Review: New York Doll (A-)

New York Doll (2005)
Directed by Greg Whiteley
Starring Arthur Kane, David Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain, Chrisse Hynde, Bob Geldof, Sky Saxon, Morrissey
MPAA: PG-13
Grade: A-

Review by Scott Standish

In a time when documentaries are all the rage and comeback tours are everywhere, a documentary about the reunion of the New York Dolls was inevitable. However, no one could have expected this documentary to be so mesmerizing, sensitive and insightful. This is one of the best rock and roll documentaries I have seen in a while and I hope that this film finds widespread distribution. This film needs to find a wider audience, not just the usual "punk crowd". It's that good.

New York Doll is about the Dolls, of course, but it is really about Arthur "Killer" Kane, the band's bass player. The New York Dolls where a successful punk rock group in the early seventies that broke up just as they were reaching the pinnacle of success. Their music would influence a generation of punk artists from the Clash to Iggy Pop. When the band broke up, most went on to success as solo artists, or with other groups. Arthur Kane become an alcoholic, a loner, and bit of a vagabond until he recently converted to the Mormon religion. Kane retreated into his job as a librarian for the Mormons, far away from his past as a rock star. However, secretly he longed to play with the Dolls just one more time.

As fate would have it, Morrissey organizes a festival and asks the Dolls to play a reunion concert. The build up to this event and the aftermath of the concert is amazing. Kane's life seems to take on new meaning as he can finally return to the stage. New York Doll is a wonderful documentary, not just about rock and roll, but about success, failure, and the steps in between. This is a "killer" documentary and New York Doll is highly recommended.