Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Neil Young: Heart of Gold: Grade D

D

Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006)

Neil Young. Director Jonathan Demme

I confess I am not a Neil Young groupie. I like his distinctive sound; loved him in CSNY, and I respect his musical sophistication. But this movie, a documentation of two concerts he gave in Nashville, is just unbearable. It is obviously designed for hardcore fans who have romanticized the man. I am not that interested in the man, only the music, and it turns out, most of the music is not to my liking. I can’t say why. There are some fine moments, such as Harvest Moon and Heart of Gold, and whatever he sang during the closing credits- that was excellent. The support groups appearing with him are first rate. Almost anyone could sound good with that kind of support. But for some reason, this film just seemed like self-indulgent, maudlin nostalgia. And he can’t hit the notes any more, either. I was mesmerized by his recent, obscure film, Greendale, so I know he still has the magic. But Heart of Gold just didn’t work for me. Sorry, fans.

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