Cameron Crowe might just be the biggest Pearl Jam fan in the world, making him potentially both the best and worst person to helm a documentary about the band. The celebrated director of Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire was one of the group’s most vocal early supporters during his time writing for Rolling Stone magazine, but his admirable enthusiasm threatens to blind him to a few unavoidable truths.
Pearl Jam are a fine band, and they do what they do very well, but the previously uninformed viewer could be forgiven for thinking they’re the natural successors to The Beatles, such is the dizzyingly high pedestal upon which Crowe tends to place them. Having said that, his long friendship enables him to get closer to the group, even if some of their thoughts on dealing with fame are no different to countless other musicians.
Crowe is especially good when examining the Seattle grunge scene that spawned Pearl Jam, and footage of Eddie Vedder struggling for words on stage the night Kurt Cobain died is genuinely affecting. The film also offers intriguing insights into the group’s ongoing relationship with Neil Young, while live performance from throughout a 20-year career neatly chart their ascendancy.
