Review of Pearl Jam Twenty (2011) by Chris W — 19 Aug 2012

Pearl Jam cemented themselves as being one of the best, most influential, and tightest bands over the past two decades plus, and this documentary, going by their 20th anniversary (of the release of Ten, not their formation), is a loving tribute/celebration of them, their music, and the factors that brought them together, and keep them going.

Cameron Crowe is a great choice for this material, having a knack at music related films, and being relatively close to the band to begin with. That, and thanks to his movie Singles, he has a vast love and knowledge of the scene that they got the most famous during. The film, in the first half at least, is well balanced and structured, and gives a lot of insight into how the band formed, as well as hitting highlights of their career chronologically. A fair amount of time is also spent on the Mother Love Bone era, and that's where some of the more moving parts of the film are, right up front.

The second half is fine, but really runs out of steam, and is oddly structred for some wieird reason. Some of the biographical stuff about the guys, and what lead them to Seattle happens in the first half, while the rest comes later, and seems really rushed and shoehorned. That, and in general a few thigns get glossed over, with Crowe making the assumption that the audience will already be familiar with things, and have the prior knowledge of what he skims over.

Unlike VH1's Behind The Music, this doesn't get overly sappy, sensational, or melodramatic. These guys actually look at things very matter of factly, as opposed to being overly nostalgic for the past, and bitter that those days have gone by. I really enjoyed hearing their thoughts on some of the most well known high and low moments though, and how the film isn't afraid to get into the uncomfortable parts of the band's history at times.

This is a pretty decent film. I'm biased because I love the band and their music, but for a casual viewer, this is a decent primer, though they might not be able to appreciate some of this as much. Still though, Crowe did a good job, and I can't really see someone else doing a much better job.