Review: Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (***)

METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): ***


With the help of their half-a-million-dollars-a-year therapist, the members
of the legendary rock group Metallica get in touch with their inner demons
in order to produce a killer album. The documentary METALLICA: SOME KIND OF
MONSTER, a must-see for Metallica fans, chronicles the group's comeback from
a multi-year creative abyss into the production of a CD that becomes another
monster hit for them.



A band once called "Alcoholica" in ridicule of their "hard-partying ways,"
it is now made up of guys who guzzle bottled water like it's, well, water
and take time off to play with their kids. Even if you didn't know that the
group has sold over ninety million albums since it was formed two decades
ago and even if you've never knowingly listened to their music -- both
statements would describe me perfectly -- you'll find the film fun and
fascinating nonetheless.



The movie is composed of intertwined group therapy encounters, jam sessions
and archival footage. Phil Towle is the therapist who tries to soothe and
inspire the group's massive egos, most especially the battle of wills
between band members Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield. To be fair, most of
Lars and James's anger appears to have occurred in the past and the
arguments frequently dissolve into rehashes of old ego clashes when they
were both younger and drunker. Not long after the start of the documentary,
James goes off for a long stay at a rehab clinic for his alcoholism. When
he returns, his doctor only allows him to work four hours a day, which
causes noticeable friction in the band.



Although frequently funny, the movie ultimately works or not based on the
music. And, even for non-fans, the music turns out to be quite inviting and
invigorating.



METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER runs unnecessarily long at 2:20. It is not
rated but would be an R for language and very brief nudity and would be
acceptable for teenagers.



The film, which played at Sundance and various other film festivals, opens
nationwide in the United States on Friday, July 16, 2004. In the Silicon
Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.



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