Chuck Berry

This is cool for the old footage and interviews but it glosses things over. Cannot stand the musical reenactments. For example it explains Chuck got arrested in his late teens because a guy pulled over to help him with a broken down car but when Chuck approached him it says the guy ran off because he got scared when in actuality he robbed the guy at gunpoint with a broken gun. His son actually mentions this in passing later on. Hail Hail Rock N Roll is a much better film.

I didn't expect much going into this, but I will watch anything about Chuck Berry. It didn't seem to have been hyped much, so somehow I missed it for 7 years. It's mostly interviews with his wife and children, close friends and associates. For the most part they don't gloss too much over the seedier incidents in his life. Besides his family, a lot of "Chucks's Children" -big name musicians who were influenced by Chuck Berry' music give a lot of great insight into what made him great and influential. The only weak aspect of this are the fantasy videos for some songs, and dramatic recreations of low points in his life.

The historic performance footage and photos are terrific -much I hadn't seen before. If you love rock and roll history- and guitar music, you'll likely enjoy this.