‘The Beastie Boys Story’ Review: It’s a Hip-Hop Concert Film Without the Concert
Spike Jonze directs and shoots a stage show in which the two surviving band members show film clips and talk about growing up, busting out and wising up
“The Beastie Boys Story,” the rock ‘n’ roll documentary that was to have premiered in March at the South by Southwest Film Festival and is now premiering April 24 on Apple TV+, is in many ways the most conventional movie that director Spike Jonze has ever made. In a career marked by bold works like “Being John Malkovich,” “Adaptation” and “Her,” along with numerous groundbreaking videos, it’s a music doc that is, in effect, a straightforward chronicle of a live performance — a concert movie of sorts, except that the band is talking, not playing.
But maybe that very concept is what’s bold about “The Beastie Boys Story.” Music docs are usually built around revelations and unguarded moments where the subjects reveal more than they intended (or at least more than they want us to think they intended). In this case, though, everything that surviving Beastie Boys members Michael Diamond and Adam Horowitz say is based on a book that they published in 2018, and it’s planned, rehearsed and on the teleprompter screens in the Brooklyn theater where the show was filmed.
Considering the raw, frenetic energy of many of the videos that Jonze made with the band (“Sabotage” being a prime example), the last thing you might expect him to do is to bring in a few cameras and shoot this lecture-with-clips as if it’s a hip-hop TED Talk.
But that’s what “The Beastie Boys Story” is: the filmed record of three nights in which Diamond and Horowitz showed film clips and photos while recounting the history of the band in front of audiences of fans at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn. Despite the relatively staid format, it still manages to be a lively and occasionally touching journey through success and failure, artistry and excess, industrial-strength brattiness and even a bit of hard-earned wisdom.
With its abundance of vertiginous shots looking up from the pit in front of the stage, the film would no doubt seem bolder and punchier if it could be viewed in IMAX, the way it was scheduled to premiere at SXSW. That’s also how it was going to be distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories, the adventurous film company that was co-founded by the third Beastie Boy, Adam Yauch, four years before his death to cancer in 2012. But the festival was canceled and theaters were closed by the coronavirus, so its premiere comes instead on Apple TV+ on Friday.
Like most rock docs, “The Beastie Boys Story” is mostly a film for fans, which is why it makes sense to film these stories in front of an audience of devotees rather than just in front of a documentarian’s camera. Diamond and Horowitz, now comfortably in their 50s, play to the crowd even as they manage to bring perspective to a career launched on the idea of being, as Diamond says, “a cartoon rap version of an ’80s metal band.”
In fact, Diamond, Horowitz and Yauch — who became known as Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA, respectively — were teenage fans of punk music when they began playing together in the early ’80s. Through happenstance, luck, a whole lot of attitude and a crazy spark of what would later prove to be talent, they met fledgling producer Rick Rubin and rap mogul Russell Simmons, and were signed to the seminal rap label Def Jam and booked to open for Madonna on her first major U.S. tour.
Their dilemma as they headed on the road with Madonna, Diamond says, was simple: “What could we do that would make all these people remember us? It certainly wasn’t going to be our microphone mastery at the time. Our big idea is that we should be as rude and as awful as possible on stage … We’d be memorable. Memorable f—ing jerks.”
(Having been at one of those Madonna shows, I can testify that they succeeded in those goals.)
In the aftermath of that blast of notoriety, the Beasties completed their debut album, “Licensed to Ill,” which contained “Hold It, Now Hit It,” “Brass Monkey,” “Girls” and the huge hit “Fight for Your Right (to Party),” which helped make it the first rap album to top the Billboard charts.
It was problematic that rap music, a genre invented and pioneered by black artists, enjoyed its biggest success with an album by three white kids, but the film doesn’t get into the clear racial bias that the hugely influential MTV was showing in those early years. But it does explore another by-product of that success: a big image problem for the Beasties.
No, it wasn’t a problem that they were widely seen as obnoxious idiots — hell, that was part of the plan. But they thought “Fight for Your Right (to Party)” was making fun of party bros and frat boys — a nuance that escaped the party bros and frat boys who made it a hit and then flocked to Beastie Boys shows.
“It turns out that they loved ‘Fight for Your Right (to Party),'” Diamond says. “And you know what? We liked being loved … But something weird was happening during all of this. We morphed from making fun of party bros to actually becoming those dudes.”
