Review of End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003) by Pedro C — 30 May 2009
Terrific documentary that, in this cautionary tale of four simple guys from Forest Hills, Queens, tells you everything you need to know about punk rock's heyday. The Stooges and NY Dolls influenced the Ramones, who influenced the Clash/Pistols/etc.
, the scene tried to achieve mainstream success and perhaps that's what killed it. Through it all, the Ramones and gentle Joey soldiered on: through hardass Johnny's bossiness, Dee Dee's drug-fueled madness, and album with Phil Spector, MTV, changing tastes, Behind the Music-esque squabbles, and finally, tragedy.
Every Ramone and all the other key figures are interviewed on-screen, including Joe Strummer, scene chronicler Legs MacNeil, and first manager Danny Fields. If there are flaws with this movie, it's that it's a bit cheaply made (which fits the topic) and, as the band never quite reaches the heights it hoped for and interpersonal problems become more prevalent, the mood turns exhausting.
But I don't think you'll find a better document of the band. (P.S. An interesting what-if comes up in the bonus features: Would the Ramones have achieved pop success if Springsteen's manager allowed him to turn over "Hungry Heart" to the band, who he'd written it for? Hmmmm.
....).
This review of End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003) was written by Pedro C on 30 May 2009.
End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
