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Title: Brand: A Second Coming (2015)
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| Credited cast: | |||
| Russell Brand | ... | Himself | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Simon Amstell | ... | Himself | |
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Andrew Antonio | ... | Himself |
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Barbara Brand | ... | Herself |
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Ron Brand | ... | Himself |
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Elia Diaz | ... | Herself |
| Shepard Fairey | ... | Himself | |
| Noel Gallagher | ... | Himself | |
| David Lynch | ... | Himself | |
| Stephen Merchant | ... | Himself | |
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Matt Morgan | ... | Himself |
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John Noel | ... | Himself |
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James Ohene-Djan | ... | Himself |
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Noreen Oliver | ... | Herself |
| Jeremy Paxman | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
Follows comedian/author/activist Russell Brand as he dives headlong into drugs, sex & fame in an attempt to find happiness, only to realize that our culture feeds us bad ideas & empty idols. Through his stand up, Brand explores his own true icons - Gandhi, Che Guevara, Malcolm X & Jesus Christ- & evolves from addict & Hollywood star to an unexpected political disruptor & newfound hero to the underserved. Will Brand hold fast against the roar of criticism to break out of the very system that built him? Written by Ondi Timoner
STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
Filmmaker Omni Timoner chronicles Russell Brand's meteoric rise to fame in this little publicized documentary, from his fractured childhood with his wayward father and cancer stricken mother, to his commute to London to seek fame and fortune, and the whirlwind of mania his unrestrained, egotistical persona generated when this dream came true, with repeated scandals that ultimately only propelled his career further, before making his mark on America, and marrying pop star Katy Perry, before his more recent attempts to start an anti capitalist revolution.
With the film roles becoming less frequent (or certainly less publicized) Brand now appears to have turned his hand to documentary film making, or at least documentaries where he is the subject, such as this self aggrandizing narrative. I obviously wasn't sufficiently interested to get round to catching his wealth disparity doco The Emporor's New Clothes, and so for what appears to be a similarly marketed second feature, I was expecting something alike.
With at least two autobiographies and endless media exposure, Brand's chart to fame and personal life have already been well exposed to any of his fans who lap up the celebrity culture he purports to despise yet over the years has become intrinsically a part of, and so this insight at the start of the film pretty much covers common ground. It's a less satisfying departure from the personal mission he was exploring in the last film, and for a self confessed egotist to see his life story documented in such a way, the feeling of self indulgence is a little too much to take.
It leaves you unable to comment personally on Brand's skills as a documentarian, and whether he can convey his social message in a truly engaging light, but this missold effort leaves you a little short changed. **