Brand A Second Coming review: A highly entertaining documentary which is big on laughs and extremely engaging.
Brand A Second Coming review
The existence of Brand: A Second Coming throws up a significant amount of questions. What is it? A concert film, a biographical documentary about the comedian’s life or simply political propaganda? Well, it’s a little bit of all three.
Those that have bared witness to Russell Brand‘s movements over the past couple of years from Hollywood A-lister, to a political activist through his highly popular ‘The Trews ‘ You Tube channel, will know exactly wha’t to expect from this film. Kicking off with footage from the British comedian’s most recent stand-up tour, Brand: A Second Coming makes an almost immediate turn to focus on the star’s rise to fame through home video recordings of his early material. For the first two-thirds of the film, we’re given access to Brand with a personal commentary on growing up in his home town of Grays in Essex (he takes us on a walking tour of his old house, and later on, his high school); his early success as a comedian and TV presenter in the UK, including some genius, previously unseen material, before moving swiftly on to him making it in Hollywood via the infamous MTV Movie Awards appearance a few years ago. With unprecedented access, celebrated documentary director Ondi Timoner unites with Brand to detail his rise to fame and international super-stardom, only to turn his back on it all after realising that there is more to his crazy, rich, and superficial life. Brand is seen to attempt to become a much greater force in the world, championing the poor, the addicted and the underprivileged, and embarking on a quest to change the world for the better.
Brand A Second Coming review
It’s very hard not to like Timoner’s brilliant documentary. Many years in the making, the film has obviously had its direction changed over the years, but its great to see how Brand has come to the point in his life as he is today. His various interviews, particularly the couple on BBC Newsnight, are almost seen in a very different light once you’ve seen the journey Brand has taken, following a visit to a very poor African village at the height of his Hollywood fame, which literally changed his life, and his way of thinking about the person he was on his way to becoming.
One might not agree with many of Brand’s politics, but that doesn’t seem to matter here, as even the most conservative among us find it difficult to not warm to his character and the intentions he has. The damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t aspect of his public persona is gloriously detailed in the film, and at times one can’t help but think that the documentary is serving as a vehicle for the comedian to broadcast his political messages to a massive audience, but it becomes quickly clear that he really doesn’t need it if that were the case anyway.
Brand A Second Coming review
Featuring interviews with the likes of Jeremy Paxman, who he famously went up against on Newsnight, friends Noel Gallagher, Simon Amstell (pictured above) and Jonathan Ross (the film briefly covers the big Radio 2 incident), and old collaborators and wives (yes, Katy Perry), Timoner manages to balance the proceedings relatively well.
Cleverly edited, well constructed and as hilarious as a Russell Brand documentary should be (watch out for Brand as he tackles the US chat show/ news station circuit to plug his new book), Brand: A Second Coming had us in stitches pretty much from the off. While it may not one of the best documentaries we’ve seen this year, it’s definitely one of the most entertaining.
Brand: A Second Coming review by Paul Heath, October 2015.
Brand: A Second Coming plays at the 2015 BFI London Film Festival. The film will be released in cinemas across the UK from October 23rd. It is still awaiting a US release.
