McCARTNEY: NOW AND THEN: What Did He Just Say?

McCARTNEY: NOW AND THEN (Blu-ray)

2021 / 52 min

From Rising Sun Media

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😾

There’s certainly no shortage of documentaries, articles and books on the Fab Four, both as a band and as individuals. And why not? The Beatles continue to fascinate and entertain millions, so the backstories will probably keep coming long after all four of them are gone.

That being said, McCartney: Now and Then is short, superfluous and offers absolutely nothing any self-respecting Beatlemaniac doesn’t already know. It’s a Cliff’s Notes summary of McCartney’s career (mostly his time with The Beatles), jumping from one highlight to the next with less insight than a detailed Wikipedia article, accompanied my interviews with McCartney himself, as well as producer George Martin, sad sack Pete Best and other musicians of the era. However, I don’t believe the interviews were shot for this particular film.

"The one song I wish I'd written? Balls to the Wall, of course."

While Now and Then purports to be an authorized documentary, such authorization apparently doesn’t apply to Paul's or The Beatles' music. Instead, the soundtrack consists of generic instrumental rock & roll that plays over photos and archive footage. Worse yet, its so bloody loud in the mix that it drowns out most of what the interviewees are saying. Even if the viewer is fine with the same Beatles factoids over and over again, good luck hearing most of ‘em.

Additionally, the “Now” of the title should be taken with a grain of salt. This film was released in 2021, but unless Paul McCartney suddenly discovered the fountain of youth, it’s obvious all of the interview footage is at least 20 years old (and looks it). I doubt director Robin Bextor even met his subject before patching this thing together. If you really want to hear from the horse’s mouth, stick with The Beatles Anthology.