Color Me Obsessed: A Film About the Replacements

I saw this at the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison, a town where the Replacements put on many memorable shows. This film ain't about the band, it's about their fans...and their passion for the band. It's a wonderful mix of fans and writers like Jim DeRogatis, Greg Kot and Robert Christgau who were spreading the word from the beginning. One of the interviewees compares their legacy to the Velvet Underground. It is said they only sold a few thousand albums in their career, but everyone who bought one started a band. Among today's bands that carry the Mats flag, Wilco (my current obsession) stands out and there's Jeff Tweedy proclaiming that every Wilco song is based on the Replacements.

The Mats were human, and that humanity shines through without any of the members being on screen.

An amazing Documentary, shot in a very unique way, about an amazing band!! Highly Recommended!!!An amazing Documentary, shot in a very unique way, about an amazing band!! Highly Recommended!!!An amazing Documentary, shot in a very unique way, about an amazing band!! Highly Recommended!!!An amazing Documentary, shot in a very unique way, about an amazing band!! Highly Recommended!!!An amazing Documentary, shot in a very unique way, about an amazing band!! Highly Recommended!!!An amazing Documentary, shot in a very unique way, about an amazing band!! Highly Recommended!!!An amazing Documentary, shot in a very unique way, about an amazing band!! Highly Recommended!!!An amazing Documentary, shot in a very unique way, about an amazing band!! Highly Recommended!!!An amazing Documentary, shot in a very unique way, about an amazing band!! Highly Recommended!!!An amazing Documentary, shot in a very unique way, about an amazing band!! Highly Recommended!!!

This film made me laugh out loud, as I saw these guys 3 times, and then saw Paul a few times in his single carrier. This band was the band that never wanted to be recognized as good, but they were very talented. I saw the film Sat. with a few other friends and the only thing I wish it had of course was music, but it did such a great job of story telling, that it wasn't needed. More pictures of the band would have been great, and that was my only gripe, other than that a splendid movie with great storytelling of a great band out of the Twin Cities! Now bring it on to Blu-Ray so I can buy a copy! :) Again, thanks for bringing back some great memories!

This is the best rock doc I have ever seen. I watched this film knowing little to nothing about the Replacements. I left with a real desire to experiences their music. The film puts the stories together in a way that made me feel that I personally follow the replacements into the bars and not only heard their gigs but set down and drank with the Replacements before their sets, though you hear none of their music. Color me Obsessed took me on a carnival ride I want to get on and ride again and again. Though this film is essentially talking heads the director captivated me visually with the composition of each shot as he wove tales that I not only wished I was part of, but I willed myself to first imagine then believe that I was a part of.

Gorman Bechard puts his self-confessed passion for the 'Mats through the paces with this linear and thorough doc. Filled with revealing interviews about much of the lore surrounding one of the greatest American rock bands, and one that had an undeniable impact on what we perceive as modern or alt-rock today, Color... is Bechard's rock and roll love letter to a band that has still not gotten its due. It spends a good two hours recounting the glory days of the Minneapolis scene of the early 1980s through clips with fans, other bands and even minor celebrities who "were there when" or just flat out believe Westerberg and Co. were all that defines rock and roll. Bechard's decision to not include music, archival footage or even attempt to obtain either of those, though, is curious and ultimately disappointing. Sure fans of the band will love the insights and appreciate the info offered on some of the 'Mats lore. But they might also find themselves yearning for some kind of gems. I think, for instance, of the Rush doc, Beyond the Lighted Stage, I'm a huge Rush fan yet the film gave me info I never knew but also dug up footage and music never before seen or heard. That's what a rock-doc should do. Yes it's good to be inspired to "go out and discover (or re-discover) your fave bands, but frankly i don't have access to the dozens of people in the Replacements' lives who would be in possession of the material that would further my love of the band. Fans like to think they are know-it-alls when it comes to the bands they love. It is the duty of a doc-maker to prove we are not...that they are able to show us more about the band than we knew. Color... does that through its interviews, to be sure. But I also felt a little cheated. And you might too.