Do It Again

 

Story:

Rock musician Sting likens any pop group’s breakup to a divorce. It’s nearly always an acrimonious split that leaves fans emotionally devastated. Facing a mid-life crisis, intrepid reporter Geoff Edgers (formerly a writer for Raleigh’s News and Observer) sets out to get his “family” back together again, burdening himself with the Quixotic task of reuniting the notoriously rancorous band the Kinks. Along the way, he manages to convince a cavalcade of rock’s royalty to perform their favorite Kinks songs—with Edgers on accompaniment.

Review:

There are a few parallels between Robert Patton-Spruill’s Do It Again and last year’s Faded Glory. Both films feature egotistical men suffering midlife crises and ultimate set out to fulfill a childhood dream. And though Do It Again features better direction, it fails to capture the magic that made Faded Glory so special. Don’t get me wrong, Patton-Spruill has a good documentary on his hands, it’s just that it is almost the antithesis of the earlier film.

Let’s start with the main character. Do It Again follows Geoff Edgers as the journalist decides to help reunite the Kinks. The Kinks, if you don’t remember, are the forgotten child of the British invasion headlined by the Beatles and Rolling Stones- a band unable to survive infighting long enough to reach the fame of its counterparts. Edgers is a lover and staunch advocate for the band and seemingly able to use his contacts as a journalist to get close enough to the band’s members to make this happen. Already, it’s clear to audiences they are dealing with a man desperate for meaning and overflowing with arrogance. Unfortunately, he just comes off as a prick. Where viewers found empathy for Richard Cohen and his similar personality traits, Edgers just appears like the worst version of High Fidelity’s Rob Gordon.

Similarly, the story is just frustrating. More than half the film is spent watching Edgers call or interview celebrities and music industry advocates here in America-occasionally playing Kinks’ songs with anyone willing to participate. While all this is happening, there is very little attempt (seemingly) to reach out to the actual band over in England. Adding insult to injury is the reality that the former band members are barely even interviewed and most the questions skirt around the more important issues. This basically sucks the heart out of the documentary and asks audiences to ignore it.

Thankfully, for all his character faults, it’s clear Edgers knows the Kinks and his knowledge and passion clearly influences Do It Again in multiple ways. The obvious effect is in the music and this documentary is chock full of excellent songs from the
Kinks and others. The archival and concert footage is also impressive in its scope. If you’re a Brit-pop fan, that’s reason enough to see Do It Again. Then again, just seeing someone interview Sting and wonder why the hell he’s on camera may be another reason.

That frustration and utter confusion is what limits Patton-Spruill’s documentary. Why does it take over half the film to head over to England? Why aren’t the band members interviews highlighted more? Why are certain musicians and celebrities with
seemingly little influence or passion for the band interviewed over die hard fans? Why is Edgers such an asshole? More importantly, why aren’t the details of the Kinks break-up not discussed more clearly? These questions derail a potentially great film and leave audiences wishing for more.

Reviewed by Matthew Abshire for Documentary Film Online on April 16, 2010

In Conclusion: