End of the Century

I've been a Ramones fan since the release of their first album. The first song I learned to play in 1978 when I joined my first decent punk band was "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue". But I've never been the kind of fan who felt the need to know a great deal more about the bands I loved. With most of the Ramones gone, and knowing that this documentary had been well received, I decided it was time to reacquaint myself with these old friends of my youth.

Obsessive troubled shy liberal giant Joey. Laid-back easy-going drug addict Dee Dee. Angry driven tough guy neocon Johnny. Alcoholic Marky. Intelligent and over-sensitive Tommy. The core members of the Ramones could not have been more different people. To create a sense of unity, they cultivated a trademark look and gave themselves the surname Ramone. Then, in 1975, they basically invented American punk and inspired a whole generation of DIY rock and rollers. For the next 20 years, this disparate group would behave more or less as if they really were a band of brothers.

All five of the core members, and even CJ and Ricky, speak very openly about the band and their frustrations with the U.S. music industry, and there is plenty of music, including some rare early live stuff, to keep the film rolling. In addition to what the Ramones say about themselves, the film offers a very strong vision of the personalities that drove the band. Johnny comes across as honest, incredibly forceful and domineering - and the sheer volume of words he presents could leave you with the impression that he dominates the film. He does not. Dee Dee, who did not even stay with the band through the 1990s, got equal time. And even Tommy, the often absent founding drummer and later producer, might have been given equal time. Joey - never a great talker - is so quiet off-stage that he will leave you wishing for more.

This retrospective documentary is not an expose, but rather a respectful tribute. Framed around the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the film spends a great deal of time discussing the band's failure (in their own eyes at least) to achieve commercial success in the U.S.A. As somebody who was involved in Punk Rock from its beginnings in the U.S., I found this surprising. After all, the Ramones had more commercial success than virtually any American punk band of their generation, and, long before they broke up, achieved the status of a legend. If anything, this more-or-less constant theme is the most monotonous aspect of the film.

The documentary is good and very much worth watching for Ramones fans. The directing, editing and cinematography are not particularly innovative, but they get the story across in a straight-forward way. The Ramones were never boring, but this documentary, at times, gets pretty close.

Highly recommended for Ramones fans. Others may wish to avoid.

I just returned from a screening of this film and what can I say other than WOW!!! As a life long fan of The Ramones I was very happy to see that this film was going to be playing as part of a annual documentary film festival not far from where I live... To see The Ramones in all their glory and up on the big screen no less was quite a thrill... I could ramble on about the content of the film but hell The Ramones tell their story so much better than I ever could so all I will say is that if you consider yourself a music fan than you quite simply MUST see this film... As a side note Michael Gramaglia, one of the directors of the film, was present along with his brother (who helped edit the film) at the screening and participated in a Q & A after the film and I am very happy to pass on that he mentioned that he had just inked a deal with Warner Bros. that should get a DVD of the film in the stores around next February or March which will include a bunch of extras including a lot more that Dee Dee had to say as well as Joe Strummer's interview in it's entirety... Also Michael hinted that he may be returning to similar subject matter soon for his next project... Yep you heard it here first... Warner Bros has approached Michael and his brother about possibly doing a doc about CBGB's... He said nothing is definite but let's all keep our fingers and toes crossed in hope that everything comes together for another classik film!!!

I have been a fan of the Ramones for most of my life and never realized how much I didn't want to know about them until now. I don't care about what they did before or how they met. Listening to them talk is just sad. I wish the movie would have continued after the farewell tour and covered the tour they did the next year. I would have loved to hear why they did that. But it is a good movie if you think you need this much info about the Ramones.

I'm a fan of the Ramones, but not an hard core 'owns every LP' fan. That said - I found this doc very informative. Some of the B&W footage from CBGBs is fascinating, and the interviews with the band members were great though often conflicting. The late Dee Dee in particular is highly entertaining. The print that I saw had a fair bit of white text over sections of live footage, but my guess is that this will be removed for the final print or (hopefully) DVD. Johnny comes across as one tough-minded SOB, but I get the impression that without him the band wouldn't have functioned at all.

what a laugh I had watching this film ! It's ridiculous that a band like The Ramones haven't got a proper DVD with their videos etc etc . . . and the documentary even though hasn't got any video as such has great interviews with Dee Dee (Uber Cool he is and funny as . . .) Johnny ( never though he was such an idiot), Joey ( a darling that never said anything bad about anyone), Marky and the rest of the musicians...and Areturo Vega the designer of their logo and official Ramones website and merchandising.

The early footage from the CBGB (1970 ish) it's incredibly funny and endearing along with arguments on stage that will make you laugh till you die, they were really excellent.

I am just a fan of this band and I will always have them close to my heart for their music, their attitude, their sense of humour and above all they cheer me up when I am down and this film just made me feel even closer to them.