Have you ever heard of the song “Girl From Germany” or how about “Angst in my Pants”, “The Number One Song in Heaven” or even “When Do I Get to Sing ‘My Way’” by the brother duo band Sparks? Maybe you have. I have not and nor did I know about the pop and rock band Sparks. Formed in 1967, director Edgar Wright is a true fanboy as his documentary explores one of the most underappreciated bands in the history of music.
Sparks has been around for 50 years, 25 albums, and has written 345 songs as the masterminds as older brother Ron Mael who is on the keyboard, has a deadpan personality, and sports an Adolf Hilter mustache as younger brother Russell Mael is on vocals.
The band has a unique, quirky, and strange sound as the film looks across five decades as Wright’s film is a very deep analysis and understanding of who the group is. The film could have been more of a mini-series that explored more about the brothers yet the runtime of two hours and 20 minutes gives audiences just enough of a history lesson learning how they impacted the music industry. However, despite the fact they look like a British band, they aren’t, they’re from southern California.
Ultimate fan Edgar Wright who is the brilliant mind and filmmaker of such films as Baby Driver, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and Shaun of the Dead, directs his first-ever documentary that is a passion project. The Sparks brothers have made an impressionable impact on the world of the European market. Wright’s film has energy and style throughout the documentary as he strives to make audiences new fans or bring back old fans. Wright makes audiences feel welcomed as he also serves as the narrator. Wright comes off as if he’s their friend suggesting to check them out as he keeps audiences captivated throughout the film.
Wright’s film isn’t just a straightforward documentary, as he strives to make the film different from other documentaries. The film features various forms of animation such as stop-motion, fast-paced editing while unique editing techniques are used as the film features lots of archival material of old photos and videos of the Mael’s lives. The band has stayed to themselves as the brothers gained fans over the years including Paul McCarthy and John Lennon. The film also includes appearances from Beck, Fred Armisen, Mike Meyers, Jack Antonoff, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Flea, Patton Oswald, Jason Schwartzman, and more as many have admired and were influenced by the Mael brothers for years.
The Go-Go’s’ Jane Wiedlin also appears in the documentary who collaborated on the hit 1983 song, “Cool Places” and even had a little fling with Russell Mael.
The band is still going strong as The Sparks Brothers have no intentions of stopping or slowing down anytime soon.
Their upcoming film Annette is an original story they wrote along with the director of the film Leos Carax. The film will also feature music and songs by the Mael brothers as it will be the opening film at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Nonetheless, the Mael’s have a creative passion for experimental art and want to continue to inspire and create. Wright’s film is the ultimate quirky and loving documentary truly dedicated to the form of art-pop.
