CarlCarlson One of the best and worst things going for this documentary is that Paul Williams is participating in the filming. The director didn't ask a lot of introspective questions; however, this really wasn't an interview as it was a film crew and director tagging along videotaping a busy Paul - during meetings, lunch and dinner, etc.. And when the director and Paul finally get around to conducting a really in-depth conversation, it was either cut short by Paul or the director. Having Paul Williams, somewhat at the director's disposal, I would have liked for him to have discussed The Phantom of the Paradise more, the conventions, his opinions on some of his contemporaries or music from the '70s through today, any clean road stories, but, as the director noted,"Paul doesn't look back". That being the case, the director might have done better in-depth interviewing others about Paul Williams and reduced his screen time to about 25% of the movie.Nonetheless, still a good movie about a fellow childhood hero.

plex It would seem despite Paul's erstwhile troubles with substance abuse, the undeniable being which is him, comes shining thru, but not with a spotlight but with a muted and profound glow. Just like Paul ( at least I feel this way) it took me a while to warm up to both Kessler's and his directorial approach to this documentary. At times, Kessler's approach seemed to mimic Michael Moore's stylized approach to documentary making which is to let the director's presence and his intentions/difficulties known. I agree with him that Paul Williams story is one needed to be told. Kessler lets it be known of his own neurosis and fears, and at times its a little unnerving and inappropriate as you also see this being reflected by Paul. But Paul seemingly stays cool, truncating Kessler's sometime obtrusive manner. One of the things I really liked seeing about Paul was his benevolence towards others who share the same affliction ( if thats the right word) and his very humble lifestyle; he does his own driving, books some of his own gigs, totes his own luggage, lives in a very modest home etc. He doesn't do those things out of financial necessity, yet he also does not play the martyr. He's a just a simple man who appears to acknowledge the gift of life and wants to be part of it, hands-on. On the darker side, maybe he behaves this way to distance himself from the life-style that accommodated the self-destructive behavior in the first place. Who knows? The thing that impressed me most about Paul is his ability to live in the now, and look forward, as he shuns his past and nostalgia; not an easy thing to do when you consider his height of celebrity was his past. But this also explains Paul's reservation of doing the documentary in the first place as it can only come together as a story BY delving into the past. I never got the sense Paul was trying to hide anything, it just seemed sort of pointless to him. He doesn't seem to be outwardly concerned of danger, he sky dived, he travels all over the world, and just seems genuinely happy to be a part of something. I wish there had been some insight to Paul's creative process, the film makes it seem he just sort of fell into it, perhaps stemming from, in part, to his stature. Like Paul's music, the overall tone of the documentary is the good side of sadness, and Paul teaches us, perhaps tacitly so, there IS such a thing and its not such a bad thing after all.

katholiday I saw this last night at about 3:00 AM. As a songwriter, as a Carpenters fan, you'll see the self destruction the drug use and ultimately the salvation of one the most poignant songwriters of the 1970's. I was one of the many that thought Paul Williams was actually dead. To see him moving on in life... Still writing, performing, and honored... It gives one hope that in the end, if one stays true to themselves, their craft and the people that they love, it'll all work out in the end.There's a couple of times that you get to see him with his dander up. But mostly, you get to understand the killer instinct that inhabits every songwriter in their quest to write that perfect tune. A take no prisoners attitude. He's moving forward, and if you just wanna look back in anger or regret, then don't come a callin'!Yes Paul, we all will be remembered for the things that we say and do, ...and you haven't done so bad yourself.Kat Holiday

sgcim I enjoyed this doc. when I just saw it on Showtime, but I was amazed that it never pointed out that Paul Williams did not write the music for most of his best and most famous songs (other than that POS "Just An Old Fashioned Love Song"). The music was written by great songwriters like Roger Nichols (all the Carpenters hits) and Kenny Ascher ("Rainbow Connection", "You and Me Against the World")and even the singer/songwriter Biff Rose. Williams only wrote the lyrics. The songs that Williams wrote alone were mediocre, and maybe this was why his career hit the skids after he stopped working with Nichols and the others. Even "Evergreen" was written by Barbra Streisand, with Williams only supplying the lyrics. I have to admit that I was also under the impression that Paul Williams was this great songwriter who had written some great pop tunes, but I was astonished to find that he had musicians that wrote all the music, and he seemed to take all the credit for all the hits, when he only supplied the lyrics, which were fine, but a song is a lot more than just lyrics. The only mention of Roger Nichols in the film was when Williams briefly said,"When Nichols and I were working together back in etc..." and that's it. If you look at his career after his collaborations, can you find any good songs he wrote on his own, other than the horrible, "Just An Old Fashioned Love Song"? For the documentarian to overlook this aspect of Williams' career is pretty sad...