Sundance 2021 Review: The Sparks Brothers- “Funny and touching”

The Sparks Brothers (2021) is a documentary film. It was directed by Edgar Wright.

Ron and Russell Mael are a pair of siblings who grew up just outside of Los Angeles, CA. Eventually, they formed a band called Halfnelson. Russell sings, and Ron plays piano. Ron also writes all the music and lyrics. The band is talented enough to attract the attention of a record label, and musician Todd Rundgren, who, in 1971, produced their self-titled first album.

When the album didn’t sell, spirits were low, but the passion still burned brightly. The band ditched the name Halfnelson, choosing to re-brand themselves “Sparks.” With a new band name, and a new producer the band released their second album A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing in 1973. When that album failed to make the splash in America that they had intended it to, Russell and Ron ditched the rest of the band, moved to the U.K., and re-re-branded themselves musically.

The following year, with a new backing band, Sparks released Kimono My House. A record that not only did gangbusters on the UK charts, but was beloved by critics as well. Sparks were finally a hit. Finally in a place where they were free to concentrate on their art, and not worry about maintaining a roof over their heads, the brothers Mael flourished.

Sparks are hands down one of the greatest bands in all of modern music. They have continued to re-brand, and re-invent themselves over and over ever since day one. To this day, they are still writing and recording, and are more popular and successful than ever. And yet, the name Sparks remains largely absent from the popular consciousness. Enter: Edgar Wright.

As some of the advertising for the film suggests, Sparks are your favorite band’s favorite band. Musicians, crate-diggers and music nerds know who they are, but for a band that have released over 20 albums and have been cutting records for 50 years, they have not achieved the kind of pop-cultural immortality of others who have been as influential and have equally as storied a career.

Edgar Wright aims to fix that with his first foray into documentary features The Sparks Brothers. Over the course of two plus hours, Wright goes over every single album Sparks has released to date. Beginning with the childhood experiences of the Mael brothers, the film covers everything from their time experimenting in a series of different bands while in college to their most recent LP, Hippopotamus.

The film meticulously covers every reinvention, every genre conquered, every success, and every defeat throughout their lengthy career. Through a series of archival clips, interviews with the brothers themselves, and a litany of noteworthy individuals, the film catalogs the Sparks journey with enthusiasm, love and wit.

There are those who might think that the exhaustive nature of the mountain of material featured in the film is excessive or unnecessary. To those who would say that, I would respond that they must not be fans of the band. For anyone who actually knows, and likes the band going into the film, there can’t possibly be enough information.

A huge part of what has made Sparks so beloved over the years, has been their wit and their intelligence. Sparks is a terribly funny band when they want to be. This does not mean that they are a comedy or novelty act. Nor does it mean that their music is trivial or not to be taken seriously. On the contrary. Musically, Sparks are a force to be reckoned with. They also happen to be incredibly smart and incredibly funny.

As a result, the film is very funny as well. The interviews with the brothers themselves are both illuminating, and humorous. While there are sad moments in the film, documentaries that celebrate something wonderful and bright are uncommon compared to those that take a deep dive into some kind of human tragedy, or exist as a signpost warning us of some horrible thing that awaits us. Too often documentaries are somber affairs that promote introspection, and/or act as a call-to-arms to affect some kind of global or social change.

Instead, The Sparks Brothers is a cinematic carnival barker. Shouting at every movie-goer that walks past that the greatest act they’ve never seen is right here in this tent, and there are plenty of seats. It warmly invites people who are not fans, or not even aware of the band to come inside, grab a cocktail, and be welcomed into the Sparks family. For the uninitiated, there might have been a lot that you’ve already missed, but starting late is better than not starting at all. The film presents the material in a way that is not confusing, but rather in a way that anybody who watches the film will leave with a firm grasp of the history of the band, and what era of their discography seems like the best place for them to start.

For fans of the band, both casual and die-hard, The Sparks Brothers is equally rewarding. It is a treasure trove of stories and memories that can only serve to deepen one’s appreciation for this band. Even if you already knew the entire Sparks story, you’ve never heard it told by the brothers themselves in this way. Nor has there ever been a more comprehensive montage of interviews with tons of the coolest artists and the coolest bands, all getting personal about the whens, wheres, and whys of their love for Sparks.

