'Beasite Boys Story' You Gotta Ch-Check It Out
Delivering another much-needed vessel to the nostalgia machine amidst an abysmal year of hopelessness, Spike Jonze brings the audience back to Gen X's childhood in a consistently entertaining documentary about the evolution of music. "Beastie Boys Story" presents the times of underground punk rock, rap, and hip hop to the mainstream audience that defined music indefinitely through a picture that's brutally honest and tragically somber. Listening to the Beastie Boys' origins reminded me of popping in my burnt CD with "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)," blaring through the windows or Beavis and Butthead head raving to " So What'cha Want." Spike Jonez's newest flick isn't a mere longing for the past but is more like the best educational course in music you could provide to your kids.
With a two-person live show, Mike Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) reminisce their tale of stardom through a series of expertly crafted videos projected behind them in front of a broad audience. The camaraderie between the boys is infectious. You can tell by Spike's various intentional mistakes behind the booth, the banter between the guys, and their enthusiasm for their friends, Mike and Adam have been through it all together. Watching the band's evolution is fascinating since it's a personal account from the subjects themselves being told straight to their admirers. There's no Lifetime movie Network or E True Hollywood Story factory-made aesthetic to it. This biopic feels organic, never relying on a mundane narrator to tell a flat story about some popular band from thirty years ago. One person (in this case, two) performance autobiographical shows work because of their personal bias. You see things from that individual's world view rendering it far more personal than whatever you'll find on basic cable.
In 2020 The Beastie Boys are now men in their 50s. Being aware of their age, with the inclusion of a tragic death, the guys decided that continuing to perform would look stupid. With nothing to lose, the boys are free to say whatever they want. Whether it be about Rick (no shoes) Ruben stabbing them in the back or Russel Simmons demanding more than what was possible or creatively healthy, revelations are made regarding distinguished figures that's refreshing to hear. These details aren't tacky bits of innuendo meant to slander others' names out of spite; they're just plain facts presented bluntly from the performers that were caught in the whirlwind of an evolving industry when they were just kids. If you're familiar with The Beastie Boys' music, you'll probably be fascinated when indulging upon the specificities of their journey to notoriety. The amount of artistic experimentation that the late Adam Yauch (MCA) incorporated into the band was astonishing. The myth of the musician being dumb can easily be dismantled when learning about the genius that was his mind.
For a musical documentary, there's much to learn from Spike Jonez's film, like the need to be creative. Watching this movie will make you want to start experimenting. It'll make you want to grab that instrument, or piece of paper so you can start creating. There's an insatiable thirst for artistry that's inescapable in this picture, which permeates through Mike and Adam's loving tribute to their friend. Even with the bands "in your face" attitude, the movie ends with a mournful, genuinely moving goodbye to Adam Yaugh. I don't think a friend could have asked for a better eulogy with the world understanding just how brilliant Adam truly was. You'll feel like you've actually known these men for years when reaching the picture's conclusion. The expedition to maturity is a road not quickly taken, yet the remaining Beastie Boys have walked that path with seamless grace.
Most artists appear decrepit when approaching their later years. Viewing Bob Dylan perform these days is like watching a corpse play on puppet strings. Worse yet, many musicians arrive on television at 3 am, begging you to buy their old record. Although not quite at that age, The Beastie Boys have taken their story towards a spectacular cinematic venue that anyone who's an artist or has artistic intentions would be foolish to miss
