Instead of a cabin buried deep in the Tennessee woods, you have a mansion in Encino, California, that apparently has been used often as a recording studio. The last time however resulted in a bloodbath.
The band, pressured by manager Jeff Garlin, (cleverly named "Shill") for their 10th album, is initially against using the studio house, until leader Dave Grohl falls for the acoustics generated by a clap.
Away we go....
Everyone's foul-mouthed humor carries the film through some surprisingly creepy moments (my dog left the room at one point). Aside from the confident Grohl, legendary punk guitarist Pat Smear and keyboardist Rami Jaffee seem the most natural on camera; the rest are just doing their best. But despite how funny drummer Taylor Hawkins is, the laughter he generates reminds you that he's gone, and brings you back down to Earth a bit. It was tough for me to shake the melancholy of his loss when he was on screen.
My wife and I caught the London Tribute to Taylor Hawkins on YouTube, and not only was it an amazing collaboration of rock talent from across 50 years, from the James Gang (check out the baseball cap Taylor's wearing in the band/management meeting at the film's open) to Dave Grohl's and Taylor's children. I teared up a couple of times. This man was deeply loved by many, and his talent will be missed as well. Banging skins for the Foos wasn't the only thing Mr. Hawkins did well musically.
Try not to let that stop you though. There's some great scares, chuckles, a genuinely super score by Roy Mayorga, and kick-ass Foo Fighters rock and roll. A killer theme song by John Carpenter's trio, (not to mention his cameo as a recording engineer), as well as comedians Whitney Cummings and the affore-mentioned Jeff Garlin add some elements that round out the whole. This is a fun movie that could be a cult classic and really enjoyed by a group especially...
Halloween would be the perfect time.
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