It is indeed an impressive collection of musical and cinematic luminaries that Wright has assembled for this film. I tend to believe that as Wright’s fare has made a very positive impression on his fellow artists, and that he has a lot of friends in the industry. I can only imagine that when he put the word out that he was putting together a documentary about Sparks, his voicemail must have exploded with folks hitting him up to say they wanted to be a part of it.

Hearing so many musicians and artists tell their Sparks stories really helps put into perspective just how influential this band has been, and how record sales and chart-topping hits aren’t necessarily what it takes to be successful in the music industry. That for the precious few that have the talent, and that create art, not to generate hit or sales, but to satisfy their creative urges, success can only really be defined by how true you are to yourself; to your own artistic ideals.

It is true, having the kind of successes Sparks have had over the years has enabled them to keep on truckin’ through the times where the conventional successes were not as readily available. However, had their sole quest been to chase those successes that come from without themselves, rather than within, they could in no way be considered as successful as they are today. If the only metric by which the world judged success was by how much cash someone brings in, this would be a fucked up, bullshit world. A world where Disney’s Star Wars would rule even more supremely than it already does. This is not a world in which I would want to live.

Thank God Sparks has had the successes that they have had. They are the kind of band that helps keep life worth living. They are a band that one can look to in dark times; in the times when keeping the razor from your wrist is becoming an insurmountable challenge, and be reminded that, hey, not everything sucks. There is some justice in the world. There are some things that are inexcusably right, when the entire world seems wrong. And until the universe rips them from our ever-tightening embrace, they will be right here, right by our side. Stepping in between the razor and the wrist, whenever it is needed. A lot of people in this world take art for granted. For those of us that don’t, Sparks will always be there.

Ironically, in making so personal a film about the brothers Mael, Edgar Wright has made a personal film about himself as well. His love and admiration for Sparks shines through in every moment of the film. In particular, the ones which he spent time with the brothers themselves. Fans of Wright’s work are well aware that he has a particular set of humorous sensibilities. That is a huge part of how his work has managed to carve out the niche that is has. He is a singular director, with a very pronounced style and vision. Something that could be stated equally about Sparks. The connection becomes clear when one watches The Sparks Brothers. Wright grew up on these records. Their sense of humor informed his sense of humor. Their sense of style and flash informed his sense of style and flash. While in no way directly responsible, there would have been no Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004) without Sparks. At least not as it was.

By painting such a clear and thorough portrait of Sparks, Wright is also telling the audience something about himself. When he turned his sights onto documentary, certainly, he could have made it about anyone or anything he wanted to. He chose Sparks. That’s huge. By making a film about somebody else, he has made a film that is as personally confessional as any one of his films. Possibly more so.

My personal feelings about the band are likely having an artificially inflating influence on my opinion of the film. So be forewarned, for those who are stonier of heart when it comes to bands, or documentaries, or even this band specifically, their rating of this film might not be as high as mine. Now that this disclosure has been made, I can say without hesitation that I absolutely adored this film. I know of few other bands whose careers haven’t ended in tragedy or self-destruction that deserve a film of this caliber, this badly.

The Sparks Brothers is an entertaining, comprehensive documentary. It is as funny and touching as it is informative and surprising. Although those platitudes don’t really seem to do it justice. It is an inspirational story of triumph over adversity. It is a breath of fresh air in a world that seems to be choking on its own anti-intellectualism. Making a career as an artist is an absolute bitch. It is a path that is fraught with self-doubt and self-recrimination. Finding success as an artist is one of the most elusive goals known to humans.

If success is found, it is almost a bigger bitch to maintain it. The more successful something becomes, the more the forces that stand to make money from it tug at the edges, until it all falls apart, the artist no longer being able to find which way is up. The Sparks Brothers is the story of an artistic team, between whom no amount of money or success could insert itself. It is a testament to the power of art, and to the importance of doing what you know is right. No matter how much your record label tells you it isn’t, the best thing you can do as an artist is stick to your guns, and create art for yourself.

Now that we have The Sparks Brothers, you don’t need to take that on faith. Russell and Ron have already shown you the way.