46. I Get Knocked Down; movie review

 

I GET KNOCKED DOWN

Cerft TBA

88 mins

BBFC advice: TBA

Remember when a jug of water was chucked over John Prescott at the Brits?

And when Chumbawumba changed the lyrics on Tubthumping to: "New Labour sold out the dockers and they'll sell out the rest of us."?

This was the height of the anarchist band's fame and the nearest they got to changing the world.

More than 20 years later, their frontman Dunstan Bruce is still exploring how he can express his anger against the establishment.

To gain some perspective, he looks back on Chumbawumba and its anarchist roots and examines dissent today.

Meanwhile, in a neat twist, an alter-ego, wearing the papier mache head, questions his life decisions.

I feared that Bruce and Sophie Robinson's film could be too preachy but instead found it entertaining and enlightening.

This is partly down to Bruce being such a damned decent bloke. Although I'm not sure his smart suits and trendy hair match the stereotype of a troublemaker.

Anyway, I was fascinated by the tale of how a bunch of squatters, who had spent years together in a house in Leeds, ended up having a hit song which has stood the test of time for so long.

Bruce interviews former band members (who also seem like really good people) and old and young musicians with whom he has empathy.

He also goes back to the Leeds' squat and even the American record distributor who admits the band scared him to death.,

And then we move on to Bruce's more recent attempt to bring music to the public.

It is a rather joyful hour and half. I admired Bruce's passion and certainly emapthised with his need for a survival kit to get him through his aches and pains and his realisation that a skinful of ale isn't quite as easy to shake off as it was.

Reasons to watch: Entertaining look back at one of a unique British band

Reasons to avoid: If you have not heard of Chumbawumba

Laughs: Three

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Dunstan Bruce began a Kickstarter to raise £40,000 to fund this documentary in 2015.

The final word. Dustan Bruce: "because of what happened to us, and what happened with “Tubthumping,” I wanted to explore what we’ve done, and to see if there was any sort of blueprint that bands could follow, or artists could follow as an idea." Bad Feeling

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