Springsteen & I (2013) Reviews

• A Perfect Tribute to a Larger than Life Musician

  ODDBear2013-07-22

  Wow! I haven't had this good a time at the movies for some time. Usually when I post reviews I mull things over for quite a while but I wanted to put my two cents in while this is ultra fresh. What a great tribute to The Boss. The people who live, breathe and identify with Springsteen's music get the spotlight and showcase in the best possible way why we, the fans, like the man so much. The stories they tell range from funny to really touching to downright hilarious on occasion. The way Springsteen connects with his audience is really special and it's displayed through some well chosen clips from relatively recent shows. The rare footage from live shows from way back-when is also a real treat for the die-hard fans. I identified with a lot of the people and most likely every viewer will find something they related to as well. I'm a Springsteen nut so, to me, this was a perfect night at the movies. 10 out of 10. As an added bonus there was a six song show/compilation from the Hyde Park concert last year (knockout performances of "Shackled and Drawn" and "We are Alive") that concluded with the Beatles songs "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Twist and Shout" with Paul McCartney. Seeing it in a theater with the sound yanked up way high is the next best thing to actually being at a Springsteen concert. And that "Epilogue" was fun too. Seeing those fans meet the man and how gracious Springsteen seems to be; well it was a great ending to a fantastic film and show. If anyone has ever wondered what the big deal with Springsteen is...well; "Springsteen and I" is the response I would give.

• Non-Springsteen fans and and casual fans will probably struggle through it, but for those who have him at #1, it's bliss.

  Sergeant_Tibbs2013-08-08

  For those who know me, it's no secret that I'm a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. Ever since I got into music properly he's been my #1. Not only does he have what I consider to be the biggest and best discography but his songs speak to me in an overwhelmingly emotional and personal way. I find it difficult to articulate all my feelings towards his music but at the very least he was the artist who introduced me to how great an album could be. I used to just like songs on their own or greatest hits set to shuffle. But with Bruce and albums like Born To Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town, it was the first time I looked at songs as having a place and time and it made music 10x better for all my other favourite artists. Shortly after my big Springsteen obsession was when I started looking at music critically. So it certainly looks like this documentary, Springsteen & I, is built for me. Even better, it's coming off the back of Life In A Day, a 2011 documentary I saw when it came out, immediately fell in love with and it remains in my top 10 of the year today. I feel almost honoured that its crowd-sourced footage style is being used next for a Springsteen documentary when it could've been used for anything else. I remember the day they first asked for footage and I quite regret contributing. Unfortunately I was busy at the time and I didn't have all the Bruce merchandise I wanted on me. But I am quite glad I didn't end up a part of it because it would've been rather strange to see myself. And having seen it, I see what they wanted now. They wanted the charming flaws and quirks of real people. They keep in the outtakes. They keep in the eccentric people. They keep in the people who can't stand Bruce. They focus on people of contradictions as a young woman working on her masters degree who works as a truck driver and a middle aged man who breaks down crying while he drives. Just like the diversity of Bruce's songs, the film has its emotional ups and downs with its great sense of humour and people who are overwhelmed in trying to articulate what Bruce means to them. There's also some really entertaining anecdotes of people who've had encounters with him too which I'm glad they included and as they show people describing the events, it's matched with the concert footage. The documentary just encapsulates why I love Bruce. It's in the life he pumps into the world. How he makes everyday life feel like living life to the fullest. He brings people together. Through mutually liking his music and being together at concerts, in movies and now in movie theaters. Unfortunately, the film is rougher and not as sharp as Life In A Day. Of course, when you have a film that's from the footage of everyday people and there's no standards of equipment, it inevitably leads to technical flaws besides the one area the director has control of - editing and structure. Although pacing can't really be controlled in each clip, the latter is the one department Springsteen & I really struggles with. But then there's no real structure to follow so it ends up as stream-of-conscience which sometimes feels like repetitive fan worship rather than cutting deep into why Bruce deserves his many fans. Fortunately Bruce's music interspersed throughout ties it all together. Non-Springsteen fans and casual fans will probably struggle through it but for the small but warm community that considers him #1, it's bliss. 8/10

• BRuuuuuuuuuccce!!!!

  dcoultas42013-07-23

  Well this is my very first IMDb review so here goes.. I have to say I'm somewhat of a latecomer when it comes to Springsteen and his music. My uncle has always been a huge fan and I never truly understood why until recently. I went to one of his concerts for the first time and it was something truly special, something I had never experienced before. I was there for intrigued about this film\documentary about the boss so thought I would go see it. What can I say it was a great tribute, funny at times but also very emotional. From the Elvis impersonator to the boss playing and singing in the street with a busker I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish. Springsteen's passion and energy on stage is truly captivating. The London concert at the end was a great finish, I was tapping away like a teenager at a 1D concert. Go see it, I am now a true convert!!!!!

