3.5 stars out of 5
Back in the summer, I saw the trailer for Searching for Sugar Man and thought, “I must see this movie.” The story was absolutely fascinating to me. Forty years ago, a U.S. musician named Rodriguez made a couple of albums that no one bought. He was promptly forgotten and then presumed dead. But not forgotten in South Africa, where he somehow became a superstar. And all these years later, it turns out… Rodriguez is alive.
Then I began searching for Searching for Sugar Man. Superstorm Sandy did everything it could to stop me from seeing this movie. I did have one previous opportunity, during one of my rare and challenging post-Sandy ventures into Manhattan. But my companion that day didn’t have a sweet tooth for Sugar Man.
Now we’re at the end of the year, and I’ve been trying to catch up on movies I missed. Looked up Sugar Man on one of the popular movie-listing websites. It was not showing within 10 miles. I widened the search. Twenty miles. Twenty-five miles. Fifty miles. Bingo! It was playing 35 miles away in an art-house theater I’d noticed in recent visits to Asbury Park, New Jersey. I impulsively drove down tonight.
Eh, I guess I could’ve waited another month and watched it on Netflix.
Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the movie. There’s a lot to like here. The story still completely intrigues me. The music is terrific. And the pre-Internet discovery of obscure music is an endlessly interesting topic for me. I just feel like, perhaps this should’ve been in the hands of a more skillful documentarian, to warrant it being a feature film.
We do get a nice contrast between the rough-and-tumble, permanently-winter Detroit where Rodriguez is based, and the sunny South Africa where he’s unknowingly become a legend. Interviews with former collaborators, South African mega-fans, and Rodriguez’s children are interesting but not really revelatory. There are no big shocks that weren’t in the trailer. If anything, I was left with some questions. If the mystery was solved 15 years ago, why are we just getting this movie now? Has rediscovered Rodriguez attempted, or at least been pressured, to record any new music? I feel like with more intrepid researchers and a more artful director, this good documentary could’ve been as great as the source material.
I will give a bonus review of the theater itself. Last time I visited Asbury Park, the ShowRoom theater was on the south side of Cookman Avenue. Now it’s in a cool new space on the north side of the street. They’ve only been open there about three weeks. (Sandy delayed their opening.) The two employees behind the counter couldn’t have been friendlier. The theater I was in (one of three) had only about 15 seats in it, but they were big comfy chairs like a private screening room. It had a very “living room” feel to it and I got the sense that real movie lovers are running the place. I wish them all the luck in the world and if you find yourself in Asbury Park, consider dropping by!
But there aren’t any more intrepid researchers and a more artful directors left. Only Mr and Mrs Joe Schmoes trying to stay positive while working their slow clock-watching jobs, if they’re lucky to have one. I always feel like a guiltless spoiled little boy when I sit in a big comfy chair. Tis wonderful.