Download The Sparks Brothers; movie review

THE SPARKS BROTHERS

Cert 15

141 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language

Is it really 45 years ago since a school colleague gave me cassettes of Kimono My House and Propaganda?

All I knew about Sparks was This Town Isn't Big Enough for the both of us and they had a keyboard player who looked like Hitler.

Their performances on Top of the Pops became legendary because of the contrast of extrovert singing Russell Mael and the bizarre faces pulled by his moustachioed brother Ron.

I became a fan of the aforementioned albums but lost touch with Sparks because I couldn't keep up with their continual reinventions,

This excellent documentary shows why I wasn't alone. The Mael brothers have consistently put pushing artistic boundaries before chart success.

Because of their success in Britain, it has often been presumed that the pair were English but they are, in fact, Californian.

Thus, their story is traced from their childhood in Los Angeles during which sport and progressively music played a significant part.

It outlines their early days of creating moderately successful bands and includes contributions from fellow members.

Edgar Wright's documentary then moves on to their work with Nils Lofgren and the life-changing decision to move to Britain.

This is where they really gained their impetus following the success of singles, albums and even a dabble in the film industry.

The Mael brothers are great enthusiasts and their animated tales complement contributions from collaborators, including Jane Wiedlin, who hints at an affair with Russell, and Alex Kapranos, the singer of Franz Ferdinand with whom they produced an unlikely but well-received album.

Along with a host of 80s stars who basically believe that Sparks don't have the credit they deserve along with lots of contemporaneous footage.

It all adds up to a surprisingly engaging and occasionally funny documentary.

Reasons to watch: An fascinating insight into one of rock and pop's strangest duos

Reasons to avoid: It is a tribute rather than a biopic

Laughs: Two

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know? The Go-Go’s guitarist Jane Wiedlin, who started an unauthorised fan club for the band during their glam era. She later sang with them.

The final word. Edgar Wright: “They always seemed ahead of the game. Oblivious to what else was going on and just forging ahead – like space travellers who have no idea what’s going on back on their home planet.” The Guardian

Share this post