I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The film takes a three-pronged approach. First, there are interviews done in contemporary time, with the three principals of Rush, and well-known musicians who admire them, or were influenced by them. Second, there are interviews with family, handlers, and music industry associates. Third, there are many archival clips of live performances of Rush.Their growth from getting their first radio play in Cleveland to being well-known was quite engaging; the first hour slipped by quickly, going from nowhere to the album Moving Pictures. Then the issue of dealing with fame started to come in. Fan interaction rose strongly. Alex and Geddy were fine with that, but Neil was more of a private person and avoids interactions.The band's character and their fans' characteristics are compared in lots of detail. Neil was the principal lyricist, and his special talent seems to be reflecting his deep literacy in terms that just about anyone can understand. Further, their music tends to be complex, yet still accessible.In the eighties, the group switched producer and instruments toward synthesizers, electronic drumsets, and keyboards. They trended toward shorter songs with less complexity, less bass, and more keyboard. Some of their fans drifted away, many others did not.As one of their industry admirers put it, there were different periods of Rush, and that is one of the things that makes them interesting. Toward the end of the eighties, they switched producers again, and went back into being a 'power trio' again, but in the current context.Around 1997, Neil's daughter died in an accident, and his wife passed from illness not too long after. He embarked on a long trip on motorcycle (55k miles). The band shutdown while Neil healed.When Neil returned, there was a period of getting his chops back. They recorded a new album; they went on the road again. The band was rejuvenated, and traveled to places where they had ever been before, to large audiences. In the 21st century, some of their fans from the seventies celebrate them: the makers of South Park and Steven Colbert, for instance.Up to the time the documentary was made, the band was going strong. As Geddy said at one point, Rush is the world's most popular cult band.-----Scores-----Cinematography: 9/10 Nicely done. The archival footage clips look like the eras they came from, but the current interviews looks sharp and well-produced.Sound: 10/10 Seldom disappoints. I wish there had been more concert footage, but the exposition was too good to be omitted.Acting: z/10 Not really applicable here.Screenplay: 10/10 Well-organised, well-presented, and rich in the level of information that it presents.

I'm going to my first Rush concert next month with a self-confessed Rush nerd so I have been busy educating myself about the band. My friend gave me this highly entertaining and informative documentary about them.It is a quite conventional documentary. The band members tell the story of how they met and how the band was formed. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson were High School friends in Toronto with similar backgrounds with European immigrant parents. Even now it is clear that they are very close and they jokingly still refer to Neil Peart as the "new guy".Rare footage is included of the band at a Toronto high School gig with original drummer John Rutsey.The replacement of Rutsey with Peart is discussed, followed by unexpected success in the mid seventies. They talk about their various albums, admitting some were better than others. The notoriously reserved Peart also discusses the death of his daughter and wife in a very short period of time and how he recovered enough to be able to rejoin the band. Various musicians such as Jimmy Corgan and Jack Black explain why they like Rush.There are also interviews with fans, explaining how the band appeals to them. The DVD special features include live songs from various concerts throughout their career and Lee and Lifeson revisting some of their old haunts in suburban Toronto.Although Rush never seems to have had great credibility in the mainstream rock & roll media they have a huge number of fans. This movie tries to explain that and I think it succeeds. It also gives us an insight into the life stories of three serious but down to earth musicians. The band members are refreshingly honest and apparently lacking in ego so it is easy to like them.

A documentary about the epic career of Canadian rock trio Rush, who formed in 1968, have had the same lineup since 1974, and are still touring and recording thirty-six years and nineteen albums later.First, an objectivity disclaimer - Rush are probably my favourite band, so I guess I'm maybe not the best person to review this informative and amusing biography of their contribution to rock music. There are certainly a lot of intriguing questions to ask - why are they not better known, given that they've had more consecutive gold records than anyone bar The Beatles and The Rolling Stones ? How did they manage to stay together so long ? How have they have retained such an original sound despite almost constant change and progression in their musical style ? Why don't girls like them ? The film is a conventional but agreeable mix of interviews, performance footage and comments from key collaborators and some of the many artists they've influenced (Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins is particularly insightful). What's especially nice for Rush fans is that there's plenty of rare material (such as a home movie of a teenage Alex) and lengthy discussions with all three, including the notoriously camera-shy Neil. Whether you like Rush or not, the specific niche they've created is interesting. They're full-on rockers but they are neither tattooed hedonists nor art college politicos. They're consummate musicians and entertainers, but they don't seem to be in the least bit motivated by fame, popularity or wealth. They've never really had any kind of media profile and yet ever show they play is sold out. To borrow a phrase from Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, who are those guys ? Their music seems totally unique to me but I don't think I can really explain why, it's just something I feel in my heart. The documentary (and the band itself) isn't afraid to poke fun at their nerdy image, fashion blunders and frequent savaging by the music press, but it also showcases their originality, commitment to what they do and respect for their audience. For a band who can often be labelled pretentious, that's really the one thing they never are, and that's what comes across here. If I have one criticism, it's the pacing - inevitably for such a long-lived act, it's hard to devote time to all their work and the mid-to-late period (encompassing albums like Hold Your Fire or Roll The Bones) suffer very brief analysis. Engagingly filmed by Banger Productions' Dunn and McFadyen, who also made the equally enjoyable Iron Maiden: Flight 666. I saw this in my local arts cinema and the small venue was packed with Rush addicts enjoying every moment, and that kind of sums this band up - you either totally get what they're doing or you just can't see it, there's no middle ground. If you're any kind of rock fan at all, and especially if you don't know Rush, don't miss this terrific little flick. From the point of conception to the moment of truth, at the point of surrender to the burden of proof, from the point of ignition to the final drive the point of the journey is not to arrive ...

I have been a fan of this band since I was 14 years old. I first saw them live at Madison Square Garden in NYY (1981). My two older brothers introduced me to Rush and I have loved them since.This film / documentary chronicles the band from their very beginnings to today. If you are a Rush fan or if you want to learn about a band from Canada that has influenced so many other bands around the world you need to check out this film.Check it out just to listen to their music.A band from Toronto with a song called YYZ, can you ask for anything more!