Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Tony Bush Chuck Berry only ever wrote one song and continued to re-write that one song for the length of his entire career. The one song he wrote he ripped off from the piano chords of Johnnie Johnson. But no one gives a damn because Chuck more-or-less invented rock and roll. Cars, girls, school, movies, girls school, cars, etc, etc.Taylor Hackford's slick and slyly incisive chronicle revolves around Berry's 60th birthday show - an event coordinated and realised by none other than Johnny Depp's dad, Keef Richards. It reveals Berry by turns as an egomaniac, money grubber and genuine musical genius. The film is a blast for anyone who is in the least bit interested in the roots of rock music and the trajectory of it's influence. Richards said of Berry "Before him, there was nothing." I can almost believe it.

spradlinn I had heard good things about this Chuck Berry documentary ever since it came out, but never had the chance to watch it until last night when it aired on Palladia. It was really entertaining and a revealing look at arguably the first rock-n-roll legend both looking back, and preparing for a big show. A few people have mentioned Chuck's frequently combative attitude during the rehearsals with Keith Richards, who was musical director for the concert being held on his then 60th birthday, but putting two ornery SOB's together like Berry and Richards was bound to cause some sparks. Guess what? Chuck's human! But the respect and reverence is still overriding. I think, all things considered, the show came out perfect. Yes, there were a few flubs and Chuck changing keys and messing with the band's arrangement has been interpreted as him trying to undermine Keith, and maybe even the movie's producers, but I think he just always rolled that way in keeping the free spirit of the music. There are many r-n-r legends (BB King, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc.) who prefer limited rehearsals to keep them sharp. After all, it's Hail Hail Rock-n-Roll, not Hail, Hail Classical Music. The fact that all these years Chuck has showed up at gigs and just playing "Chuck Berry Music" shows his disdain for too much preparation, often traveling with no band and playing gigs with pick-up musicians, who should know this music pretty well. Pretty ballsy and like a true musician to me. It was a great document of a man who may not be around for too many more years, so it's great that this movie is there for future r-n-r and music historians to refer to. The tunes are as delightful as ever, very witty and sharp, loads of fun, and while it probably wasn't necessary to bring on Julian Lennon, Rondstadt, Clapton, Cray, etc. to the stage, it helped break up the monotony of many songs which sound very similar, and to rave up the already jubilant crowd. Chuck's stage performance and presence shows what a true entertainer he is to the core. Also loved the Diddley, Richard and Berry summit. Was great just to see those pioneers all together and sharing memories. Too bad they didn't show up at the concert! I think Taylor Hackford is a talented visionary, as films like this and his 'Ray' show, he has a reverence for the music that comes across as interested in both the talent and the flaws of his subjects. One reviewer said he thought Taylor was obviously starstruck and biased, only trying to deify him, but if this were true, many of the rehearsal 'disagreements' and Chuck's overbearing instructions on how to play a riff a certain way, as well as his cutting off Hackford when mentioning his marriage and prison sentence, simply would not have remained in the film. Anyway, I found the film fascinating, as well as Chuck's very amusing tours of his home and property, and if you're wondering about the origins of rock, and the first rock singer/songwriter/guitarist to lead the way, check out Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock-n-Roll!

davereese I just happened to catch this for the third or fourth time, and first time with my wife, on Universal HD today. Taylor Hackford does a phenomenal job in this movie. Chuck Berry, one of the most complicated and conflicted figures in the history of rock and pop music is rich territory and Hackford managed to catch Berry in all of his many guises - charming, professional, intelligent, thoughtful, bitter, petulant, unprofessional, difficult, and combative. What really marks this movie as a superior documentary is Hackford refusal to judge Berry to focus on just documenting the man and his behavior in a variety of situations and from a variety of sources. There really is no ax-grinding going on in this movie and there is no whitewashing - everything is what it is whether it's Berry in a touching scene with his mother and father or it's Berry in a petulant rehearsal stare-down with Keith Richards when Berry isn't getting his way.Hackford's other great achievement in this movie is the excellent recording of Berry's 60th Anniversary Concert, the predominate reason for the whole project and the involvement of other pop/rock music notables, at St. Louis' Fox Theatre. Backed by Keith Richards, Johnnie Johnson (Berry's pianist and forgotten early influence), Steve Jordan, Bobby Keys, Robert Cray, and Joey Spaminato, Berry performs what is probably his best show in 30 years. Hackford catches the performer's excitement, the crowd's excitement, and Berry's energy and showmanship in a way those of us too young to have seen or heard Berry can begin to understand why he serves a such a seminal influence in pop and rock music.The movie is full of entertaining nuggets. Hackford's interviews with Keith Richards are fascinating. Richards' comments are just insightful about Berry, the influence of Berry's music, and the influence of Johnson of Berry's songs; they're also fascinating in just watching and listening to Richards himself - part mystic, part philosopher, part drunk. Also particularly interesting is a three-way conversation between Berry, Little Richard, and Bo Diddly who go into great detail about their early careers, music, business, and how racism negatively affected their careers and their recognition as the earliest purveyors of rock and roll.I think this movie is interesting regardless of whether your actually interested in Berry beforehand or not. It is as fine a documentary that any director could produce and you should watch this movie whenever the chance presents itself.

bob the moo With the event of his 60th Birthday, Chuck Berry organising a special concert with the help of some very famous friends and colleagues. This film follows the rehearsals for that concert as well as the show itself while also taking time to interview Berry's peers, family and friends to get a picture of the man himself.Although I'm not a huge fan of Berry's, I do enjoy his music and am also interested in the man himself. It is for this reason that I watched Hail, Hail Rock n' Roll despite not really knowing what angle it was coming from. The film works well with the backdrop of the 60th birthday concert and gets access to see Berry at work, and thus see what an ass he can be! The rehearsal scenes are the most enjoyable as stars such as Keith Richards and Eric Clapton are frustrated by Berry's approach. However what the film fails to do is really go beyond what Berry either wants to show or can't help but show. Discussions over his marriage and his run-ins with the police are quickly brought to a halt.There is much of interest early on and many of the interviews with other stars are really interesting to a point. The second half of the film is mostly taken up with the concert and sadly most of it isn't as good as you'd hope it to be. All the instruments are great and Berry is a good showman but his voice is not as strong or as effective as it once was and it shows in some of his songs. Happily the influence of others and his basic talents as a musician and showman help cover the odd shaky moment.Overall I felt that I didn't really know much more about Berry than I did before I watched the film. I got a reasonable impression of what type of person he is but I didn't know too much about his past – especially anything that he clearly didn't want to be discussed or shown. The music is good despite some of his songs being a bit less than he would have hoped, and the film is worth watching if you have more than a passing interest or appreciation for the music involved.