Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon

Honest opinion? As a huge KOL fan I was very much looking forward to watching this, after sitting through almost 2 hours I learned more about Jesus than I have in my life time. I would say 70% of the film is based on the family of the band and their religion and religious views. It doesn't show how they got their record deal or anything like that, small snippets of concerts and making of their music. Although there were parts that was good seeing how the band were, i would not watch again and wouldn't recommend to anyone who listens to the bands music. It was more of a preach than a documentary.

i saw the premier of the film in the cinema,as a kings of leon fan i was really excited to see it.first off,surely by now everyone knows who they are right? The backbone of the film is based around their annual week-long family reunion in Talihina, Oklahoma. This underlines the parallel throughout the film of the stark contrast between their childhood to their current rock-star status. As this film opens at the reunion you are initially introduced to a multitude of their extended family from cousins and uncles to their Grandfather, and namesake of the band, Leon. with intimate childhood footage to present day filming of life on the road,laughs,arguments and interviews with the locals

The ending of the film combines the two scenes which are by far the strongest moments in the film, an extremely open and insightful interview with Caleb and the band playing the song 'talihina sky' acoustically. The interview is raw and messy, with an extremely honest late night conversation in which Caleb opens up to his experience of confusion with his past, to getting past the rebellion of leaving that world and now finding some resolution between the two. Throughout the film, beyond the comparison between past and present, the other extreme seems to be the attitude of the family remaining as humble as they have always been despite the enormous success of the younger family members, and the morphed rock star attitudes that the band seem to often adopt. This final scene brings both together and the honesty of Caleb's interview, combined with the stripped down performance brings the film full circle to a place in which you feel the real theme of the film, which seems to be the conflict of a life of two extremes and how to find a way to handle both.i thoroughly enjoyed the film and having a rare peek into the lives of the band and there family,a must see for all music fans

I'm not sure where to begin. I just watched this movie and I'm still reeling a little.

It's raw. Emotional. Brings up adult conflicts many of us have that are colored by childhood experiences.

I'm sure the lady reviewer from the UK doesn't get the religion part. If you didn't grow up in the US bible belt and don't know what pentecostal religion is and the pull/effect it has on a person (not to mention growing up in poverty) - well, you miss a lot of the intent and context of this documentary.

It's not a spit-shined, glossy example of a band's rise to super-stardom. It's an opportunity. An opportunity to know a little about the background of some talented young men who escaped...but not totally. Because they didn't want to . . . at least not up until the time this movie was filmed. Unlike many of us, they accept their past and their family. They use what has shaped them. That's not an easy thing to do and get away with cleanly.

It was fun to watch their interactions on the road and in the recording studio, as well as on-stage and backstage. The ending interview with Caleb was remarkable in the honesty of his comments.

Like a lot of other people, I've loved their music for a long time and wish them continued success . . . but I can't help but wonder how much they've changed since the film...

Kings of Leon are a great band and this is a great documentary. Shows you how they came from a pretty poor religious background to become one of the biggest bands in the world. It also shows you great on and off stage footage of great performances and some epic family fighting.

Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon (2011)

*** (out of 4)

I'll admit right up front that I'm not overly familiar with Kings of Leon. I remember back on 10/28/06 I went to see Bob Dylan in Chicago and there was some buzz going around about the opening act who had also opened the show the night before. Well, it turned out to be Kings of Leon and I must admit that I was very impressed with the band and I wasn't too shocked when a couple years later I saw that they were playing bigger venues. This documentary has interviews with the band members as well as their families and tries to explain the rise of the group. We see archival footage from when the band members were children and we get some behind the scenes stuff with the bad in the studio fighting and trying to come up with a new album. As I write this, the band is in the news for canceling their summer tour and I heard about this as well as the documentary from an article in Rolling Stone. I think fans are really going to enjoy this documentary but at the same time I'm sure it's going to make many worried as it really doesn't seem like the band is doing that good. I thought hearing the family members stories as well as seeing them was a rather interesting move as many times bands try to keep their pasts hidden or at least not out in the open. We learn that the brothers grew up in a very strict and strongly religious household where they weren't even allowed to watch television. The documentary really seems as if it's blaming their religion on their current problems, which include some drugs and alcohol. I'm really not sure why the documentary wanted to shine a spotlight on the religion and I'm not sure if it was the filmmakers attempt but it really did seem like they were coming down hard on it. I thought the best moments were the scenes with the family members because it's fascinating seeing how the relatives feel about seeing their loved ones rich and famous. There are plenty of scenes with the guy's performing at shows and the before mentioned stuff in the studios and this here is something I'm sure die-hard fans will love. Those, such as myself unfamiliar with the band will probably find some of the smaller stories the most interesting but what's more interesting is if the band will still be around five or ten years from now.