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Overrated

Lack of good storyline.

Crappy film

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

"How did Kurt Cobain really die?" asks the cover of my DVD swanky. The reality does look like this: After the 90 minutes of this documentary, you won't be more suited to answer this question, because everything you get to see are conspiracy theories, brought up by people who I would not consider as being very trustworthy. Many of the interview partners were obviously under the influence of drugs or had personal feuds with Courtney Love in the past (father, ex-boyfriend). When at the end director Nick Broomfield goes on the stage of an award ceremony for freedom of the press to denounce Courtney (with a probably justifiable accusation), I only saw the completion of his way of self-satisfaction and whining about Courtney. And: Am I the only one who finds it a little bit funny that Broomfield acts, as if he wants to make an even reappraising of Cobain's death? But: The film has at least a certain level of entertainment value.

About halfway through this "documentary" I suddenly realized that the film may, in fact, have been a "mockumentary". Consider the following:* The director/interviewer kept saying to the audience "I wanted to play such-and-such a song by Kurt/Nirvana, but the record label wouldn't give me permission, so here is another song by some band you've never heard of" * The complete ineptitude of the celebrity stalkers, whose digital camera runs out of battery power just as they get close to the studio that Courtney Love is recording in... and later are so nervous at an official function (where they are pretending to be the media) that they actually fail to ask Courtney Love the required questions.* The appearance of El Duce and his band "The Mentors" singing songs about sex slaves while dressed in leather executioner's gear - and then discovering that HE'S the guy who claims Courtney Love asked him to knock off Kurt.* In-depth Interviews with drug addicts and other "low-life" who claim to have met Kurt.* Courtney Love's father interpreting certain Nirvana lyrics as being a reference to LSD (a questionable complaint coming from someone who used to work as a roadie for the Grateful Dead).* The interviewer/director getting up at an official ACLU function and speaking directly AFTER Courtney Love's speech. (didn't anyone actually notice?) As all these things came together, I honestly felt that the documentary was SO bad that it could not be anything else but deliberate. Armed with the theory that this was actually a mockumentary I was surprised to learn from a cursory internet search that the film is actually a real attempt at a documentary.Given the complete disaster that this documentary is, the only film that it could therefore be compared to is Ed Wood's "Plan Nine From Outer Space". The aimlessness and ineptitude of the documentary is so pronounced that it actually becomes quite entertaining after a while. As soon as El Duce and The Mentors came into the equation I was almost howling on the floor laughing. The conspiracies surrounding Cobain's death should have been treated seriously - but they are examined in such a way as to almost be an insult to those who made the conspiracies up, let alone the memory of Cobain.Neither Dave Grohl nor Krist Novoselic (the other two members of Nirvana) are interviewed or even seen throughout the film. Other major figures, such as Kurt's immediate family, the band's manager and other record company execs are also missing from the film. Instead we are treated to a cavalcade of background figures (most of whom are drug addicts) who claim to have met and influenced Cobain way before he was a star and who all, for some reason, think that it is possible that Kurt had been murdered.Actual important leads - such as evidence that Kurt's credit card was used a few days after his death - are mentioned but never followed up and are eventually forgotten in favour of tracking down the mysterious (and ultimately hilarious) El Duce and spending time with clueless celebrity stalkers who spend more time on camera talking about what they do rather than actually doing anything.In summary, the documentary itself is far more entertaining than the subject it purports to be investigating - but entertaining only because of its chaotic and misguided interviewer who interviews all the wrong people and investigates all the wrong theories. It is about as compelling as driving past a flaming car wreck that had run over and killed a circus clown.

Having done a lot of research before watching this documentary, particularly on Kurt's death, I was almost convinced that Courtney had someone kill him -the suicide letter is NOT a suicide letter and someone has added the last 3 lines.- Anyways, Kurt was in a good phase at that point of his life: he just wanted to leave Courtney and Nirvana. There's a lot of clues supporting the fact that this was a murder and not a suicide, BUT the movie only shed light to a couple of them + wasted a lot of time interviewing random ppl, that had nothing to do with the whole thing, like Amy. Also, the director presents this medical evidence that someone can take double the doses that Kurt did, and still stand on one leg!!!that's ridiculous!! the doses was 3 times the lethal doses, and the evidence he presents has to do with swallowing methadone, and not injecting heroine! all in all, i would say that the movie doesn't have a clear view on anything. It just left me feeling depressed and sad that the Kobain case is and will always be closed, and Courtney is not and never will be where she deserves: IN JAIL!!

Sleazy, silly, typically lowbrow documentary from typically lowbrow documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield probes Kurt Cobain's suicide (murder?) and widow Courtney Love's subsequent rise to rock/Hollywood stardom. Never less than fascinating, but similar to flipping through a National Enquirer. The ink stays on your fingers and afterward all you can think about is washing it off. Broomfield is a scuzzy English tabloid documentarian obsessed with white-trash America. His best trait is his aggressive interview technique, and the way his films seem to descend on a spiral. As he neglects to get the "truth" from his interview subjects he returns to them again and again, his questions and manner growing more and more relentless. It's fun to watch but also annoying and unnerving. Like watching someone slowly drill a hole through metal. I hope I'm never subjected to his process.Culturally and geographically, this film is like looking at a graveyard. The grunge scene (Seattle in particular) seems to have died along with Cobain. What a thriving mecca it once was. The brief concert clips of Seattle bands post-Nirvana are just depressing. At one point the lead singer in some Nirvana wannabe group attacks a fan with his microphone and screams obsceneties at him and it comes off as pathetic and listless. What a boring, dried-up scene Seattle has become. And who are these losers Broomfield trots out in front of his camera. Someone named "Ami" who says she had the same dealer as Cobain and Love and calls Love a harpy. Maybe she is but who cares. Who in the world IS this Ami and why are we listening to her. She could be lying about knowing them. Later, there's someone else (they don't even say her name) who says she worked for Cobain and Love as a nanny for a month. The woman looks so wasted on drugs if Cobain and Love were dumb enough to hire her as a nanny they deserved to be slandered in a documentary.The absurdity reaches its nadir with the introduction of "El Duce", and truly a sadder specimen you will not likely see outside of a mental hospital or jail. I flat out refuse to believe anyone would offer this guy 50 grand to snuff anyone because he looks like he could hardly make it to the mailbox. The only really reliable people are Love's father (who's just plain odd), Cobain's former friend and the guy who supplied him with the shotgun (he's so doped up he can't follow Broomfield's questions) and Cobain's aunt (who's the only sane person in the entire film).Amazingly, the one who ends up looking good is Love. This was during one of her "together" periods so she looks great in the few clips we see of her. Certainly better than anyone else in the movie. And a lot more coherent (with the exception of her scary voice-mail threats). A sad movie, finally. Doubtful that Love killed him. Too much speculation. A straight documentary on Cobain would have been much more interesting. The few clips we get of him are the best things in the film