Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me (2014) Reviews

• A sad and lovely film

  rps-22015-11-30

  It must have taken incredible courage to make this film. It exudes love, compassion and hope. It was a brave decision to undertake a farewell tour after Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and an even braver one to produce a documentary about it. Just imagine the production and logistical problems in shooting the many intimate scenes with a man who already was unable to cope, unable even to remember where the bathroom was in his own home. Why was it done? Certainly not for profit. Probably to extend a lifeline to the ailing Campbell. Definitely to publicize the ravages of this horrible disease. Campbell had it all. Incredible good looks. Immense success. A wonderful family. Yet it all was gradually and cruelly snatched away by Alzheimer's. I found it quite fascinating that even though most of Campbell's mind went blank, the part of it involved with music remained vibrant. This is a very sad but very honest motion picture, full of love and respect but without false hope.

• He loves you, is grateful for you, but he's not gonna miss you

  StevePulaski2015-09-01

  Country musician Keith Urban describes life in Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me quite simply and whimsically, saying it's a culmination of experiences and events but, above all, memories of those experiences. All we have in life at our fingertips is the very-recent past and the very-near future, with little idea of the present other than in a momentary sense. We rely on our memories, positive and negative, to take us back to times that have came and went, possibly days, weeks, months, or years ago. Alzheimer's disease is such a cruel and unforgiving disease because it robs a person of their memories and, in turn, themselves, which takes away their knowledge of their footprint on life. Country musician Glen Campbell is the perfect example of a high-profile Alzheimer's case; following his heartbreaking diagnosis in 2011, Campbell didn't resort to seclusion, living his life in permanent confusion, but instead, with the help of his patient family and loving children, gave the world one final tour and beared his condition with us all. He reminds me a lot of Roger Ebert, who, following thyroid surgery that robbed him of his ability to eat, drink, and speak, decided to become socially active, appearing on numerous talk shows to raise awareness about his illness, in addition to writing more than he ever had before in his life. Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me focuses on Campbell's Alzheimer's diagnosis, subsequent tour, and ongoing battle with the disease. An early scene in the film has him watching old home movies with his current wife Kim, where he mistakes his second wife for his daughter, cannot recall the names of any of his children, and sits in awe of the memories as if he's watching them for the first time. When Kim takes him to a neurologist to analyze his condition, resulting in the Alzheimer's diagnosis, Glen states that he thought his forgetfulness was a way the mind "cleanses" unnecessary information. When a doctor gives him four basic terms for Glen to try and recite back to him, Glen simply shrugs it off and says something like, I already heard them, I don't need to repeat them; he even responds to the doctor's simple question of "what year is it?" by saying, "the 1870's" before giggling shortly after. Kim and Glen's numerous children decided that, following the decision to make Glen's battle with Alzheimer's public, they'd orchestrate a farewell tour across the United States. They'd arm Glen with extensive rehearsals and a teleprompter, in addition to being there on-stage with him playing instruments, in order to give his fans one last show for the books. Unheard of and completely out of left field, Glen went on stage, performing his classics, like the soulful "Wichita Lineman" (which he apparently played twice in a row on occasions without even knowing) and the infectious "Rhinestone Cowboy," which ended up being the song he performed before the Grammy's when he receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. A clearly ecstatic Glen performed it before an energized and fully supportive crowd, in a performance that might even bring tears to your eyes; he even makes Paul McCarthy complete swoon over him backstage. When Campbell sings, you can see a joyfulness wash over his face, as if he's channeling his old self and returning to who he once was. But even with that, whatever world Glen's in, he seems content most of the time, almost always smiling, cracking jokes, or being playful with his family. Of course, there are the heartwrenching times; consider when Glen mistakes individual doorbells on hotel guests' doors for elevator buttons, pushing each one without knowing any better, or when he can't find his golf clubs and blames one of his sons for tampering with them. I'll Be Me doesn't spend even a third of its runtime wallowing in the sadness of circumstance or the cruelty that Alzheimer's brings to its victim and their family; there's too much more life to live and profile. Rather than being a mopey and emotionally mawkish depiction of the disease, the documentary is incredibly energized with Glen's simple but impacting songwriting, his calming and amiable smile, and the unconditional love and support of his family. It features a plethora of live performances from his final tour, all of which, similar to Michael Jackson's dedicated rehearsals in Michael Jackson's This Is It, reflecting not a sick soul but one who isn't through with life yet. The documentary ends with Glen writing, composing, and performing "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," his final song before walking away from everything related to music. The song is a moving yet soul-crushing tune, which serves as a message to Kim that he won't know when she cries, when she's sad, and when she's hurting because "one thing selfishly remains" and that is his inability to miss her or remember her in a long-term sense. Glen's voice is crooning and silky smooth and, as it plays during the end credits, concludes a wonderful celebration of life through certain calamity and sends Glen riding off in the sunset like a real Rhinestone Cowboy. Directed by: James Keach.

