The Sparks Brothers is a 2021 documentary film directed by Edgar Wright. The film is about Ron and Russell Mael, members of the pop and rock duo Sparks.
The Sparks Brothers | |
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Directed by | Edgar Wright |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Jake Polonsky |
Edited by | Paul Trewartha |
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Running time | 140 minutes[1] |
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Language | English |
Box office | $1.3 million[2][3] |
The documentary features lengthy interviews with Ron Mael and Russell Mael, along with short interviews with musicians such as Beck, Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert of Joy Division and New Order, Vince Clarke and Andy Bell of Erasure, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, and Nick Rhodes and John Taylor of Duran Duran. The documentary includes a snippet of an audio interview with Björk but she does not appear in the movie.
Wright interviewed record producers who collaborated with the band such as Todd Rundgren, Giorgio Moroder, Jane Wiedlin, and Tony Visconti. The film includes interviews with previous members of the group who worked with the Maels in the various Sparks line-ups from the early 1970s until the early 2020s, including Les Bohem and Christi Haydon. A number of fans are interviewed, including TV producer Jonathan Ross; rock journalist Paul Morley; authors Neil Gaiman and Tosh Berman, and actors such as Jason Schwartzman, Mark Gatiss, and Mike Myers.
The documentary includes several short animation sequences to reproduce apocryphal anecdotes between musicians with the participation of the comedians Simon Pegg (as the voice of John Lennon) and Nick Frost (as the voice of Ringo Starr).
In June 2018, it was announced Edgar Wright would direct an untitled documentary film revolving around the band Sparks, with MRC Non-Fiction and Complete Fiction Pictures producing the film.[4]
Principal photography began in May 2018, with Jake Polonsky as cinematographer, beginning with covering the band's concert at the O2 Forum Kentish Town.[5] In April 2020, Wright announced that the film was "nearly finished".[6]
The film had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 30, 2021.[7][8][9][10] Shortly after, Focus Features acquired domestic distribution rights, while Universal Pictures will distribute the film internationally.[11][12] The film also screened at South by Southwest in March 2021,[13] and was theatrically released in North America on June 18, 2021, by Focus Features.[14] It was released in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2021.[15]
In the United States of America, the film made $107,225 on its opening Friday and $89,652 on its second weekend. The film was released internationally in territories including the United Kingdom ($334,184), Australia ($45,404), France ($80,267), Iceland ($477), Portugal ($346) and New Zealand ($9,499).[16]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 96% based on 160 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Their albums may be cult favorites, but this Edgar Wright-directed documentary offers an introduction to The Sparks Brothers that has something for everyone."[17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on reviews from 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18]
The Sparks Brothers | ||||
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Released | March 2022 (2022-03) | |||
Label | Waxwork Records | |||
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Sparks chronology | ||||
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A soundtrack album was release on 4-LP by Waxwork Records March 2022, as well as a Spotify playlist
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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1. | "Sparks Documentary Film Fanfare" | previously unreleased | 0:50 |
2. | "This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us" | Plagiarism | 4:03 |
3. | "Fa La Fa Lee" | Halfnelson/Sparks | 2:54 |
4. | "Slowboat" | Halfnelson/Sparks | 3:55 |
5. | "Wonder Girl" | Halfnelson/Sparks | 2:21 |
6. | "Girl From Germany" | A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing | 3:29 |
7. | "Talent Is An Asset" | Kimono My House | 3:21 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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8. | "This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us" | Kimono My House | 3:05 |
9. | "Amateur Hour" | Kimono My House | 3:37 |
10. | "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth" | Propaganda | 2:28 |
11. | "Something For The Girl With Everything" | Propaganda | 2:16 |
12. | "Get In The Swing" | Indiscreet | 4:08 |
13. | "Under The Table With Her" | Indiscreet | 2:19 |
14. | "Everybody's Stupid" | Big Beat | 3:40 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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15. | "Those Mysteries" | Introducing Sparks | 5:01 |
16. | "La Dolce Vita" | No. 1 in Heaven | 5:54 |
17. | "Beat The Clock" | No. 1 in Heaven | 4:24 |
18. | "The Number One Song In Heaven" (7" Version) | No. 1 in Heaven | 3:51 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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19. | "When I'm With You" | Terminal Jive | 5:49 |
20. | "Tips For Teens" | Whomp That Sucker | 3:33 |
21. | "Angst In My Pants" | Angst in My Pants | 3:29 |
22. | "I Predict" | Angst In My Pants | 2:54 |
23. | "Cool Places" (with Jane Wiedlin) | In Outer Space | 3:25 |
24. | "I Wish I Looked A Little Better" | In Outer Space | 2:59 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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25. | "Change" | Music That You Can Dance To | 5:21 |
26. | "Music That You Can Dance To" | Music That You Can Dance To | 4:24 |
27. | "The Race For President" | In Entertainment We Trust (Music From The Motion Picture A Cute Candidate) | 1:48 |
28. | "When Do I Get To Sing ‘My Way’" | Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins | 4:37 |
29. | "Balls" | Balls | 4:24 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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30. | "The Rhythm Thief" | Lil' Beethoven | 5:19 |
31. | "My Baby’s Taking Me Home" (Live in London 2018) | previously unreleased | 5:20 |
32. | "Dick Around" | Hello Young Lovers | 6:35 |
33. | "I Can’t Believe That You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song" | Exotic Creatures of the Deep | 3:54 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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34. | "Johnny Delusional" (performed by FFS) | FFS | |
35. | "Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me)" | Hippopotamus | 4:32 |
36. | "All That" | A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip | 4:44 |
37. | "The Number One Song In Heaven" (Live 2012) | Two Hands, One Mouth | 7:02 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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38. | "Computer Girl" | Past Tense – The Best of Sparks | 3:13 |
39. | "Hospitality On Parade" (Live At Fairfield Halls 1975) | previously unreleased | 5:25 |
40. | "What The Hell Is It This Time?" (Live In London 2018) | previously unreleased | 4:12 |
41. | "‘My Way’ / When Do I Get To Sing ‘My Way’" (Live in London 2018) | previously unreleased | 5:51 |
42. | "Amateur Hour" (Read by Neil Gaiman) | previously unreleased | 1:45 |