Not Fade Away
Not Fade Away
R | 21 December 2012 (USA)
Not Fade Away Trailers

Set in suburban New Jersey in the 1960s, a group of friends form a rock band and try to make it big.

Reviews
AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks
Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.
Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.
deemo31 That Thing You Do could have been a movie about me. Literally. From the one hit wonder to the father with the appliance store. Of course, I didn't end up with Liv Tyler. But that's another story entirely. "Not Fade Away" features another drummer from the same era, much like me. I guess all drummers had the same experiences? This story is a little more gritty and I think more accurately reflects what it was like to "be in a band" back then. The music/soundtrack is incredible. Watching the band progress and get better brings back a ton of memories for me. To those who never experienced this, perhaps this movie will not hit home. For those of us who lived through it, I think there will be lots of smiles and memories. Maybe not all of the memories good ones. But then again, what memory is all good? The father played by James Gandolfini is spot on. As is the conflict between his "hippie fag" son and him. Watching the characters progress from the time of the Kennedy Assassination to the onset of the English band invasion, the Stones, The Beatles, The Yardbirds, then the Rascals and new stuff that came along is all too accurate. It's also very cool to see the old instruments...Gretsch guitars (double anniversary) and drums, Fender amps and guitars, Ricks, just all the stuff all of us old rock and rollers remember. It was all new then. And it still plays today.The interaction between the musicians...who is a better singer, etc, is also spot on. And the love interest? She is one beautiful girl. Hell, she's like three beautiful girls.I suppose I like this movie because of the buttons it pushes for me. I understand that it won't do that for everybody. But for those who it does, you're going to love it.
plasm-1 This is a movie that does not follow an exact straight line for the plot. It is not exactly sure what it is all about. In my opinion it stays fuzzy in that aspect until the end.The idea behind the movie seems to be to transport the look and feel of the time the movie takes place in. Doing so it follows the adolescent years of a boy, his family and his struggle to make it in the music world. You will find many reviews that are very much in favor of this picture. I cannot share this view, which leads me to believe it needs for the viewer to have some experience with or interest in the decade it plays in (the 60's). Being born in 70's and having no interest whatsoever in the 60's historically or for the music, the movie had nothing to offer to me. That is bad storytelling in my opinion and lead to my low vote.The plot remains fuzzy and stretched too far to make sense. I guess the acting was not too bad on some supporting roles, but i did not like the main characters too much. Seriously everything remained too shallow for me to care.If you have fond memories of the time then by all means try it. Your personal experience will probably fill in the gaps and you will have a good time. Otherwise the good reviews are all inexplicable. If you are not interested in the era then keep your distance or you *WILL* regret it!
Martin Luther I am not exaggerating, when i say this movie disappointed even my lowest expectations. And fair enough they were really low, having read some reviews, since the movie came out earlier in the US (I'm from Germany). During the whole film there's not tje slightest bit of tension, not even a real story... I sat through the whole "film" and don't even remember the protagonists name. I neither see what the film was trying to tell, nor do i know how i lasted till the end. This weird row of pictures let me regret every cent i spend on this movie. I write this in the immediate disappointment after the movie but, seriously, save your money on this.'Nuff said.
Lee Eisenberg David Chase's "Not Fade Away" looks at what it was like to come of age in the '60s. The main focus is a New Jersey teenager who decides to join a band, but there are clear signs of everything that was going on: the Vietnam War, the generation gap, racial tensions, and Dean Martin's mean-spirited comment about the Beatles. Contrary to the previous reviewer, I would say that this movie is better than "Almost Famous". The latter was too fluffy and came across as a sanitized look at its era. This one is very upfront about what sorts of things happened (including some very tense scenes). And the final line poses a good question about how we as Americans want to be known to the world. Can we eventually look to our best qualities to do what's right? Anyway, this is a good movie. It's got great music and brings up some important points. I recommend it.