• Affecting and Entertaining, but flawed

  cherold2014-10-25

  This documentary follows Glenn Campbell on his last tour, as he deals with the effects of Alzheimer's. It's an absolutely fascinating documentary. In spite of the depressing subject matter, Campbell is funny and charming and he and his family are so likable that it's far more entertaining than you might expect. This is not to say it doesn't get awfully sad - you do see the disease progress and that can be hard to take - but overall it's a pretty positive movie even though it's dealing with something so grim. There are a lot of interesting things in the film. I was fascinated by Campbell acting as though being unable to recall who the first president was his own decision - that he'd just tossed out extraneous information. It's amazing how well he was able to perform even as lost the ability to find his own bathroom. The family does a good job of dealing with Campbell; they're very nice (and strikingly attractive) and you feel really bad for them. Unfortunately, some misguided choices keep this from being as good as it could have been. A big problem is a section in the middle in which a bunch of politicians blather on about how important a problem is, one of a number of times where the movie's advocacy goal played out in ham-handed tediousness. Even though the movie kills its own momentum in the middle though, it manages to get it back again. There is also a monologue by the wife that is surprisingly defensive, since in the movie no one is criticizing her for taking Glenn on tour. I saw a premier with the filmmakers, the wife and daughter, and the wife said there were critics of the plan in the family, and I don't know why the movie didn't show that (or didn't get a less defensive monologue that wouldn't suggest there was more to the story than you'd seen). Some things feel a little extraneous. There are brief chats with celebrities about how cool Glenn is that often seem pointless (although some, like Bruce Springstein, did have something worthwhile to say). Glenn's security head also seems poorly integrated into the story. And there are clips of a young Campbell that in some cases work and in some don't. While it's clearly not the work of a truly masterful documentarian, it is still entertaining and powerful and well worth watching. I just wish an editor with better instincts could fix the weak parts. It's good, but with a few changes here and there it could be great.

• Wonderful Documentary!

  gigi-468962015-06-28

  I wanted to make just a brief comment on how much I enjoyed the documentary on Glen Campbell, but because of the ridiculous guidelines, I'm forced to write at least 10 lines....absurd! Takes too much of my time, please rewrite the guidelines, if you want more reviews. I disagree with the first reviewer, Cherold. He's exceptionally picky! I enjoyed every minute of the movie. Obviously, Cherold hasn't had to deal with this issue personally. I have, so it's nice to see that it's getting political attention...even if it's politicians that I disagree with and thankfully are no longer in power. I just watched the Documentary on CNN tonight. Thank you to Lilly, CNN, and the Campbell family for bringing it to our living rooms! What a sweet and touching story about Glen Campbell's struggles with Alzheimer's disease. It's nice to see the loving, compassionate care his family and friends are helping him to remember, even though he can't. It's amazing how his musical talent and wit endures while other memories are lost. It's very insightful to see how certain minds deal with the disease. At least he seems happy with a positive attitude. Glen is being Glen, just with a forgotten past. The music is so touching. I think this is a must see for Glen's fans or anyone caring for loved ones with memory issues.

• Excellent treatment of difficult subject

  richardhyppa2015-08-28

  We went to a showing of this movie last night, thoroughly enjoyed it. I never really followed Glen Campbell's career but growing up in the 60's and 70's his hits received wide exposure and they were the kind of catchy songs that repeated themselves in your brain when you didn't expect it. This movie showed us that Glen Campbell really was the happy go lucky country boy who rode his singing abilities into the limelight but didn't become an obnoxious jerk. The treatment of his Alzheimer's condition is powerful, sad yet tinged with Glen's humor. Kim Campbell's explanation of the choice to tour is critical to the involved viewer and to those of us who have dealt with an Alzheimer's patient. Without, the ubercritical would accuse the family of dragging Mr. Campbell on the tour to wring dollars from his fading celebrity. So not the case. Glen Campbell's performing ability endured and the shows appeared to be sold out. Kim Campbell came to our town for the screening and took questions. She warmed to the crowd and explained how her family has worked against the awful progression of this horrid disease. How they still take joy in Glen every day. Unfortunately this film has received little attention from the general public. In our generation, it seems that everyone knows someone who is dealing with Alzheimer's. The movie going public doesn't want to pay good money to watch a movie about anyone who is suffering from a cruel disease. But this movie is so much more than that. The music, humor and love rise above the undeniable pain of Mr. Campbell's suffering. This is a very valuable movie for anyone who knows someone suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and for anyone who may encounter it in their family. Which means just about everybody. It will help to further erase the stigma of this disease, which doctors are still loathe to diagnose. Go see it for the educational value and be entertained by the music and the story of the love of the Campbell family, instead of watching yet another formula movie from Hollywood. You will be glad you did.