Color Me Obsessed: A Film About The Replacements

Great fanboy adulation of a monumental American rock band, not sure if this would mean much to the uninitiated...but it's cool nonetheless. It's a loving tribute, done in back asswards style, that would suit the 'Mats shoot-themselves-in-the-foot sort of perverse way of doing things, which is to say, the band is not in this movie, nor is any of their music. But it definitely holds up if you loved and lived this band at any point in your life.

If you're not familiar with the Replacements, then perhaps by viewing this you might be able to get the idea that this band was amazing, special, beautiful, shambolic, brilliant, charming and rock n' roll. Otherwise, I'd suggest getting yourself a copy of Let It Be and let the transformation begin...

The movie also seems to be more about being a 'Mats fan than being about the band itself, it shows a good segment of their fandom which is mostly (now middle-aged) male record-store clerk, rock-critic types, a few musicians and producers and one or two former rock chicks.

There time was short, they burned bright...it was fun to watch...and the music was great, what more can be said?

I'll say this right off the bat, I think "The 2nd Greatest Story Ever Told", the first novel by Gorman Bechard, is probably the best book I've ever read. It's about God sending his 18 year old daughter to save us. Of course, she's a Mats fan.

So, it's 20 years later, and Mr. Bechard delivers us a documentary on who I believe to be the greatest rock band ever, The Replacements. And, as he said at the Tampa premiere (and if you read the novel, you'll believe him), he might not believe in God, but he does believe in the Mats. AND IT SHOWS! And while everyone else will recount here how it's great to hear all the stories and such (I do love Robert, the guy from the farm, and Bil MacLeslie is a hot older guy I could listen to for days!), I want to talk instead about the filmmaking.

It's a music documentary, people...WITHOUT ANY MUSIC! As the bumper-sticker for the film says, "Kinda brilliant. Kinda dumb".

In this case its 110% BRILLIANT! Mr. Bechard makes it work. That's filmmaking! In fact, aside from recommending this movie to Mats fan and indie rock fans, I strongly urge fans of independent cinema to see this film. Forget it being a music doc, forget it being about the Mats, it's plain and simple a great movie. It's about passion, it's about how art changes your life, it's about how a band becomes a part of your family, how their music is forever etched on your soul. PASSION! It will also teach you things about success and insecurity, and about how a small band from the Midwest changed the face and sound of rock music forever. (Really, I thought knew a lot about The Mats until seeing this film. They story about how "Tim" was named is hysterical!) Put aside any misgivings you might have about there being no music (really, it's not missed), and give two hours to a great filmmaker who will take you to a place you've never been before. It's brave. It's beautiful. It's unique and funny.

To paraphrase someone in the movie talking about their song "Hayday", I love this movie. I love this movie. I. Love. This. Movie.

When I went into the theater for the screening of Color Me Obsessed I knew very little about the band, & had heard no more than two or three of their songs. Not only that but although I'm hugely into music, this general style of music is not my preference at all. But, I do enjoy a great film, or even an extremely well articulated artistic expression of any sort... & I really enjoyed this title as little more than a great film-watching experience. Quite brilliant the way CMO manages to provide all the context one needs to enjoy a band without even actually hearing any of their work. On one level or another, there's a very large amount of information packed into this film's two hours & it's obviously good for repeated viewings, so... can't wait to see it again! Thank you very much, Gorman Bechard-- for doing something different! Exactly the kind of art we need most.

I saw this at the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison, a town where the Replacements put on many memorable shows. This film ain't about the band, it's about their fans...and their passion for the band. It's a wonderful mix of fans and writers like Jim DeRogatis, Greg Kot and Robert Christgau who were spreading the word from the beginning. One of the interviewees compares their legacy to the Velvet Underground. It is said they only sold a few thousand albums in their career, but everyone who bought one started a band. Among today's bands that carry the Mats flag, Wilco (my current obsession) stands out and there's Jeff Tweedy proclaiming that every Wilco song is based on the Replacements.

The Mats were human, and that humanity shines through without any of the members being on screen.

This film made me laugh out loud, as I saw these guys 3 times, and then saw Paul a few times in his single carrier. This band was the band that never wanted to be recognized as good, but they were very talented. I saw the film Sat. with a few other friends and the only thing I wish it had of course was music, but it did such a great job of story telling, that it wasn't needed. More pictures of the band would have been great, and that was my only gripe, other than that a splendid movie with great storytelling of a great band out of the Twin Cities! Now bring it on to Blu-Ray so I can buy a copy! :) Again, thanks for bringing back some great memories!