[3.7]
I was excited for this documentary after stumbling upon the trailer: an extensive documentary on the career of mysterious but beloved cult group Sparks, a group I had never heard of. And it was directed by fanboy and jokester Edgar Wright, filled with commentary by famous fans like Beck, Flea, Thurston Moore, Weird Al, Jason Schwartzman and Björk? Sign me up! Well, as entertaining as this doc is, it can’t help but wear out its welcome with its bloated 140 minute runtime. And I get it! Wright wanted to do a thorough exploration of a band that has had very little mainstream recognition of their decades-long catalog, but the film suffers a bit from superfan over-enthusiasm. The bulk of the documentary is given over to core-members Russell and Ron Mael, who give delightful interviews that are balanced between being heartfelt and open, while maintaining the winking myth-building and self-deprecating humor that has made them so successful (in their unique way). There are interviews with several other bandmates who have worked with Sparks over the years (the running theme being that they are often left behind as the core duo shift musical strategies from album to album). And it’s great hearing from fans who gleefully praise the uniqueness of the band. But the film more or less plays out like a standard doc, working its way chronologically from album to album, starting in the 1960’s.
Having never heard their music before, what standouts to me is that everyone emphasizes how Sparks kept changing their style radically throughout the years, but when I hear the songs nearly back-to-back, they end up sounding kind of the same. Ron uses the same delicate high-pitched voice, and Russell utilizes similar-seeming keyboard arrangements. In another constant, Russell (the Hitler/Chaplin-mustachioed weirdo of the group) appears to play up the same gimmicky expressions in decade-after-decade of video appearances. He stands rigidly at his keyboard, face blank, with maybe a single eyebrow raise acting as his expression. I can see how this would be amusing in isolation, but seeing their entire career compressed as it is here, the band’s consistency seems at odds with the filmmaker’s insistence on their eclecticism. The early 1990’s period, the “dark” era when the band’s five year hiatus had many worried that they were over, is especially interesting. Ron and Russell seem to get emotional about this time, as they struggled to release music. One fan tearfully recalls how they kept working, everyday, making music, but without any recognition. They had saved their money wisely, as they were able to last half a decade without new income. If nothing else, the doc is a testament to the band’s tenacity and hopeful attitude.
I’m not a converted Spark’s fan. The songs are generally fine, but it seems many people appreciate the strange and unique lyrics more than the actual music. For me, they are more interesting as a novelty. Perhaps the most surprising stunt they pulled actually happened in 2008, when they performed each one of their albums in chronological order over twenty one nights in London. The proposition is bonkers! To go back through their catalog of hundreds of songs, teach them to new bandmates, and perform them all in marathon style over three weeks: insane. But this gloriously perverse commitment to stagecraft and their singular sensibilities is why they have the fans they do.
burning retina 