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The Sparks Brothers

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The Sparks Brothers
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 30, 2021 (2021-07-30) (United Kingdom)
Running time
140 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.2 million[2][3]

The Sparks Brothers is a 2021 British-American documentary film about Ron and Russell Mael, members of the pop and rock duo Sparks. The film, directed by Edgar Wright, and produced by Wright, Nira Park, George Hencken and Laura Richardson, premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and was theatrically released the following summer. It received critical acclaim.

Summary

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The documentary features lengthy interviews with Ron and Russell Mael, along with short interviews with musicians, record producers who collaborated with the band, previous members of the group who worked with the Maels in the various Sparks line-ups from the early 1970s until the early 2020s, as well as a number of fans. The documentary also includes several short animation sequences to reproduce apocryphal anecdotes between musicians with the participation of comedians and frequent Wright collaborators Simon Pegg (as the voice of John Lennon) and Nick Frost (as the voice of Ringo Starr).

Participants

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Production

[edit]

In June 2018, it was announced 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]

Soundtrack

[edit]
The Sparks Brothers
Soundtrack album by
Sparks
ReleasedMarch 2022 (2022-03)
LabelWaxwork
Producer
Sparks chronology
Annette
(2021) 		The Sparks Brothers
(2022) 		The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
(2023)

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

Track listing

[edit]
Side A
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Sparks Documentary Film Fanfare"previously unreleased0:50
2."This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us"Plagiarism4:03
3."Fa La Fa Lee"Halfnelson/Sparks2:54
4."Slowboat"Halfnelson/Sparks3:55
5."Wonder Girl"Halfnelson/Sparks2:21
6."Girl From Germany"A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing3:29
7."Talent Is An Asset"Kimono My House3:21
Side B
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
8."This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us"Kimono My House3:05
9."Amateur Hour"Kimono My House3:37
10."Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth"Propaganda2:28
11."Something For The Girl With Everything"Propaganda2:16
12."Get In The Swing"Indiscreet4:08
13."Under The Table With Her"Indiscreet2:19
14."Everybody's Stupid"Big Beat3:40
Side C
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
15."Those Mysteries"Introducing Sparks5:01
16."La Dolce Vita"No. 1 in Heaven5:54
17."Beat The Clock"No. 1 in Heaven4:24
18."The Number One Song In Heaven" (7" Version)No. 1 in Heaven3:51
Side D
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
19."When I'm With You"Terminal Jive5:49
20."Tips For Teens"Whomp That Sucker3:33
21."Angst In My Pants"Angst in My Pants3:29
22."I Predict"Angst In My Pants2:54
23."Cool Places" (with Jane Wiedlin)In Outer Space3:25
24."I Wish I Looked A Little Better"In Outer Space2:59
Side E
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
25."Change"Music That You Can Dance To5:21
26."Music That You Can Dance To"Music That You Can Dance To4:24
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 Violins4:37
29."Balls"Balls4:24
Side F
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
30."The Rhythm Thief"Lil' Beethoven5:19
31."My Baby’s Taking Me Home" (Live in London 2018)previously unreleased5:20
32."Dick Around"Hello Young Lovers6:35
33."I Can’t Believe That You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song"Exotic Creatures of the Deep3:54
Side G
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
34."Johnny Delusional" (performed by FFS)FFS3:11
35."Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me)"Hippopotamus4:32
36."All That"A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip4:44
37."The Number One Song In Heaven" (Live 2012)Two Hands, One Mouth7:02
Side H
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
38."Computer Girl"Past Tense – The Best of Sparks3:13
39."Hospitality On Parade" (Live At Fairfield Halls 1975)previously unreleased5:25
40."What The Hell Is It This Time?" (Live In London 2018)previously unreleased4:12
41."‘My Way’ / When Do I Get To Sing ‘My Way’" (Live in London 2018)previously unreleased5:51
42."Amateur Hour" (Read by Neil Gaiman)previously unreleased1:45

Release

[edit]

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

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In the United States, the film made $107,225 on its opening Friday and $89,652 on its second weekend. It 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

[edit]

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]

References

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  1. ^ "The Sparks Brothers". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 15, 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ "The Sparks Brothers". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  3. ^ "The Sparks Brothers". The Numbers. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. 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. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  5. ^ Trumbone, Dave (June 21, 2018). "Edgar Wright to Tackle 70s Cult Band "Sparks" in New Documentary". Collider. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. 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. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. 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. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  8. ^ Willman, Chris (January 28, 2021). "Edgar Wright's 'The Sparks Brothers' Gives Cult Rock Icons Their Due". Variety. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. 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. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  10. ^ Scheck, Frank (February 1, 2021). "'The Sparks Brothers': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. 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. Archived from the original on February 28, 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. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. 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. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. 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. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  15. ^ "The Sparks Brothers". Film Distributors Association. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  16. ^ "It was easy opening weekend". Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  17. ^ "The Sparks Brothers (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  18. ^ "The Sparks Brothers - Critic Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
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