My Thoughts on the Film, CBGB...

I sometimes wonder why films are so hated by critics and moviegoers alike. It’s almost like I can’t understand their point of view, where they’re coming from.

Take CBGB, for example. I’ve read the criticism—7% from critics and 43% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes—and I wondered if said audience was against the film from the get-go.

There are big issues about the film, especially the use of recorded songs from the artists portrayed instead of recorded live music (from CBGB) or the actors singing the songs themselves. Also, the film seemed episodic, and the main character, Hilly Kristal, played with as much depth as possible by the late, great Alan Rickman, did not have much of a character arc—he was the same person at the end of the film as he was at the beginning.

But perhaps that was the point.

I didn’t mind the use of the pre-recorded songs because, frankly, they were recognizable as songs I grew up with, and I immediately identified with them. And, methinks, it would be difficult to create a cohesive plot with a turning point and everything of the events in CBGB; hence the episodes. And my question is, is this film going for authenticity or for a dramatic effect? The former, I would think.

The film worked as a chronicle of punk rock music and the movement it created. And Rickman portrayed Kristal as a hopelessly clueless businessman, but one who could recognize talent. Hillel Kristal wasn’t called the Father of Punk Rock for nothing.

I enjoyed the film and the performances; it wasn’t a great film, but it was a good one. Great films are films I can watch again and again, while good ones I enjoy once, and maybe will watch again sometime later. Like I did with CBGB.

Watch it, and tell me what you think.