Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band

I have such respect for Robbie Robertson. He is a true icon, and this movie is definitely worth the watch. I enjoyed it very much. Just like I enjoyed watching “The Last Dance” about Michael Jordan and the Bulls. But neither is a true documentary picture of what happened in either era. Both are heavily filtered and edited for the purpose for which they were brought into being: to showcase one person. I loved hearing about Robbie, and I enjoyed hearing him share his experiences, but if the documentary is supposed to be about him, why did the the film’s story arc stop so abruptly after The Last Waltz? He had a pretty cool career after The Band. So which is it? A movie about Robbie or about The Band? If the first, it’s woefully lean on anything outside of his time with The Band, and if it is about The Band, there is no balancing perspective from anyone other than Robbie, besides a few short sound bites seemingly edited to fit the already strong narrative. To be fair, as an homage to the creative period of The Band, I think it’s a great piece of work, but it unfortunately starts to sour towards the end...kind of like The Band itself. Dramatic irony? We all know that drugs were a huge reason The Band did not survive in its original form. But we also know that The Band (sadly sans Robbie), did continue to perform. Am I the only one that thinks something is glaringly wrong here? While highly entertaining, and a movie that left a smile on my face for the sweet story of the musical brotherhood they had, it ultimately left me scratching my head as to what it was I just watched? I got the sense that so much was glossed over and swept under that I can only assume it was by design, as in Jordan’s “The Last Dance”. That is where a truly third-party documentary filmmaker and production company would have been useful to employ. Watch it to understand the foundations of the group and the pure creative genius at the height of its greatness, not for a definitive commentary on the reasons for its disintegration. I suppose if you were to attempt to take pieces from this work and weave together pieces from Levon’s quite caustic version of The Band’s demise, you might get closer to the truth. What would be really cool would be for Garth to weigh in, alongside a truly unbiased documentary filmmaker. That would be something I would gladly pay to watch/read.

Loved it but when will it be available to buy?

I'd heard that this was an attempt by Robertson to overcome his image of being difficult to deal with, an ego-maniac and being responsible for breaking up the band. The film does an excellent job of re-writing that history, if you buy into it. Robertson states that he's a family man and devotes way too much of the movie to creating that image. Never does it mention that he has been divorced from his wife, who essentially is a co-star of the movie, for decades. His ex-wife's heavy presence is distracting and misleading. Essentially, all of the band members, and his wife left him, one way or the other - through death, divorce or distance. The other musicians are given short shrift in terms of their contribution to the music. Sure, he wrote many of the songs, but their arrangements and words put them on equal footing with him. Interesting to see how the band came together and to see some snippets of the fantastic Last Waltz. Regardless of the misleading story, it's a must see for fans of The Band.

Simple. No Garth Hudson who’s still alive not included, that’s not right at all. Even Amy Helm and other relatives should be valid for telling their stories.

Pass...

I enjoyed "Once Were Brothers", but it served as a tribute film to Robbie Robertson. Because of the Band's tumultuous history I might have preferred something with more balance, and less Robbie's rebuttal to Levon's book, "This Wheel's on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of the Band" - a book filled with disparaging comments about Robertson. Sure, it's difficult to work with drug addicts and many of the people associated with the Band have passed away, but there are many of the opinion that Robertson's ego and ambitions betrayed them. But no contrary insights were included what-so-ever and instead gave full airtime to the championing of Robertson. This left me wanting a documentary with a little more soul.