The Sparks Brothers

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The Sparks Brothers
The Sparks Brothers Sundance poster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEdgar Wright
Produced by
  • Nira Park
  • Edgar Wright
  • George Hencken
  • Laura Richardson
Starring
CinematographyJake Polonsky
Edited byPaul Trewartha
Production
companies
  • MRC
  • Complete Fiction Pictures
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 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]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.1 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 Giorgio Moroder 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; TV producer Jonathan Ross; rock journalist Paul Morley; and actors such as Jason Schwartzman 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 95% based on 150 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]

References[]

  1. ^ "The Sparks Brothers". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  2. ^ "The Sparks Brothers". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  3. ^ "The Sparks Brothers". The Numbers. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  4. ^ Sharf, Zack (June 21, 2018). "Edgar Wright's Next Film Is a Documentary on Cult Pop-Rock Band Sparks — Exclusive". IndieWire. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  5. ^ Trumbone, Dave (June 21, 2018). "Edgar Wright to Tackle 70s Cult Band "Sparks" in New Documentary". Collider. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  6. ^ Raup, Jordan (April 25, 2020). "95% of the Dialogue in Leos Carax's 'Annette' Will Be Sung; Was Set to Premiere at Cannes". The Film Stage. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  7. ^ Debruge, Peter (December 15, 2020). "Sundance Film Festival Lineup Features 38 First-Time Directors, Including Rebecca Hall and Robin Wright". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  8. ^ Willman, Chris (January 28, 2021). "Edgar Wright's 'The Sparks Brothers' Gives Cult Rock Icons Their Due". Variety. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  9. ^ Hoffman, Jordan (February 1, 2021). "'The Sparks Brothers' review: Edgar Wright's electric portrait of the pop duo". The Guardian. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  10. ^ Scheck, Frank (February 1, 2021). "'The Sparks Brothers': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  11. ^ "Focus Features Acquires Edgar Wright's Hit Sundance Documentary The Sparks Brothers From MRC Non-Fiction". Focus Features. February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  12. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 23, 2021). "Focus Features Picks Up Edgar Wright's MRC Documentary 'The Sparks Brothers' – Sundance". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  13. ^ Kohn, Eric; Erbland, Kate (February 10, 2021). "SXSW 2021 Announces Full Feature Film Lineup, All Available for Online Viewing". IndieWire. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  14. ^ Hipes, Patrick (March 19, 2021). "Edgar Wright's 'The Sparks Brothers' Gets Summer U.S. Release Date In Theaters". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  15. ^ "The Sparks Brothers". Film Distributors Association. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  16. ^ "It was easy opening weekend".
  17. ^ "The Sparks Brothers (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  18. ^ "The Sparks Brothers - Critic Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 12, 2021.

External links[]

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