The Sparks Brothers

The Sparks Brothers is a 2021 British-American documentary film about Ron and Russell Mael, members of the pop and rock duo Sparks. The film, directed by Edgar Wright, and produced by Wright, Nira Park, George Hencken and Laura Richardson, premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and was theatrically released the following summer. It received critical acclaim.

The Sparks Brothers
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Edgar Wright
Produced by	Nira Park Edgar Wright George Hencken Laura Richardson
Starring	Ron Mael Russell Mael
Cinematography	Jake Polonsky
Edited by	Paul Trewartha
Production companies	MRC Complete Fiction Pictures
Distributed by	Focus Features (United States) Universal Pictures (International)
Release dates	January 30, 2021 (2021-01-30) (Sundance) June 18, 2021 (2021-06-18) (United States) July 30, 2021 (2021-07-30) (United Kingdom)
Running time	140 minutes^[1]
Countries	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.2 million^[2]^[3]

Summary

The documentary features lengthy interviews with Ron and Russell Mael, along with short interviews with musicians, record producers who collaborated with the band, previous members of the group who worked with the Maels in the various Sparks line-ups from the early 1970s until the early 2020s, as well as a number of fans. The documentary also includes several short animation sequences to reproduce apocryphal anecdotes between musicians with the participation of comedians and frequent Wright collaborators Simon Pegg (as the voice of John Lennon) and Nick Frost (as the voice of Ringo Starr).

Participants

• Ron Mael
• Russell Mael
• Edgar Wright
• Beck
• Jane Wiedlin
• Flea
• Steve Jones
• Alex Kapranos
• Stephen Morris
• Gillian Gilbert
• Vince Clarke
• Andy Bell
• "Weird Al" Yankovic
• Thurston Moore
• Nick Rhodes
• John Taylor
• Björk (voice only)
• Nick Heyward
• Muff Winwood
• Pamela Des Barres
• Hilly Michaels
• Bernard Butler
• Jack Antonoff
• Todd Rundgren
• Giorgio Moroder
• Tony Visconti
• Dean Menta
• Les Bohem
• Christi Haydon
• Harley Feinstein
• Jonathan Ross
• Paul Morley
• Katie Puckrik
• Adam Buxton
• Neil Gaiman
• Tosh Berman
• Jason Schwartzman
• Mark Gatiss
• Mike Myers
• Fred Armisen
• Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino
• Scott Aukerman
• Patton Oswalt
• Simon Pegg as the voice of John Lennon
• Nick Frost as the voice of Ringo Starr

Production

In June 2018, it was announced Wright would direct an untitled documentary film revolving around the band Sparks, with MRC Non-Fiction and Complete Fiction Pictures producing the film.^[4]

Principal photography began in May 2018, with Jake Polonsky as cinematographer, beginning with covering the band's concert at the O₂ Forum Kentish Town.^[5] In April 2020, Wright announced that the film was "nearly finished".^[6]

Soundtrack

The Sparks Brothers
Soundtrack album by Sparks
Released	March 2022 (2022-03)
Label	Waxwork Records
Producer	Edgar Wright Ron Mael Russell Mael
Sparks chronology
Annette (2021) The Sparks Brothers (2022)

A soundtrack album was release on 4-LP by Waxwork Records in March 2022, as well as a Spotify playlist

Track listing

Side A

No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"Sparks Documentary Film Fanfare"	previously unreleased	0:50
2.	"This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us"	Plagiarism	4:03
3.	"Fa La Fa Lee"	Halfnelson/Sparks	2:54
4.	"Slowboat"	Halfnelson/Sparks	3:55
5.	"Wonder Girl"	Halfnelson/Sparks	2:21
6.	"Girl From Germany"	A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing	3:29
7.	"Talent Is An Asset"	Kimono My House	3:21

Side B

No.	Title	Original album	Length
8.	"This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us"	Kimono My House	3:05
9.	"Amateur Hour"	Kimono My House	3:37
10.	"Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth"	Propaganda	2:28
11.	"Something For The Girl With Everything"	Propaganda	2:16
12.	"Get In The Swing"	Indiscreet	4:08
13.	"Under The Table With Her"	Indiscreet	2:19
14.	"Everybody's Stupid"	Big Beat	3:40

Side C

No.	Title	Original album	Length
15.	"Those Mysteries"	Introducing Sparks	5:01
16.	"La Dolce Vita"	No. 1 in Heaven	5:54
17.	"Beat The Clock"	No. 1 in Heaven	4:24
18.	"The Number One Song In Heaven" (7" Version)	No. 1 in Heaven	3:51

Side D

No.	Title	Original album	Length
19.	"When I'm With You"	Terminal Jive	5:49
20.	"Tips For Teens"	Whomp That Sucker	3:33
21.	"Angst In My Pants"	Angst in My Pants	3:29
22.	"I Predict"	Angst In My Pants	2:54
23.	"Cool Places" (with Jane Wiedlin)	In Outer Space	3:25
24.	"I Wish I Looked A Little Better"	In Outer Space	2:59

