Let me say, first of all, that I'm not a huge Replacements fan. I like their music, but for me, they were just another good Minneapolis band (and I heard a lot of them). I liked this film, and I think that it succeeded on its own terms for the most part. According to the director, this is the film that he wanted to make. He didn't need, or even want, The Replacements in the movie -- not even in interviews. That was his choice, and as far as it went, I think he made it work. But ultimately, it's unsatisfying. There are points when you really would like to see the incidents being described -- to take one obvious example, the SNL appearance. It eventually seems kind of perverse to make a film about The Replacements that you don't see any of the band members in, on stage or in interview (although it seems in keeping with the 'Mats ethos, I guess).
What bothered me more than the absence of any performances or other input from the band, though, were some odd omissions. The film asserts that Bob Stinson's death at the age of 35 was not due to a drug overdose -- and says nothing more. So, he died of natural causes? The film doesn't say. (Years of drug and alcohol abuse eventually killed him. How hard is that to say?)
The film does not explain why Peter Jesperson, their manager, who did more than anyone else to make their careers, was fired. The film does not explain why Chris Mars was fired just before the band's final tour. And the film basically ignores Bob "Slim" Dunlap, who replaced Bob Stinson. According to this film, Bob Stinson was the spark plug who powered the band, and after his departure, the band sucked. That may or may not be true, but Bob Dunlap should have been accorded at least some respect. He was considered a member of The Replacements, although you'd never know it from this film. Unless I missed something, no one said his name, and you only saw it twice onscreen. The film actually went into (slightly) more detail about Steve Foley joining the band! That's just wrong. To me, that shows that the director went into the project with the idea that the original Replacements were the Real Deal, and everything after that was crap. If I'm wrong, why completely ignore Bob "Slim" Dunlap?
What bothered me more than the absence of any performances or other input from the band, though, were some odd omissions. The film asserts that Bob Stinson's death at the age of 35 was not due to a drug overdose -- and says nothing more. So, he died of natural causes? The film doesn't say. (Years of drug and alcohol abuse eventually killed him. How hard is that to say?)
The film does not explain why Peter Jesperson, their manager, who did more than anyone else to make their careers, was fired. The film does not explain why Chris Mars was fired just before the band's final tour. And the film basically ignores Bob "Slim" Dunlap, who replaced Bob Stinson. According to this film, Bob Stinson was the spark plug who powered the band, and after his departure, the band sucked. That may or may not be true, but Bob Dunlap should have been accorded at least some respect. He was considered a member of The Replacements, although you'd never know it from this film. Unless I missed something, no one said his name, and you only saw it twice onscreen. The film actually went into (slightly) more detail about Steve Foley joining the band! That's just wrong. To me, that shows that the director went into the project with the idea that the original Replacements were the Real Deal, and everything after that was crap. If I'm wrong, why completely ignore Bob "Slim" Dunlap?