• Born in the YouTube age

  Prismark102013-12-08

  Producer Ridley Scott and his company Scott Free productions made the crowd-sourced documentary 'Life in a Day' which comprised of video clips submitted by people around the world. Springsteen & I follows a similar route as we see a selection of clips sent by Springsteen fans mixed with some concert footage of Bruce. Of all the performers out there, Springsteen is a sensible choice. He is not the latest fad who will disappear after a few albums, or an old dinosaur living off past hits for years on end but someone still releasing new material, touring with new material. He has a worldwide fan base spanning a few decades. Obviously Springsteen fans would appreciate this the most. The documentary stands and fall by the contributors and here some of it is lacking and rather dull. A bit too much of we love Bruce but little of any real substance. Some of the best stories were for example the Philly Elvis who managed to get on stage and sing Elvis songs with Bruce or the guy who got dumped and managed to talk to Bruce and have his request played as well as a street busker who managed to get Bruce to sing with him. (Although rather a few famous singers end up singing with buskers these days as YouTube is full of those clips.) There is one British contributor who states Bruce means love for his partner, because for her he endures listening to his music and going to his concerts which are by the way too long as far as he is concerned. Another contributor also from Britain tells the story how he went to New York to see him in concert only to find he had tickets where the seats were right at the back of the stadium (I know how he feels as it's happened to me a few times) and then a mysterious man upgraded him to the best seats in the house (which has never happened to me.) These stories were few and far between and you gather that some of the contributions were probably not that good.

• A fascinating, unexpectedly insightful documentary that pays homage to Springsteen but also celebrates the passion of his fans.

  shawneofthedead2014-02-05

  Watch a documentary on a musician and his music, and what do you expect? A biopic, perhaps? A film about his beginnings, his inspirations, the way his fans have changed him, the crippling (or enabling) effects of fame? A glimpse, perhaps, into the singer as a man – the humanising of someone touched by the supernatural glow of celebrity. Or perhaps it's a concert documentary: a film focused more closely on talent and musicianship. Much as pioneering rock-and-roll icon Bruce Springsteen is deserving of all such cinematic treatment, Springsteen & I, refreshingly, falls into none of those categories. Instead, it's a movie for his fans and made by his fans – and, as a result, one that works very well too as an examination of the modern phenomena of celebrity culture and fandom. Checking in with Springsteen's fans from all over the world, the documentary is spliced together from their home videos and personal accounts – resulting in stories that range from the hilarious (a mother who has forcibly passed her love for the Boss down to her offspring) to the touching (a British couple get an unexpected surprise when they fly to New York to catch a live concert). Fans talk about the electric moments in which they find themselves unexpectedly sharing Springsteen's spotlight, whether it's onstage or in an impromptu street performance. Of course, there's much ruminating on the way in which Springsteen's music has underscored and even changed the lives of his fans – even if they've never had the chance to see him perform live. There's a real danger at every point in the film that it might become too mawkish and self-congratulatory. Indeed, if this were a documentary made by any other world-famous celebrity, it would likely come off as self-aggrandising, arrogant pablum. But because Springsteen has somehow managed to maintain a reputation for humility and being, as a fan put its, very much "salt of the earth", despite being one of the biggest stars on the planet, he just about gets away with it. Fans of the man and his music will recognise their own stories in these sweet, affecting tales, which ring with truth and a shared passion. On the other hand, non-fans and neophytes might find the general air of breathless reverence somewhat off-putting – although there are certainly elements in the film which they can probably appreciate too. Director Baillie Walsh puts the story together with a light touch, taking care to inject humour into the proceedings. Specifically, she presents the point of view of, for want of a better term, a "fan-in-law" – a man who dutifully but reluctantly accompanies his Springsteen-obsessed wife to concerts all over Europe. It's moments like these that expand the film beyond a mere homage to a celebrity. Look a little deeper, and the vignettes in Springsteen & I reveal a great deal about passion and fandom: the need for human connection, the power of music and poetry, the community and camaraderie that can form from shared interests. Another undeniable huge draw of Springsteen & I is the live footage that runs throughout the film, as well as the exclusive concert highlights that unspool after the credits. The sense where the former is concerned is of Springsteen sharing the limelight with his fans: his performances, including some rare, purportedly never-before-seen live footage, are tied into their stories. He riffs charmingly on the hidden subtext in Red-Headed Woman, for instance, or sings Born To Run across years and generations to close out the film. The concert reel after the credits, taken from his Hard Rock Calling performance in London last year and featuring Sir Paul McCartney, includes six rousing, wonderfully-performed rock anthems that are alone worth the price of admission. For anyone who's ever loved something or someone in an indescribable, soul-deep way, even if it isn't Springsteen (but especially if it is), Springsteen & I is a movie that will resonate. It acknowledges the huge, enormous place celebrity, music, culture and art can occupy in someone's life, without the derogatory allusions that usually come with being classified a nerd, a geek or obsessive. For those unacquainted with the cult of Springsteen, be warned: this could prove both annoying and cloying, though there's also a chance he and his fans could charm you with the strength of their love and devotion.