The identity crisis hit them hard, to the point where they hated their own songs by the time they got off the road after “License to Ill.” (And they really hated that 20-foot inflatable penis that they thought would be fun to insist on having onstage before the tour started.) In the days after that album, they had a falling out with Rubin and Def Jam, moved to Los Angeles, signed a new record deal with Capitol and made the adventurous, groundbreaking, dense (and very expensive) masterwork “Paul’s Boutique” — which, to their dismay, didn’t sell at all, leaving them as a faded novelty act in the eyes of the record business.
From there, it was a matter of building on the artistic credibility they’d secured with “Paul’s Boutique,” while rebuilding commercial credibility as well. “It’s not so much that we grew up,” Horowitz says at one point. “We wised up.”
That they did, and “The Beastie Boys Story” is full of affecting moments in which Diamond and Horowitz look back with both bemusement and real regret at aspects of their past, including the friends they lost and the way they treated women: firing Kate Schellenbach, their original drummer, because Def Jam didn’t think she fit their “tough rapper guy identity,” or writing songs like “Girls,” with its brutal sexism meant to be taken as a joke.
In a way, there’s a stark dichotomy between the brash enfant terribles we see in clips behind Diamond and Horowitz and the thoughtful, even enlightened middle-aged men who are telling the story. But it helps emphasize the artistry that was sometimes obscured by the gleefully obnoxious excess — and besides, these guys still clearly get a kick out of the aspects of their story that aren’t completely embarrassing.
And with Yauch present only on video, that story can’t help but be tinged with sadness and loss. “When Adam died, we stopped being a band,” Diamond says at the beginning of the film — and when it gets to the end, Horowitz struggles to talk about the last show the band ever did, continually stopping to compose himself.
It’s an emotional, moving moment for Horowitz and Diamond, and for the audience. And if a movie about this band of self-described “f—ing jerks” can make you feel emotional, maybe that’s proof enough that Spike Jonze didn’t need to get adventurous with this one — the material did it for him.
All the Hollywood Films Arriving on Demand Early Because of the Coronavirus
Since most U.S. movie theaters have shuttered in response to the coronavirus pandemic, studios are rushing out VOD home releases of movies that were only just in theaters.
Disney/Warner Bros./Universal
"Trolls World Tour"
The sequel to the 2017 animated hit announced it would be available for digital download on April 10 -- the same day it was supposed to land in theaters. Now it's a VOD exclusive.
Universal Pictures
"Birds of Prey"
The Margot Robbie spinoff of 2017's "Suicide Squad" debuted on demand on March 24. The film grossed $84 million since opening on Feb. 4.
Warner Bros.
"The Hunt"
The Universal/Blumhouse horror film was first delayed from release last fall due to controversy over its violent content -- and then sidelined after its March 13 opening by the coronavirus. It's available to stream now.
Universal Pictures
"The Invisible Man"
The Universal horror film starring Elisabeth Moss grossed nearly $65 million since its Feb. 26 release in theaters. It's available to stream now.
Universal Pictures
"Emma."
Focus Features' adaptation of the Jane Austen novel opened in limited release Feb. 21 -- and picked up $10 million in ticket sales until the pandemic shut down theaters. It's available to stream now.
Focus Features
"Bloodshot"
The Vin Diesel comic-book movie opened March 6 and grossed $10 million before theaters shut down. It's available on VOD now.
Sony Pictures
"I Still Believe"
Lionsgate's biopic starring K.J. Apa as Christian music star Jeremy Camp hit VOD on March 27 -- just two weeks after it opened in theaters.
Lionsgate
"The Way Back"
Warner Bros. released the Ben Affleck drama "The Way Back" -- which grossed $13 million in theaters since its March 6 opening -- on VOD less than three weeks later, on March 24.
Warner Bros.
"Onward"
Disney and Pixar’s animated feature was made available for purchase on Friday, March 20, and the film hit Disney+ on April 3.
Disney/Pixar
"Sonic the Hedgehog"
Paramount Pictures' "Sonic the Hedgehog" set a new record for video game adaptations with a $58 million domestic opening weekend on Feb. 14 and has grossed $306 million worldwide theatrically. It's available on demand now.
Paramount Pictures
"The Call of the Wild"
20th Century Studios' feel-good film starring Harrison Ford and a giant CGI dog is available on demand now.
20th Century
"Downhill"
Barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation, a married couple (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell) is thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other. It's available on demand now.
