Review of Kurt & Courtney (1998) by Kenneth B — 17 Jan 2013

Odd little documentary. Very awkward in places as Broomfield (director/inverviewer/dude with mic) apparently decided to go about the process without doing much legwork in terms of contacting places before showing up.

Obviously the "star" interviews had been set up ahead of time (Hank Harrison, Tom Grant, Aunt Mari), but too often they are going someplace blind, getting kicked out of buildings, and getting less-than-informative interviews from unprepared, unenthusiastic people who don't seem particularly excited to be speculating on what was going through either Kurt or Courtney's mind at the time.

Yet it is hilarious how Broomfield attributes some of his interviews subjects as being evasive and uncooperative, when it is obvious to anyone that they are high off their ass and it's a wonder they hadn't totally nodded out.

What, did they think that just because three years had passed since Kurt's death that everyone that Cobain had shot up with was suddenly clean? That the interview questions became less and less about Cobain's rise and fall and more about whether he committed suicide or was murdered doesn't help any.

It might have made an interesting chapter, but as the focus of the majority of the movie it just doesn't work. I'm guessing that in the editing room that was the only common thread of discussion they could pull, so they ran with it.