Baseshment
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
Brendon Jones
It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
Murphy Howard
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
Fleur
Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.
Ascola
We're not sure what moved Kiefer Sutherland to act as a kind of tour organizer for Rocco DeLuca and his Burden, even helping to carry their stage equipment while they give one show per country in this strange tour documentary. Kiefer wasn't sure about that himself it seems, because he cannot answer director Manu Boyers question why he let him film his evenings and parties with the band, and tries to give an answer towards the end of the film which hasn't got a lot to do with his tour manager assignment.Maybe it was his loneliness and the tour was a welcome opportunity to flee from empty Christmas and new years eve-holidays? We watch Kiefer more or less getting drunk every evening, or at least we can infer that if not directly by seeing him jump into an Icelandic Christmas tree by watching him in the morning crawling out of his hotel room, always struggling to get a hold of his stuff (during a few days he loses his phone, his wallet and seemingly every other kind of things, for example by way of carrying ten things at a time into the hotel lobby obviously for want of enough bags). A "24"-crew member says about him in advance: "If you know Kiefer well - organization is not his middle name." Which very obviously is true and makes him somewhat a miscast for the job - but not less likable.The surprising thing is that Kiefer always stays calm, polite and friendly while Boyer films him during these more or less embarrassing scenes. All in all it seems he takes his manager assignment very seriously - and also his film assignment, derived from that - and he definitely is able to promote the group, even in a quasi-non-organized way.Sutherland looks for a kind of deeper meaning in what he's doing - and even gets himself an Icelandic tattoo, while the bands purpose is pretty clear to every one - but in the end of the day I can't help also to see a drinker masquerading consequences of his addiction - which are gossip stories in next days papers, an injured arm, the lost belongings among other things - and reproaching himself.Still it is interesting to watch him, definitely so when you're a fan. There are similarities between him and his musical front man with respect to childhood memories as they are told, only that one treats them with anger (Rocco), the other with a smile out of the anguish. As for the band: their depressive blues style seems to fit Kiefers inner state perfectly, and also Roccos. The music is a mixture of Jeff Buckley and traditional Americana, rock and blues roots music, together with a Placebo-like "passive aggressiveness" that makes it hard to listen to it at times if you're not exactly in the blue mood. Rocco is very skilled, no doubt, but it seems the audiences in the clubs they play don't quite fit the music: they're too adult. A younger crowd, maybe around the bands own age and not their tour managers, might immerse better into this kind of music. But something maybe went a little wrong with the booking of places. Of course we never hear discussions about these matters, we only see locations, equipment, hotels, airports, driving, partying after the gig, and vague statements on nothing in particular by Kiefer while the band doesn't add much to the film apart from their music - which is the main thing of course they can and should add.
Draper Bulger
Quite honestly, I'd never heard of Rocco DeLuca and the Burden before I saw this documentary. I had originally watched this by recommendation of a co-worker back in 2007 who stated that one of my favourite actors (Kiefer of course) was the tour manager for a group of unknowns (Rocco DeLuca and the Burden) and that he made a complete fool of himself on a European tour all for the sake of getting these guys known. Well, my co-worker wasn't wrong in stating that Kiefer was not exactly suited to be a band manager but he did neglect to mention two things... Kiefer's devotion the band (he genuinely seemed to love the band and went out of his way to plug them in Ireland when he had realized that only two tickets to their show had been sold) and how much RDB ROCKS! Seriously, these guys are phenomenal and I recommend this film highly to anyone who wants to see a band trying to make it big with Kiefer Sutherland at the helm. I also recommend this for people who just want to discover a new and awesome band... Rocco DeLuca and the Burden!
markthomasson
Being a former music promoter, I am always interested when Rockumentaries come out.Having never seen even one episode of 24 and barely being aware of who Rocco was I went to check out the film.if you are a kiefer lover, you will further be enamored with himif you are a music lover, you'll want to find out more about the bandif you are doc lover, you will wonder why this film was made? is it a Kiefer vehicle , because you see a lot of him but nothing terribly enlightening or substantive aside from him talking about his mother.there are some shots of him in bed where his feet look enormous. You really don't get to really know who the band is either. Its entertaining enough. you'll probably see it on the sundance channel by January
bob the moo
Taking off after the end of filming on the last season of 24, Kiefer Sutherland heads to Europe with his band Rocco DeLuca & The Burden. As their road manager, Sutherland faces the trials and joys of life on the road, whether it is locked venues, storming gigs, quiet audiences or giving out free tickets at the last minute to avoid an empty venue. The tour takes across Europe, including England, Germany and Iceland.Like many other casual viewers, I came to this film off the back of 24 (indeed it was shown in the UK on the same channel that shows that series). In this way I was a bit worried that the film would be just about him. However when I understood that the band is question is one under his management, I worried that the film would just be a bit of him combined with a big promotional push of DeLuca & The Burden. In a way my fears were justified because the film is mainly a cross between a cool bit of Kiefer-following and lots of live music from the band. However this wasn't a massive problem and these parts were still good enough to be worth watching. Of course it helps if you like Sutherland, which as a 24 fan I do. It is interesting to see him working another career and being a bit wild – certainly seeing him jump into a Christmas tree is something that you'll be unlikely to see no matter how many series of 24 you watch. It also helps to like the music. I'm more into my hip-hop than rock but I found it a good sound thanks to good guitar work and DeLuca's unique voice; fewer songs might have freed up the film to do something else but I guess it is what it is.Aside from these two elements there isn't that much. At times it serves as an interesting look at life on the road, with some nice comic moments and insight into life on the road. However these moments do not come often enough to make this a really interesting documentary and it is never long before we are back into a fan moment or a song. Those involved manage to keep their contributions interesting enough to carry the film and it is hard to deny that DeLuca et al have talent.Overall this is an OK music documentary. The music is good and there is just about enough going on of interest to sustain the film, but not enough to make it a particularly valuable one to come back to unless you are specifically a fan of Sutherland or DeLuca.