Side E

No.	Title	Original album	Length
25.	"Change"	Music That You Can Dance To	5:21
26.	"Music That You Can Dance To"	Music That You Can Dance To	4:24
27.	"The Race For President"	In Entertainment We Trust (Music From The Motion Picture A Cute Candidate)	1:48
28.	"When Do I Get To Sing ‘My Way’"	Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins	4:37
29.	"Balls"	Balls	4:24

Side F

No.	Title	Original album	Length
30.	"The Rhythm Thief"	Lil' Beethoven	5:19
31.	"My Baby’s Taking Me Home" (Live in London 2018)	previously unreleased	5:20
32.	"Dick Around"	Hello Young Lovers	6:35
33.	"I Can’t Believe That You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song"	Exotic Creatures of the Deep	3:54

Side G

No.	Title	Original album	Length
34.	"Johnny Delusional" (performed by FFS)	FFS	3:11
35.	"Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me)"	Hippopotamus	4:32
36.	"All That"	A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip	4:44
37.	"The Number One Song In Heaven" (Live 2012)	Two Hands, One Mouth	7:02

Side H

No.	Title	Original album	Length
38.	"Computer Girl"	Past Tense – The Best of Sparks	3:13
39.	"Hospitality On Parade" (Live At Fairfield Halls 1975)	previously unreleased	5:25
40.	"What The Hell Is It This Time?" (Live In London 2018)	previously unreleased	4:12
41.	"‘My Way’ / When Do I Get To Sing ‘My Way’" (Live in London 2018)	previously unreleased	5:51
42.	"Amateur Hour" (Read by Neil Gaiman)	previously unreleased	1:45

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 30, 2021.^{[7][8][9][10]} Shortly after, Focus Features acquired domestic distribution rights, while Universal Pictures will distribute the film internationally.^[11][12] The film also screened at South by Southwest in March 2021,^[13] and was theatrically released in North America on June 18, 2021, by Focus Features.^[14] It was released in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2021.^[15]

Box office

In the United States, the film made $107,225 on its opening Friday and $89,652 on its second weekend. It was released internationally in territories including the United Kingdom ($334,184), Australia ($45,404), France ($80,267), Iceland ($477), Portugal ($346) and New Zealand ($9,499).^[16]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 96% based on 160 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Their albums may be cult favorites, but this Edgar Wright-directed documentary offers an introduction to The Sparks Brothers that has something for everyone."^[17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on reviews from 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[18]

References

1. "The Sparks Brothers". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
2. "The Sparks Brothers". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
3. "The Sparks Brothers". The Numbers. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
4. Sharf, Zack (June 21, 2018). "Edgar Wright's Next Film Is a Documentary on Cult Pop-Rock Band Sparks — Exclusive". IndieWire. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
5. Trumbone, Dave (June 21, 2018). "Edgar Wright to Tackle 70s Cult Band "Sparks" in New Documentary". Collider. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
6. Raup, Jordan (April 25, 2020). "95% of the Dialogue in Leos Carax's 'Annette' Will Be Sung; Was Set to Premiere at Cannes". The Film Stage. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
7. Debruge, Peter (December 15, 2020). "Sundance Film Festival Lineup Features 38 First-Time Directors, Including Rebecca Hall and Robin Wright". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
8. Willman, Chris (January 28, 2021). "Edgar Wright's 'The Sparks Brothers' Gives Cult Rock Icons Their Due". Variety. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
9. Hoffman, Jordan (February 1, 2021). "'The Sparks Brothers' review: Edgar Wright's electric portrait of the pop duo". The Guardian. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
10. Scheck, Frank (February 1, 2021). "'The Sparks Brothers': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
11. "Focus Features Acquires Edgar Wright's Hit Sundance Documentary The Sparks Brothers From MRC Non-Fiction". Focus Features. February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
12. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 23, 2021). "Focus Features Picks Up Edgar Wright's MRC Documentary 'The Sparks Brothers' – Sundance". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
13. Kohn, Eric; Erbland, Kate (February 10, 2021). "SXSW 2021 Announces Full Feature Film Lineup, All Available for Online Viewing". IndieWire. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
14. Hipes, Patrick (March 19, 2021). "Edgar Wright's 'The Sparks Brothers' Gets Summer U.S. Release Date In Theaters". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
15. "The Sparks Brothers". Film Distributors Association. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
16. "It was easy opening weekend".
17. "The Sparks Brothers (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
18. "The Sparks Brothers - Critic Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 12, 2021.

External links

• The Sparks Brothers at IMDb
• The Sparks Brothers at Rotten Tomatoes
• Official clip
• The Making of The Sparks Brothers Documentary | Edgar Wright, Ron Mael, & Russell Mael Interview | Den of Geek on YouTube