Jacob Rosen David Chase's earnest mix of rock 'n roll, young love and family drama is overlong and sloppy, aspiring to be a defining examination of the Sixties but rendered trite by trudging out references to every historic moment (in this, it's similar to "Lee Daniels' The Butler") and wallowing in misguided pronouncements about the Vietnam War, capitalism and rock's purity; the intent is to advance the father-son conflict between lead John Magaro and a wasted James Gandolfini. (In fact, Chase unintentionally portrays rock music as a negative force, divisive enough to destroy families.) Chase's strength as the creator of "The Sopranos" was in his carefully plotted backstory that forced the viewer to pay close attention upfront; here, he employs a similar approach, but without the expanse a mini-series affords the result is disjointed and incomplete: all of the stories he introduces are either left unsatisfactorily unresolved or spontaneously concluded. It doesn't help that his characters are inherently unlikable (Magaro is a good example), mere caricatures (co-stars Jack Huston and Will Brill) or blanks (love interest Bella Heathcote). The film's sole asset is Steven Van Zandt's musical curation, though he eschews the deeper tracks in favor of songs even the casual fan will recognize.

coreyjmesler OK, this isn't 'The Commitments' or 'Georgia' or 'Grace of my Heart' or even 'Backbeat,' but this movie has charm, wit, a nice script, appealing young actors (Jack Huston, John Magara and Bella Heathcote, especially) and the most authentic reproduction of music from the start of the 60s to the end of the 60s that I can remember seeing since, well, 'The Commitments.' From the opening shot of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards contemplating starting a blues rock band to the charming voice over, to the music scenes (every one of which made me tap my toe) to the graceful and surprising, magical ending, this movie had me. And the sex scenes certainly add to the thrill. I love 60s music and it has to be done well for me to sit up and take notice. This film made me sit up and take notice.

tillzen As a fan of Mr. Chase I ached for this work to take off but it never does. The film fails primarily upon the page.It says little about the character of those heady times that were the 1960's. This failure is no easy task as rock music, suburban angst and the decade itself remain fertile with enough substance to fill 100 movies let alone 1. Where Chase fails first is in using the 60's as mere fashionable short hand. A news flash or a film clip without worthy exposition turns tempest to teapot. That the 60's and its artifacts are presented as mere fetish objects devalues that currency. It purchases clothes, cars and music rights without story ever rising above being a disposable trifle. The art direction is terrific and while accurate, it never connects actors to actions and exposition to plot. Too often anecdotes and pithy quotes substitute for genuine emotion, motivation or character. Luckily, the acting is fine. The best moments occur between James Gandolfini (the working class Dad) and John Magaro as his rock musician son.Their scenes crackled as no others did leaving the underwhelm pronounced. The female character's (clearly Mr. Chase's Achilles)are broadly drawn hysterical caricatures seemingly created mostly to advance the story of men. This was exemplified by Magaro professing to believing in a girlfriend whom we know nothing about. Equally inelegant were the fore-shadowed dramatic twists of staged fights, staged accidents and cancer as dramatic license. "Not Fade Away" was continuously so Hollywood soft that I found myself wishing that a Don Corleone type had read the script, met with David Chase and slapped his face yelling "Write like a man!"Ultimately this film seems unable to decide if it is a John Sayles' time capsule told within simple salt of the earth fables or is instead a history lesson told in the sound bites and cliff notes of genuine deep thinkers.It never chooses and it ends as it began; an exercise in excess signifying little. What a waste of a green light and 20 million dollars.

doug_park2001 It's no great spoiler to say that NOT FADE AWAY shows, in terms that are both cynical and sentimental but above all, simply convincing, why the group formed by Douglas, Eugene, and company DID fade away--and, like many would-be successes, it wasn't due to lack of drive or talent.Very good filming, script, and acting/characterization. A large cast for a film of this sort--it sometimes becomes difficult to remember who's who. NOT FADE AWAY captures the 60s quite well, showing how the decade of phonograph records and the Vietnam War was different but still quite the same as our own era. A lot of realistically interesting things happen even though there is very little in the way of serious tension and surprises. The way the whole story is framed as a collegiate essay by the lead singer's younger sister is an interesting device. Fine ending that left me with an initial "Huh?" feeling but after taking a few seconds to sink in, could not have made the story's point more clearly.