I had the good fortune of seeing this documentary while I was at the Toronto Film festival this year. I saw a bunch of movies at the festival but was never moved as much as I was by "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man."
I nodded my head when I read, weeks later, that Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman wrote that the film brought him to tears, because I too cried at several parts of the film.
I was on IMDb earlier this week when I happened upon the nasty review of this film (posted by a user on this site). While normally I don't post my opinions on these sorts of sitesI thought it appropriate in this case to clarify that the hybrid concert movie/biopic works very well and that neither part takes away from the other. Instead they fuse something new and, in fact, quite effective.
I felt that having the privilege of hearing Leonard comment on his own music and life while also having the chance to hear a younger generation of talented musicians sing some of my favorite Cohen songs was a rare and precious experience. The film-making only enhanced and streamlined that experience.
Moreover, seeing Leonard with U2 was fun and unexpected. Leaving the film with a sweet rather than bitter aftertaste. I find Leonard's humor to be his strongest asset in trying to make the sublime translatable. In that sense I thought that this oft emotionally evocative documentary managed to be as funny and light as it was serious and dramatic. U2 was an out of the ordinary touch but one that made audiences realize that even big rock-stars revere and admire the trailblazers before them. Moreover, Bono and The Edge speak eloquently and beautifully about Mr. Cohen.
In the end, "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" is a gem of a film. I will be seeing it again when it comes to theaters or on DVD. It made me think about art, life, music and fitting tributes. This is indeed a fitting tribute to a great man.
I nodded my head when I read, weeks later, that Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman wrote that the film brought him to tears, because I too cried at several parts of the film.
I was on IMDb earlier this week when I happened upon the nasty review of this film (posted by a user on this site). While normally I don't post my opinions on these sorts of sitesI thought it appropriate in this case to clarify that the hybrid concert movie/biopic works very well and that neither part takes away from the other. Instead they fuse something new and, in fact, quite effective.
I felt that having the privilege of hearing Leonard comment on his own music and life while also having the chance to hear a younger generation of talented musicians sing some of my favorite Cohen songs was a rare and precious experience. The film-making only enhanced and streamlined that experience.
Moreover, seeing Leonard with U2 was fun and unexpected. Leaving the film with a sweet rather than bitter aftertaste. I find Leonard's humor to be his strongest asset in trying to make the sublime translatable. In that sense I thought that this oft emotionally evocative documentary managed to be as funny and light as it was serious and dramatic. U2 was an out of the ordinary touch but one that made audiences realize that even big rock-stars revere and admire the trailblazers before them. Moreover, Bono and The Edge speak eloquently and beautifully about Mr. Cohen.
In the end, "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" is a gem of a film. I will be seeing it again when it comes to theaters or on DVD. It made me think about art, life, music and fitting tributes. This is indeed a fitting tribute to a great man.