2024-03-31 13:30:00
It is said, and I completely agree, that any work about a real person can only be truly successful if, in addition to fulfilling the basic requirement of transmitting something intimate and true about that figure, it manages to present itself in a harmonious way. in relation to the biography.
This is why, for example, “The social network” is one of the great films of the last decade: in addition to extracting the core of what moves Mark Zuckerberg and making a sharp analysis of a period of humanity, the film manages to do all this while being exactly like its protagonist — ironic, fast, sharp, young . That’s why “Elvis”, with its histrionic style and completely out of character, is one of the best musical biopics of the recent series. That’s why, to continue on the same theme, “Bob Marley — One Love” failed: you can’t take one of the most charismatic and colorful figures of the 20th century, make a film so personalityless and come out unscathed.
This is also why “STEVE! (martin)”a new two-part documentary that arrived on Apple TV+ last Friday (29/3), it is one of the most interesting productions to appear in the Maçã catalog in a while. Not only for embracing the personality of the legendary American comedian — sometimes quite chaotic, but always with a very down-to-earth, even humble, look at life and fame —, but mainly for recognizing that, if Martin was a avant-garde in the comedy scene in the United States (and in the world), nothing more appropriate than that the language, here, also goes beyond the basic/obvious.
Let me explain: another thing that is also said a lot is that the art of a good documentary is rarely appreciated outside cinephile circles. And it’s true: although the genre has a huge range of historical productions, which defy any conventions and pre-established ideas (like the work of Eduardo Coutinho or the Maysles brothers’ films, for example), it is true that a large part of the public is accustomed to think of documentaries in that old model “archive scene » testimony » narration » repeat”.
Therefore, therein lies the great merit of “STEVE! (martin)”: to show that this formula can be challenged in a large-scale work, designed for the general public.
At first glance, the documentary’s description may disguise this desire to break down barriers: we have here, as expected, a broad and in-depth look at the life of Steve Martin, from the beginning of his career on the stage of stand-upgoing through his meteoric rise to stardom as a frequent host of “Saturday Night Live” and his consolidation as one of the most famous and highest-paid comic stars in Hollywood — and reaching, of course, to the present day, in which Martin adopts a much slower career pace, but no less full of talent.
But Morgan Nevilledirector of the production, is not just any documentary filmmaker — just see that he is the name responsible for “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”, a 2018 documentary about Fred Rogers, won a series of awards and became the highest-grossing film of its kind in history. And the filmmaker made the wise decision to divide “STEVE! (martin)” in two parts, transforming them into films completely different in tone, style and approach, reflecting Steve Martin’s own evolution throughout his life. And this premise is taken seriously: each party has its own distinct creative team, with separate editors, composers and directors of photography (and who, according to Neville in an interview for Vanity Fairthey couldn’t even check what the “other party” team was doing).
Yes, the titles already suggest that part 1 of the documentary — titled “Then” — covers the comedian’s early years and talks about his career leading up to Hollywood superstardom, while part 2 — “Now” — focuses on Martin’s current moment in life. This chronological structure, however, does not matter: viewers can watch “STEVE! (martin)” in any order without prejudice to the narrative concatenation — and, in fact, it is even possible to watch just one of the parts, as each one perfectly contains itself as a single and closed work. Basically, stick to the first part if you want to meet Steve the legend, and go to the second part if you want to meet Steve the man.
This formal experimentation — is it a film? Are two? Is it a miniseries? That’s not it? — it also has the additional benefit of giving Neville (and Martin) plenty of time to dissect issues that go far beyond the “Wikipedia page” style that affects so many documentaries. In the second part, especially, the filmmaker and the subject develop a kind of relationship, reflecting on the nature of artistic creation, talent and the art of making other people laugh. This is the most intimate of the documentary, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t also full of never-before-seen and delightful images — a big highlight here are the little bits about Steve’s relationship with Martin Shorthis longtime friend and co-star on the series “Only Murders in the Building”.
Add to that appearances from a host of Hollywood stars, both from Steve’s golden age and today — Eric Idle, Diane Keaton, Jerry Seinfeld, Tina Fey e Selena Gomez are some of the names that come forward to help complete the puzzle that is Steve Martin — and you have a full plate for anyone who likes to think about art, laughter and fame. In the end, “STEVE!’s greatest triumph! (martin)” is precisely this: humanizing a figure that, for so many decades, we have seen as a master of humor and, in the process, enhancing him even more.
Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in more than 100 countries and regions, whether on iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, Macs, smart TVs or online — in addition to being on devices such as Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The service costs R$21.90 per month, with a seven-day free trial period. For a limited time, anyone who buys and activates a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch gets three months of Apple TV+. It is also part of the company’s subscription package, Apple One.
TRANSPARENCY NOTE: MacMagazine receives a small commission on sales completed through links in this post, but you, as a consumer, pay nothing more for the products by purchasing through our affiliate links.
1711894430
#biographer #STEVE #martin #gloriously #challenges #limits #documentary #offer