The Sparks Brothers

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The Sparks Brothers
File:The Sparks Brothers Sundance poster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Edgar Wright
Produced by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Nira Park
  • Edgar Wright
  • George Hencken
  • Laura Richardson
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Cinematography Jake Polonsky
Edited by Paul Trewartha
Distributed by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Release dates
 <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • January 30, 2021 (2021-01-30) (Sundance)
  • June 18, 2021 (2021-06-18) (United States)
  • July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) (France)
  • July 30, 2021 (2021-07-30) (United Kingdom)
Running time
 140 minutes[1]
Country <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Language English
Box office $1.3 million[2][3]

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.

Summary

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 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).

Production

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]

Release

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]

Box office

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]

Critical response

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]

Soundtrack

The Sparks Brothers
Soundtrack album by Sparks
Released March 2022 (2022-03)
Label Waxwork Records
Producer
Sparks chronology
Annette
(2021)		 The Sparks Brothers
(2022)

A soundtrack album was release on 4-LP by Waxwork Records March 2022, as well as a Spotify playlist

Track listing

Side A
No. Title Original album Length
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
Side B
No. Title Original album Length
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
Side C
No. Title Original album Length
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
Side D
No. Title Original album Length
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
Side E
No. Title Original album Length
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
Side F
No. Title Original album Length
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
Side G
No. Title Original album Length
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
Side H
No. Title Original album Length
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

References

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External links

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