My dear reader(s), recently I had the opportunity to catch up with a pair of documentaries about subjects that are dear to me: Immediate Family (2022) and Brats (2024).
First on my agenda, Immediate Family, which follows the lives and careers of musicians who, individually and together, have contributed to some of the most iconic songs and albums of all time.
Danny Kortchmar. Leland Sklar. Waddy Wachtel. Russ Kunkel. If you don't know those names, how about Stevie Nicks? Don Henley? Phil Collins? Carole King? James Taylor? This first four are instrumental (see what I did there?) in legendary recordings by the last five...and so many more. Immediate Family takes viewers into the studio for the creation of some truly iconic music, and to the stage for storied live performances. Legends sing the praises of these session men, and...the session men are not shy about a bit of back patting themselves. The interviews are entertaining, and every piece of music is a delightful trip down memory lane. The film's best moments allow viewers to listen in as Kortchmar, Sklar, Wachtel, and Kunkel play riffs that evolve into songs that still pop up on the radio daily. If you were invited to sit on the porch to hear the best music industry stories of all time, told by the people who lived them, it'd feel a lot like Immediate Family.
Immediate Family runs 102 minutes and is unrated. (They're musicians, so expect some coarse language and adult themes.)
Immediate Family offers a fascinating peek behind the curtain at the creation of the most popular and influential music of our time. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Immediate Family gets eight. (And if you haven't worn out at least a couple copies of Tapestry, I don't think we can be friends.)
Immediate Family is now streaming on Hulu.
Fangirl points: I got to hear Waddy Wachtel mention my hometown. He was making fun of it, but I can't bear a grudge!
Next on the docket, Brats.
Brats looks back at the (in)famous Brat Pack of the 1980s, and examines how the nickname amd its connotations have impacted the actors' lives and careers.
Brats plays like a therapy session where the viewer has been invited to listen in. Andrew McCarthy has written and directed a sometimes uncomfortable look at how he and his fellow Brat-Packers have carried the baggage of the name and image, personally and professionally. While a couple members of the inner circle declined to be interviewed for this project (Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson), most who were at least Brat Pack adjacent agreed to participate. McCarthy has been reasonably successful as an actor, director, and writer, but his tone is of someone very deeply wronged and looking for answers. Emilio Estevez, subject of the article that coined the Brat Pack moniker, is visbly uncomfortable with the topic and, at times, almost hostile in his responses. Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, who have crafted arguably the most successful post-Brat Pack acting careers, are cheerful and mostly unbothered by the history. (I guess regular work and plenty of money will do that for a person.) Moore and Ally Sheedy, who also seems content with where life has led her, often seem to be trying to convince McCarthy that it all really wasn't so bad. It's fascinating to watch, especially for people who grew up with the Brat Pack movies.
Brats clocks in at a quick 92 minutes and is unrated.
Brats is a fond, if sometimes uncomfortable, catch-up with people who feel like old friends. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Brats gets seven.
Brats is now streaming on Hulu.
Until next time...
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