Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll

This is a concert/documentary film celebrating the 60th birthday of rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry. The film is a mix of biographical history on Berry, testimonials from his contemporaries, rehearsals leading up to the big show, and finally the concert celebration featuring Berry, a back-up band headed by Keith Richards, and guest vocals from a variety of artists, such as Eric Clapton, Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, Robert Cray, and Julian Lennon.

The testimonials include Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Willie Dixon, the Everly Brothers, and Bruce Springsteen. The film is informative on the history of Berry and rock and roll music in general, and is also at times uncomfortable as we see just how moody Berry can be, especially to Keith Richards, who seems almost at the end of his rope (but doesn't he always?). The concert is good, even if Berry occasionally confounds his bandmates with unexpected key changes and sometimes sloppy musicianship (much to Richards' chagrin). Old school rock fans will love it, and even those who generally don't care for this kind of music will find some interest in the history and the larger-than-life character of Chuck Berry.