ogygia avenue wrote:
I saw this a few months ago and after hearing about it for years found it a little disappointing.
The film came off as a curio for Baker fans only. I had barely heard anything by him going into the theatre, and while his music sounded good in the film, I didn't find him a particularly compelling character. Flea and Chris Isaak and Baker's many wives told us, the audience, why he was so important, but the interviews with him were not particularly engaging or illuminating. I wasn't given much reason to care about this very talented man who fucked up his own and others' lives. Weber seemed to use the same techniques/shots over and over again -- the camera panning lovingly over contact sheets or record covers, or shots of Baker cruising through Los Angeles in a convertible with two women.
For me, this repetition creates an almost hypnotic effect, coupled with Baker's dreamy vocal stylings. This doc was actually my intro into Baker's music. What I found so compelling about the Weber's film is the contrast between his obvious nostalgic love letter to this man (withe gorgeous B&W cinematography, shots of records, etc.) and Baker's refusal to come across as sympathetic or look back at his life with any kind of fondness. Weber gives him every opportunity and Baker denies him which I always found fascinating about the film. Weber has said in interviews that they tried to their best to look after him and try to keep him out of trouble but Baker wasn't interested.
I also think that the interviews with his friends and family paint a fascinating portrait of this guy who screwed over his loved ones and was pretty unreliable and yet still loved by people who dug his music.