Not Fade Away

I will confess I have mixed feelings about David Chase's film. As Rolling Stones put it, Its a love letter to rock and roll. Perhaps it was Chase's way of remembering his youth in the 60's. Its packed with an amazing cast. And the heart of this film is Rock'n Roll. But this film is all over the place when it comes to a story.

I found the characters complexed and interesting. I found the main character, Douglas (John Magaro) as a unique guy in Jersey wanting to be in a band. Oh, and there is Jack Huston as the guy with the band named Eugene.

John does know how to wear an Italian fro. Some of the time I thought of him as an angst Bob Dylan.

The hair and the fashion very important to this 60's flashback.

On one level its a film of nostalgia, filled with the pop culture of the 60's. There is also the dynamics of who is in the band and how they fuss about who'll do what and how. Yet there were things I could have done with out, like the younger sister's narration of the film.

Showing how the generation gap is ripped apart.

Bella Heathcote the beautiful muse who stole Douglas's heart.

I can't say the film had a concise story to it. Yet, there was a lot I enjoyed about this film. Especially if you love music.

Oh, the potential in these two. If only the director could have focused on these characters.

John Magaro did an excellent job playing Douglas, the protagonist, a young guy trying to realize his dream of becoming a musician along with his buddies in sixties New Jersey. Flawless performance, both singing and acting. He made the film watchable, as he was so watchable himself.
Jack Huston (the real reason why I went to see the film in the first place) didn’t disappoint either. He got the part which had to have been the most fun to play, and was certainly the most fun to watch, as a totally arrogant attention-whore of a guitarist. He managed to be funny without turning the character into a total buffoon or caricature.-C

Still, I would have loved to see... perhaps something unique in the story. Like an idea of what made Eugene tick. Expose more of his dark side. There could have been a love story between Douglas and Eugene. Perhaps unaware of what it really was. I thought a seasoned TV creator like Chase would come up with more plot in this film.

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