World Premiere: Color Me Obsessed

Last night, I was the first person in the world to see Gorman Bechard's long awaited documentary on The Replacements, Color Me Obsessed, at the Gasparilla Film Festival. Not that I was the only person in the audience, but as some of you may know I have an unnamed genetic condition that allows my eyes to process images a split second faster than average.

However, I was there by myself in the other sense of the word. Not a problem as I wasn't going to miss this opportunity. As it turned out, I talked to some cool people in line including one woman who was there in Minneapolis for the 'Mats prime. And, as it so happened, she and her friend had a special festival pass and got me in early. Now, I'm not normally one for social interaction, but this lapse in protocol was rewarded with  some very entertaining stories from back in the day (including her pointing out the guy int he film she went to rehab with).

The film was terrific, a great history of the band and their legacy, poignant in places and downright funny in others. The music? What music? There wasn't any, as there wasn't any interviews of the band or even photos until the very end. As the director explained in the Q&A afterward, that was all by choice and not an issue with securing rights. He said he didn't want to make another VH1-type music doc and had an epiphany one night about doing it this way. "I don't believe in God, but I do believe in The Replacements," said Bechard. He explained that there are a lot of movies about Him without Him being seen or heard on screen. Turns out to have been the right call as it created an added air of mystery the band and no doubt served as a tantalizing peek inside for viewers not in the know.

While this was definitely very pro-Replacements (Bechard did not hide the fact that they are his favorite band), it was not necessarily a blind hagiography. You can't hide the band's warts without hiding the band's glory. They were the sum of their talents and their flaws, which is probably what makes their fans so loyal and their influence so great.

Generally speaking, the worst part of going to the movies by yourself is not having anyone to hold your seat when you hit the head. In this case, it was not having anyone to go with to the post-screening all Replacements performance by local band (and SMC friends) The Tim Version. So it goes.