Springsteen & I

Well this is my very first IMDb review so here goes.. I have to say I'm somewhat of a latecomer when it comes to Springsteen and his music. My uncle has always been a huge fan and I never truly understood why until recently. I went to one of his concerts for the first time and it was something truly special, something I had never experienced before. I was there for intrigued about this film\documentary about the boss so thought I would go see it. What can I say it was a great tribute, funny at times but also very emotional. From the Elvis impersonator to the boss playing and singing in the street with a busker I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish. Springsteen's passion and energy on stage is truly captivating. The London concert at the end was a great finish, I was tapping away like a teenager at a 1D concert. Go see it, I am now a true convert!!!!!

Yes I'm from NJ but no I was not a Springsteen fan until a friend dragged me to a concert at the Boston Garden during winter finals my first year of college. And that night was life- changing. I've seen him maybe 75 times since then, but never overseas. Only one show failed to amaze. I also have a life, I like other things, and I know that Bruce Springsteen like any other public figure is still just a guy. I don't think he's a god, or my God. But there is nothing like a Springsteen concert. It is transforming.

So I was really looking forward to this documentary. The first 20-30 minutes were excruciating and all I could think was, wait it out because it's cool to see London Calling on a huge screen. The shaky cell phone videos were headache and nausea inducing and I kept thinking, where was Ridley Scott when they were putting this together?

Then it got really good. I LOOOOOVED the couple where the guy doesn't like the music, he got funnier every time he opened his mouth. I loved the woman in Copenhagen. She was very real, she seemed like someone I'd like to know. And that's kind of the point of this film, I think -- how strangers can share an experience through music or art or any common interest. The guy who works at the stadium was really compelling. So articulate. When he said he was walking home after a concert and his girlfriend said, "At a certain point I felt like I was the only one there, that he was talking and singing directly to me," THAT is the magic of a Springsteen concert and his unique talent. The guy in Poland was profound, even though he said very little.

On the other hand, some of the people made me sad in their extremism.

Bruce himself wasn't really important to this film. It was nice that he met the people at the end but it didn't make or break the experience for me.

Overall it was like a really really good Kickstarter project on steroids. Clever, interesting, thought-provoking, very funny. And there's still magic in all the memories of all those Jersey summer nights caring only about the music for the moment.

I watched this movie in Perth Australia and thoroughly enjoyed it. It gives a very personal account of the effect a singer/songwriter can have on people. The fact that these people are just 'run of the mill" adds great weight to the film.The switch between high resolution professional material and home movie works to bring this close to the viewer.

The power of this film is really in the extended material which was shown in the cinema but which is not included in the dload.

iTunes dload however doesn't have the extended material which was a great disappointment, Does anyone know where I can get this?

Springsteen & I (2013)

*** (out of 4)

This documentary was pretty much made by the fans are is certainly aimed for those die-hard fans who listen to E Street Radio and like to exchange stories about their favorite songs, albums and tours. This documentary features a bunch of footage from Springsteen fans who sent in videos expressing their love of his music as well as several stories with people who were able to either meet him or get on stage to sing with him. Throughout the running time we get some extremely good stories but as you'd expect there are also a few moments where things get a tad bit creepy but this here is just fandome. I'm sure fans are really going to love hearing these stories from other fans including some of the more tender moments including a couple who have been Bruce fans their entire lives but are always broke when he's on tour so they can't see him. Another involves a man dressed as Elvis who wants to get up on stage with his idol. Then, there's a terrific story about a guy whose girlfriend breaks up with him just before the concert. The film also gives us some rare concert performances and as you'd expect the quality is quite poor at times but it's still great fun getting to see this footage. SPRINGSTEEN & I falls short of being a masterpiece and I'm not quite certain it was worth the special $15 ticket price but fans will still want to check it out.

For those who know me, it's no secret that I'm a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. Ever since I got into music properly he's been my #1. Not only does he have what I consider to be the biggest and best discography but his songs speak to me in an overwhelmingly emotional and personal way. I find it difficult to articulate all my feelings towards his music but at the very least he was the artist who introduced me to how great an album could be. I used to just like songs on their own or greatest hits set to shuffle. But with Bruce and albums like Born To Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town, it was the first time I looked at songs as having a place and time and it made music 10x better for all my other favourite artists. Shortly after my big Springsteen obsession was when I started looking at music critically.

So it certainly looks like this documentary, Springsteen & I, is built for me. Even better, it's coming off the back of Life In A Day, a 2011 documentary I saw when it came out, immediately fell in love with and it remains in my top 10 of the year today. I feel almost honoured that its crowd-sourced footage style is being used next for a Springsteen documentary when it could've been used for anything else. I remember the day they first asked for footage and I quite regret contributing. Unfortunately I was busy at the time and I didn't have all the Bruce merchandise I wanted on me. But I am quite glad I didn't end up a part of it because it would've been rather strange to see myself. And having seen it, I see what they wanted now. They wanted the charming flaws and quirks of real people.

They keep in the outtakes. They keep in the eccentric people. They keep in the people who can't stand Bruce. They focus on people of contradictions as a young woman working on her masters degree who works as a truck driver and a middle aged man who breaks down crying while he drives. Just like the diversity of Bruce's songs, the film has its emotional ups and downs with its great sense of humour and people who are overwhelmed in trying to articulate what Bruce means to them. There's also some really entertaining anecdotes of people who've had encounters with him too which I'm glad they included and as they show people describing the events, it's matched with the concert footage. The documentary just encapsulates why I love Bruce. It's in the life he pumps into the world. How he makes everyday life feel like living life to the fullest. He brings people together. Through mutually liking his music and being together at concerts, in movies and now in movie theaters.

Unfortunately, the film is rougher and not as sharp as Life In A Day. Of course, when you have a film that's from the footage of everyday people and there's no standards of equipment, it inevitably leads to technical flaws besides the one area the director has control of - editing and structure. Although pacing can't really be controlled in each clip, the latter is the one department Springsteen & I really struggles with. But then there's no real structure to follow so it ends up as stream-of-conscience which sometimes feels like repetitive fan worship rather than cutting deep into why Bruce deserves his many fans. Fortunately Bruce's music interspersed throughout ties it all together. Non-Springsteen fans and casual fans will probably struggle through it but for the small but warm community that considers him #1, it's bliss.

8/10