Fox Searchlight
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always" is the story of two teenage cousins from rural Pennsylvania who journey to New York City to seek an abortion. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and walked away with a Special Jury award. It's available for VOD now.
Focus Features
"Endings, Beginnings"
"Endings, Beginnings," a romantic drama from Drake Doremus starring Shailene Woodley, Sebastian Stan and Jamie Dornan, opened early on digital on April 17 and on demand on May 1. It was meant to open theatrically on May 1.
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"To the Stars"
"To the Stars," a period drama set in 1960s Oklahoma that stars Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Shea Whigham, Malin Akerman and Tony Hale, was bumped up to a digital release on April 24 and an on demand release on June 1. Martha Stephens directed the film that premiered at Sundance in 2019 and was meant to be released theatrically by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"Impractical Jokers: The Movie"
truTV's first-ever feature-length film arrived early on digital on April 1. Follow James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, Joe Gatto, and Sal Vulvano, aka The Tenderloins, playing themselves in a fictional story of a humiliating high school mishap from the early '90s.
truTV
"Artemis Fowl"
Disney's adaptation of the Eoin Colfer fantasy novel "Artemis Fowl" was meant to debut in theaters on May 29 but premiered exclusively on Disney+. The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Colin Farrell and Judi Dench.
Disney
"The Infiltrators"
The theatrical release of Oscilloscope's docu-thriller "The Infiltrators" has been postponed, and the film was released on both Cable On Demand and Digital Platforms starting June 2.
Oscilloscope
"Working Man"
The March 27 theatrical release of "Working Man" has been canceled due to the theater closures, and the film premiered on May 5 via Video On Demand.
Brainstorm Media
"Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story"
"Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story," a sports documentary executive produced by NBA star Steph Curry, was made available for streaming on the new service Altavod between April 16-18 for $7.99 and is available for pre-order beginning April 9. 10% of all the proceeds will be donated to COVID-19 relief efforts. The documentary tells the story of the player, Kenny Sailors, who pioneered the jump shot, and it features interviews with Curry, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Clark Kellogg, Bobby Knight and more.
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
"Scoob!"
Warner Bros. announced on April 11 that it would release the family animated film “Scoob!” for digital ownership and premium video on-demand on May 15, making it the second film (after Universal's "Trolls World Tour") to cancel a planned theatrical release and head straight to home release pandemic.
Warner Bros.
"The King of Staten Island"
"The King of Staten Island," the comedy starring and co-written by "SNL" star Pete Davidson and directed by Judd Apatow, skipped its theatrical release date of June 19 and opened one week early on VOD everywhere on June 12.
Universal Pictures
"The High Note"
"The High Note," the latest film from "Late Night" director Nisha Ganatra that stars Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson, made its premiere on VOD on May 29. It was meant to open on May 8 theatrically.
Focus Features
"Waiting for the Barbarians"
Ciro Guerra's film starring Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson was originally slated for a theatrical release but was picked up by Samuel Goldwyn Films to instead be released via cable on demand and on digital in August
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"Irresistible"
Jon Stewart's latest film, a political comedy called "Irresistible," will skip theaters and make its premiere online for on demand digital rental on June 26. The film from Focus Features stars Steve Carell and Rose Byrne and was meant to open in theaters on May 29.
Daniel McFadden / Focus Features
"My Spy"
The Dave Bautista action comedy "My Spy" was originally meant for a theatrical release from STXfilms and was due to hit theaters in March. Amazon then acquired the film from STX and will now release it on streaming on June 26.
Amazon Studios
"The One and Only Ivan"
The animated Disney film based on Thea Sharrock's best-selling children's book "The One and Only Ivan" is the latest feature to skip theaters and move to Disney+. The movie features the voice talent of Angelina Jolie, Danny Devito, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren. The film was previously slated for theatrical release on August 14 but will now debut on Disney+ one week later on Aug. 21.
Disney
"The Secret Garden"
The re-imagining of the book "The Secret Garden" was meant to open in UK theaters in April but delayed its theatrical release until August. But STXfilms will now release the StudioCanal and Heyday Films movie on PVOD for $19.99 on August 7 in North America. "The Secret Garden" stars Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Dixie Egerickx.
STXfilms
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”Irresistible“ joins a list of big films heading to digital home entertainment platforms early
Since most U.S. movie theaters have shuttered in response to the coronavirus pandemic, studios are rushing out VOD home releases of movies that were only just in theaters.