Paul Williams Still Alive (2011) Reviews

• Amazing Subject, Beyond Annoying "Filmmaker"

  theprovinces-12013-01-28

  Whether realized or not, Paul Williams has had a tremendous musical impact on my generation. Easily the redeeming factor of this film are the juxtapositions of Williams in his heyday and Williams today. The documentary is populated with gasp-inducing ("I remember that!" "I saw that when it aired!") moments, terrific vintage clips, and good interviews, especially with his long-time band leader. Williams comes off completely accessible and a very self-aware guy. The tragedy of this entire project is the fact that the person at the film's helm is Stephen Kessler, who is intrusive, obnoxious, paranoid, xenophobic, and, most of all, so self-absorbed that every action Williams makes (a tour of Vegas, to the Philippines, etc.) is about him. Not 30 flippin' seconds go by in this documentary, where Kessler isn't self-referential. Williams is shockingly gracious despite Kessler's repeated attempts at "gotcha" moments. Kessler is so arrogant that he actually interrupts Williams' poignant childhood memory. He's the kind of "reporter" (term used very loosely) who isn't listening to his subject. Kessler has an agenda, and no matter how many times he refers to Williams as his "idol," that agenda is a despicable one. Kessler's "fame" (Oscar for a short film) wasn't even a blip on the entertainment scene and he is determined to make this film about him. If only Kessler had used this amazing opportunity to showcase Williams -- who is certainly as interesting and engaging as he'd been at the height of his fame -- this could have been a very remarkable film portrait. It wouldn't even have had to be a tribute; Williams shows moments of curmudgeonly behavior (and really, who wouldn't be, in Kessler's presence), but Williams' humor and undeniable talent deserve a showcase. Kessler repeatedly (and cringing-ly) keeps asking questions that are the equivalent of "how does it feel to have been so famous and to become so irrelevant?" The truly horrible moment is when Kessler (who clearly has been chomping at the bit, stalking Williams for two years for this opportunity) makes Williams awkwardly and uncomfortably sit through a late 70s-vintage television clip of a clearly high, Williams hosting the "Mike Douglas Show." Kessler wants to make a film about himself, and frame it with a compelling subject like Williams. For Williams -- who generously consented to Kessler's cameras AND provided him with boxes of videos for the documentary (without these contributions there would be absolutely no film) -- this film provides a reminder of Williams. But he deserves so much better.

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• Great Story Inept Director

  jim7145-611-5893722013-02-17

  I grew up across the Whitestone Bridge from Kessler, and since we're of the same age, my memories of the 70's and Paul Williams are pretty much in sync. The five stars I gave this film is because of the achievements of Mr. William's life from an extraordinary entertainer across platforms (music, TV and film)through to his current accomplishments of sobriety, public service, a solid marriage to a good woman, and a continuing demand for his performing from audiences. I was able to get that much out of the film because of Mr. William's charisma, in spite of the intrusiveness of the director. His omnipresence in the film, his whining about his fear of the Phillipenes before going and through his entire stay was the most cringe worthy part of the movie. His constant attempts, with the subtlety of a bludgeon to embarrass Mr. Williams- from cutting him off when he started opening up about his childhood, to asking 'how does it feel to go from the heights of fame to the Gong Show', and when as a guest in Mr. William's home taping him as he watched one of the most humiliating moments of his career. I enjoy documentaries; and this was the worst one I've ever seen because Kessler's continuous insinuation into the story. He gets the blank stars. After I post this review, I'm going to see if I can catch Mr. Williams on 'The View'. I hope it's on You Tube; because I'd enjoy some material about him without having to hear Kessler's whining. Kessler made a great film barely wort the time to watch it.

