him backstage.

When Campbell sings, you can see a joyfulness wash over his face, as if he's channeling his old self and returning to who he once was. But even with that, whatever world Glen's in, he seems content most of the time, almost always smiling, cracking jokes, or being playful with his family. Of course, there are the heartwrenching times; consider when Glen mistakes individual doorbells on hotel guests' doors for elevator buttons, pushing each one without knowing any better, or when he can't find his golf clubs and blames one of his sons for tampering with them.

I'll Be Me doesn't spend even a third of its runtime wallowing in the sadness of circumstance or the cruelty that Alzheimer's brings to its victim and their family; there's too much more life to live and profile. Rather than being a mopey and emotionally mawkish depiction of the disease, the documentary is incredibly energized with Glen's simple but impacting songwriting, his calming and amiable smile, and the unconditional love and support of his family. It features a plethora of live performances from his final tour, all of which, similar to Michael Jackson's dedicated rehearsals in Michael Jackson's This Is It, reflecting not a sick soul but one who isn't through with life yet.

The documentary ends with Glen writing, composing, and performing "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," his final song before walking away from everything related to music. The song is a moving yet soul-crushing tune, which serves as a message to Kim that he won't know when she cries, when she's sad, and when she's hurting because "one thing selfishly remains" and that is his inability to miss her or remember her in a long-term sense. Glen's voice is crooning and silky smooth and, as it plays during the end credits, concludes a wonderful celebration of life through certain calamity and sends Glen riding off in the sunset like a real Rhinestone Cowboy.

Directed by: James Keach.

We went to a showing of this movie last night, thoroughly enjoyed it. I never really followed Glen Campbell's career but growing up in the 60's and 70's his hits received wide exposure and they were the kind of catchy songs that repeated themselves in your brain when you didn't expect it. This movie showed us that Glen Campbell really was the happy go lucky country boy who rode his singing abilities into the limelight but didn't become an obnoxious jerk.

The treatment of his Alzheimer's condition is powerful, sad yet tinged with Glen's humor. Kim Campbell's explanation of the choice to tour is critical to the involved viewer and to those of us who have dealt with an Alzheimer's patient. Without, the ubercritical would accuse the family of dragging Mr. Campbell on the tour to wring dollars from his fading celebrity. So not the case. Glen Campbell's performing ability endured and the shows appeared to be sold out.

Kim Campbell came to our town for the screening and took questions. She warmed to the crowd and explained how her family has worked against the awful progression of this horrid disease. How they still take joy in Glen every day.

Unfortunately this film has received little attention from the general public. In our generation, it seems that everyone knows someone who is dealing with Alzheimer's. The movie going public doesn't want to pay good money to watch a movie about anyone who is suffering from a cruel disease. But this movie is so much more than that. The music, humor and love rise above the undeniable pain of Mr. Campbell's suffering.

This is a very valuable movie for anyone who knows someone suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and for anyone who may encounter it in their family. Which means just about everybody. It will help to further erase the stigma of this disease, which doctors are still loathe to diagnose. Go see it for the educational value and be entertained by the music and the story of the love of the Campbell family, instead of watching yet another formula movie from Hollywood. You will be glad you did.

A first hand look at the effects of Alzheimer's, not just on the individual but the family and friends. Usually when it hits someone, they always go into seclusion and no one wants to interact with them because they always want to remember them as they were. Thanks to Glen and his family for sharing this with us and informing the public on this dreaded disease, as he says in the song, "I'm not gonna miss you", Once the memory has been flawed there is still a person, one of God's creations, in that body, although they may not recall events or even their closest friends or family, they are still the people we love. Can't wait to view the entire movie. May God's Blessings be on Glen, his family and all others dealing with Alzheimer's.