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(More customer reviews)Full disclosure: I am a Phish fan. I'm not quite a die-hard fan, I've probably seen them less than 10 times live, but I've listened to hours of bootlegs. One of the shows I saw was at Red Rocks in Colorado during a thunderstorm. Not a drop fell on us, buffered by the foothills, we had nothing but blue sky above us. But behind the stage, we looked down on a dark storm pouring on Denver, with bolts of lighting creating an intense light show. Phish opened with a Divided Sky, the crowd went nuts, and a catecholinergic soup bathed my nucleus accumbens like never before. Guess you had to be there. Which is the point, and the flaw in this movie.
I liked Bittersweet Motel. I liked the backstage look at the band interacting. It had the effect of demythologizing the members. Like anything that takes on a life of its own, the reality behind Phish is both fascinating and disappointing. The guys are basically likeable, guys you can imagine yourself drinking beers and laughing with. At times they seem to take themselves too seriously, come off as your basic high school band geek, or even come off as jerks. Just like your overgrown college buddies who stop by unannounced.
The best is watching Trey respond to negative reviews. I don't know quite why, but nothing amuses me more than artists reacting to critics. Beethoven's letters to critics are hilarious, Tchaikovsky is said to have committed all his negative reviews to memory, word for word, until his dying day. Trey makes a point of letting us know he doesn't care what people think. But he's clearly smoldering underneath, and it's all there for our entertainment.
What I didn't like was the selection of songs in the movie. Whether trying to explain the phenomenon to people who don't get it, or trying to entertain those already converted, I don't think this was the right mix of musical moments to get the job done. Too many of the slow, somber songs and not enough great jamming. There are some high-energy jams but not necessarily their most creative handiwork, in my opinion.
I do think the movie conveys the fun of being a fan. Loved the footage of the mass nude scene. I loved hearing the stoners pontificating, reconciling the rich girls versus the more authentic hippie girl in her VW bus: "the girls rolling up in their Cherokees, their pits are shaved obviously..." but "it's how you're brought up, it's not their option...they're both on the same level, everyone here is chill."
Thumbs up overall, it'll entertain and make you wish you were back at a show.
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Bittersweet Motel takes a look at the iconoclastic musicians of Phish, one of rock and roll's most successful touring bands, a group Rolling Stone Magazine has called "the most important band of the '90s." This 80-minute documentary tracks the band over the course of a year--on and off stages across the United States, Europe and at home in Vermont. The film wraps with an extensive section devoted to one of Phish's grand festivals, "The Great Went," where 70,000 fans descend on the tiny village of Limestone, Maine, for a spectacular multi-day musical event. Director Todd Phillips, best known for his groundbreaking films, Sundance Award winner Frat House and the blockbuster comedy Road Trip, reveals the amazing phenomenon of the band--their music, loyal fans and spectacular live shows. Phillips presents a compelling film that every music fan will find fascinating.
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