Movie Review: Zappa

Film, Reviews, Top Story


Frank Zappa is a musician that you heard more about than actually heard. People enjoyed talking about Frank Zappa. You’d see his records in the bin at School Kids next to ZZ Top. Pictures of him with his iconic mustache and goatee would pop up in strange places at college. It was a secret message to others that you weren’t that normal. But a vast amount of his music was rarely on the airwaves (except for the anomaly of “Valley Girl”). If you did hear it was normally on a public radio station at the left end of the dial during the freaky music time. If your started listening to Zappa, it was probably because you had a cool uncle with the albums. Zappa had released so many albums during his lifetime that it was hard to just pick out one at the Record Store as an introduction. What’s the best gateway album? Lumpy Gravy, Weasels Ripped My Flash, Burnt Weeny Sandwich or Sheik Yerbouti? What about his orchestral albums? Not to mention all the odd video/film projects that Frank made over his lifetime. For a guy you might know so little about, there’s so much Frank Zappa. Luckily Director Alex Winter and his crew have given us Zappa that distills essence of the artist’s life and work down to a two hour documentary.

The film gives a sense of how Frank grew up in a very non-musical family that moved quite a bit because of his father’s defense department job. The film latches onto Frank’s father’s work at a military’s poison gas factory and how Frank grew used to wearing gas masks for drills. Frank did fall in love not merely with music, but composing. He wanted to push sound in the same way as Edgard Varese. Which explain that while other bands were trying to concoct the perfect rock record with the usual guitar, bass and drums format, Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention band went deep into unknown territory. Frank’s original band was as tight as they didn’t have the security of just safe pop notes. Zappa enjoyed documenting so much of their performances in film and video so there’s plenty of examples of what went on during the late ’60s. There’s footage of the band during their famous six month residency at a theater in New York City. There’s also footage of the various other Mothers that Zappa led over the ’70s and ’80s. Even better is how Frank didn’t mind talking about his life and work in various interviews. This footage allows Frank to narrate his life even though he passed away in 1993. There are other people interviewed including his widow Gail Zappa, longtime percussionist Sarah Underwood and keyboardist Ian Underwood. They give a sense of what it was like to deal with Frank and his music. It was less a rock band and more a touring classical music unit. Which brings us to the part of the film that deals with Frank’s desire to compose and get his classical pieces composed. Interviewers seem shocked that Frank made these records and paid for the orchestras without a plan to reap millions off the record sales. It’s as if they didn’t see that Zappa did this for his artistic desire and not merely to buy a house in Malibu. Frank’s final concert isn’t with a rock band, but conducting Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt, Germany for what would be his Yellow Shark album.

There is coverage of his time when he stood up against the Parents Music Resource Center that tried to censor albums. He was the first major name to stand up against the group of U.S. Senators wives that included Al Gore’s future ex-wife. The film has him point out how so many major artists including Prince were silent as he stood up to keep a ratings system from coming to your nearby Camelot Music. He didn’t pay a career price since radio stations weren’t going to stop playing his music. But one Washington insider’s PMRC wife got her revenge when he became close with a foreign country. Frank had bigger things to worry about than the petty nature as he battled prostrate cancer. The film shows Frank struggling to finish as much work before the end at his home studio.

The film doesn’t portray Frank as the perfect husband and dad. Sure Frank was very open about not doing drugs or getting wasted. But he did have one vice on the road: he enjoyed hooking up with groupies. During an interview he talks about how him and his wife Gail have a bit of an arrangement when it comes to him sleeping around during tours. He seems casual in describing the times he’s had to tell Gail that they need to run down to the pharmacy to get penicillin for the case of VD he brought back. When it came to his family, Frank might have spent a bit of time at home, but most of his waking hours was him in the home studio recording at all hours. We get the story of how Moon Unit ended up collaborating with her dad on “Valley Girl” and see the note that launched Frank’s only serious charting hit single.

2020 has been an amazing year for Alex Winter. Besides starring in Bill and Ted Face the Music, he directed Zappa and Showbiz Kids (currently streaming on HBO). This was be a career making time for any filmmaker that would keep them doing documentary film festivals and major fan events. And sadly he hasn’t really been able to enjoy it since he can’t take this awesome trio of films out for special screenings to meet the folks in the seats. Zappa was supported by a crowd sourced fundraiser so it’s easy to imagine him wishing he could thank folks in the lobby after screenings. Alex Winter has been creating one great documentary after the next since 2012’s Downloaded about Napster.

Zappa is the perfect introduction for anyone whose been curious after hearing Frank Zappa’s name for decades. Because of all the rare footage dug up from the family’s vault, the movie is a joy for longtime fans who have an entire shelf in their record cabinet dedicated to the various Mothers. And after the film, you’ll figure out what record to track down first.

Zappa will be playing select theaters starting on Monday, November 23rd as single screenings. Check your local listings. The movie will be released on various VOD platforms on Friday, November 27 in case you can’t make it out.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.