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• Stephen Kessler Still Alive?

  obscuringrichie2012-05-29

  This film is not a traditional biopic, but rather the director's recounting of the role Paul Williams has played throughout his life. How he remembers him from his youth, and how he figures into his current life. There are touches of Paul's early career and life, but the primary focus is on the friendship which grew between him and the director throughout the years of filming. Stephen Kessler, a once hopeful, now floundering director, had been a fan of Williams' work growing up, but lost track of him somewhere around the early 80's. Much to his surprise, he found out that the entertainer was not dead, as he had long assumed, and was still making public appearances. He then went on a journey to discover where Paul had disappeared to for all those absent years. The only flaw with this idea is that, for many of us, Paul never disappeared. Sure, his presence wasn't as strongly felt as it may have been a few decades ago, but even with his struggles with drug and alcohol abuse (now clean for 20 years), Paul was still making music and appearing in several films and TV shows. While I realize that Paul may have been flying under the radar for many, he was far from underground. Kessler ignores these recent efforts, leaving blank Paul's creative history between 1980 and the late 2000s when he started filming this documentary. When asked during a Q&A following a screening of this film if he was still writing music, Paul lovingly jokes that he is and he thinks Kessler would have been happier to have found him living a trailer and eating out of trashcans, as it would have been better for his movie. This film is not really one about Paul Williams, per se, it seems more about Kessler's search to find out something about his past, about his own slipping into obscurity, and the ways in which filming Paul transforms from an idea, to a crutch, to a renewed hope in his own career...and a friendship between the two. While I feel like some discredit was done to Paul by lacking to mention the full spectrum of his work, I am glad to have a film that can renew interest in him and his many talents. The film is fully entertaining and Williams is delightful, albeit not quite the focus that the title might lead one to believe.

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• So disappointed...

  CedarCliff2013-01-27

  As a fan of Paul Williams I was looking forward to this documentary. Indeed I was heartened when the director, Stephen Kessler, begins his film explaining what a fan he was of the era in which Paul Williams was well... Paul Williams, and how big a fan he was of the man himself. Alas, we never get to see into Paul Williams. Unbelievably, while "Phantom of the Paradise" and fan conventions for that film is where Kessler's story starts, the director never delves into just what made "Phantom of the Paradise" so special to so many, never asks Paul Williams about the film, his inspiration, his contributions to the film. It might as well have never happened. Hello?! Mr. Kessler?! Maybe peal back the onion a bit on "Phantom of the Paradise"? Ask a few questions about the film? I was waiting... nothing. The film only begins to show what it could have been at the very end where we finally see into what Paul Williams thinks of all this, what he once was, and his career. But unfortunately it's too little too late. Even the uplifting ending comes off as manufactured and trite. Like after knowing each other for over 2 years Paul just happens to mention, "Oh... I got VHS tapes". I trust there's a future in Mexican food commercials for Mr. Kessler. At least there, in the one we saw in his documentary, we saw the cheese in the burrito.

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• Watch It Only For The Curiosity Factor

  iamyuno22014-01-04

  Funny - 2012 must have been the year for depressing documentaries about aging great singer-songwriters. Like the Neil Young Journeys fiasco, this film disappoints. It's not boring like Young's film, but it is sad, sad, sad!!! And why did Stephen Kessler hound Williams until the end, with old video clips that only humiliated him and made him want to throw Kessler out of his house? I was a writer for Downbeat magazine years ago and I profiled famous jazz musicians, some of whom had personal rough spots and most of whom had seen their careers die down with age. But I knew enough not to make them uncomfortable or embarrass them with insulting questions...and, in the telling, I didn't emphasize the darker side of things. Yes, tell the tale, but with giants like Paul Williams (those of you who weren't around might not know he was on the top of the world once, having written scores of great hit songs sung by many - including himself - and he rose to celebrityhood also on his wit and charm) need to be treated with a little more respect. And PS Kessler, I - the grandson of a great songwriter and bandleader - can tell you that the music industry eats you up and spits you out. It's a rare person whose fame or popularity lasts a lifetime and it's no fault of the artist. The Monkees' Davy Jones, may he rest in peace, had a career in later life much like Williams. This is what happens in the fickle music industry. Even Boston's lead singer, Brad Delp, who sadly took his own life not long ago, experienced disappointment after having been on top of the world in one of the best rock bands ever. So...there's a bigger story here and it's not told.

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