Review: Beastie Boys Story

Image courtesy of Apple TV.

More than merely a jaunt down memory lane - although there's certainly some of that - Spike Jonze's "Beastie Boys Story" is an enjoyable, informative and more-sage-than-you'd-imagine concert film without an actual concert.

Shot at Kings Theater in Brooklyn and led by the band's two surviving members - Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) and Mike Diamond (Mike D); Adam Yauch (MCA) died of cancer in 2012 - the film chronicles the story of the group from a punk rock band in the early 1980s to a hip hop mega-group produced by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin, both of whom Mike D and Ad-Rock appear to suggest exploited them.

One of the film's most surprisingly refreshing elements is that it often comes across as two older men looking back upon their youths with a bemused attitude, occasionally shaking their heads at their own foolishness and discussing the capacity for change. It's also a tribute to friendship and creative bonds, and at times emotionally explores the concept of the passage of time and the experience of loss.

I know, right? Not what you might expect from the Beastie Boys. Then again, as the film explores the peaks - the explosive popularity of "License to Ill" - and valleys - how unfair it is that the excellent "Paul's Boutique" flopped commercially - of the band's career, we get glimpses into how much more was going on under the surface in their music than the rowdy humor, antics and quirky videos for which they are often remembered.

It probably took a filmmaker of great caliber like Jonze - who directed some of the Beasties' most well-known videos, including "Sabotage" and "Sure Shot" - to aptly draw attention to these elements, although Horovitz and Diamond's storytelling ability, humor and pathos also make the film better than you'd expect from what basically amounts to two guys leading an audience through a series of video clips and nostalgic banter.

There's a great moment during the film when Diamond notes how he was proud to be Horovitz's friend following a magazine interview during which a reporter asked Horovitz how some music he'd written at that time about treating women with respect could be viewed as hypocritical, considering he was a member of a band previously known for frat-boy antics - although the band's hit "Fight for Your Right" was originally written as a parody of frat bros - and featured a large dick popping up during their stage performances. "I'd rather be a hypocrite than be the same person forever," Horovitz told the writer.

And that's what's at the heart of "Beastie Boys Story," a live, two-person monologue with video clips about how people change over time - in this case, for the better - and how art and friendship can bind people together for a lifetime. I found myself laughing, always interested - especially about touring with Run DMC - and even moved by the film. It's well worth a watch, regardless of whether one's a fan of the band.