Review of Pearl Jam Twenty (2011) by Jamie H — 27 Jul 2012

Commemorating Pearl Jam's twentieth anniversary comes, 'PJ20.' A career-spanning documentary from director Cameron Crowe. From the band's inception as Mother Love Bone, to the actual formation of Pearl Jam, to the present day ... it's all covered in great detail. One of the many cool aspects of this documentary is that Cameron Crowe allows each band member to tell the band's story. There is no guest narrator, instead you're hearing Pearl Jam tell their story, and all five members contribute equally in this film. Each one gives a genuine, honest account of the band's past & present.

The band is not, and was not short on friends, however. With the likes of Chris Cornell, Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, Layne Staley and Neil Young - you really get a feel for how well they are liked and loved by not only their fans, but their peers as well.

The movie isn't complete without footage and there is literally, tons of it. I was blown away by the amount Cameron Crowe included. From beginning to end, it feels non-stop. Fan footage, behind-the-scenes, concert, home video, news/media, it's all here. Obviously, you have the band's music played throughout, as well as music video clips.

As I mentioned above, the story is career-spanning - which is what you expect. The thing that elevates PJ20 is the amount of depth, we're not just given a sampling of this band's life, we are taken inside. We see the struggles with Andrew Wood's death, how the band name Pearl Jam came about. The grunge-era and the whole Seattle scene in the early 90's. We are taken inside the creation of Ten, the selection of it's album art. The struggles with stardom, and the court battle with TicketMaster in the mid-90's.

I will end by saying, music lovers really need to give this a look. It goes without saying, if you're into Pearl Jam at all - it's a must. Now, I haven't seen Metallica's 'Some Kind of Monster,' so, I can't compare 'PJ20' to it. For me, this is the best music doc I've seen. The amount of goodies here will satisfy with multiple viewings.

Cameron Crowe delivers in a big way.