Color Me Obsessed: A Film About The Replacements

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.

Depending on how much you like the Replacements will be how much you like this documentary. First off, two things you need to know: None of the Replacements are interviewed, and there is no footage of them. You have various people, most you've never seen before but do have credibility in telling this story, which is done chronologically. If you have seen them live (I have four times-twice riveting, twice not so), you just never knew what you were going to get. If they were sober and interested, they were one of the greatest bands that ever existed. If they were drunk and doing mostly covers, you'd hate to have brought someone to the show and told them beforehand they were amazing. This film embodies this, and some of the comments are very affecting. The people who speak that are known, including Grant Hart and Greg Norton of Husker Du (that would make an interesting documentary), manage to tell their stories and they are mostly articulate and wonderful. Think of the film this way: Lets say a documentary of your favorite band was being made and they asked you to comment. There is gushing, some dismissive anecdotes. If you're a casual fan, you won't get it. If you are a real fan, this will be very watchable. I would have liked to see Paul, Tommy or Chris speak, but you can't have everything. Last thought: Does this film make you want to buy or listen to them? The answer is yes. In that alone, this film succeeds.

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!

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?