Watch The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir For Free

Pretty Good

Let's be realistic.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

My 200th review here had to be about this fantastic band and this great musician who rocked the world during 30 years. Those who like the band enjoyed every little second of the movie. Those who still don't know Weir / GD have here a great chance to change this. Watch the film and listen to the band! PS: Once the film ended I researched more about Garcia and discovered today (1st August) would be his 76th brithday!!!

Band documentaries are tough, because you want to hear the music and see 30+ years of historical footage, but also hear the story telling and interviews. This documentary does a good job balancing, and doesn't tiptoe around the drugs and lifestyle.

I am a 'Deadicated' Deadhead, and I also enjoy a good documentary. While most of the Rockumentaries out there are fun to watch, they leave me unsatisfied. The same cannot be said about the film, The Other One, The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir. Like a good Jersey- style pizza, or a good Dead concert the film left me yearning for more; very satisfied. As the film delved into the life of Weir as the Grateful Dead's rhythm guitarist, Jerry Garcia's best friend and a loving father, it also cast a light on his humorous side. Remember when the film's cast members admitted that Weir was the band's 'babe magnet'. Collectively, they lovingly joked about Bob's ability to draw women into his life. Another funny moment was when Weir recalled the time he told his adoptive mother that he wanted to go join, and live, with the Dead, his new family. He said it was like telling her that he was running away with the circus. While there is more to this movie than one can fit within a brief critique the film makes one feel good about being a Deadhead, and a little melancholy that those time are now a wonderful memory. There will never be anything like a Grateful Dead concert.

I am a tragically uncool man....I admit it. So, when a new documentary about the Grateful Dead and their lead singer Bob Weir came out, I decided to see it with a friend--one who loves the Dead and could help fill in the gaps and explain things to me as we watched. I never really listened to their music, so this was a new experience--one that was surprisingly enjoyable and held my interest despite me not being a Dead-head or even a nearly Dead-head!While there have been other documentaries about this group, this one focuses mostly on Bob Weir and his contribution to the band. Additionally, the film talks quite a bit about Weir's best friend and mentor, Jerry Garcia. But, I should point out that if you want to learn a lot about other individual members of the band, this may not be the best film for you. This is NOT a complaint--more an observation about the scope of the film. What you get is mostly what you expect from this film--a lot of vintage footage of the band, a lot of interviews with band members and friends as well as interviews with Weir himself. However, what I really like is the access to Weir that the film gives you. He narrates much of the film and there is a lot of interesting insights and observations about himself that make this a most revealing film- -especially when he talks about his life since the Grateful Death broke up following the death of Garcia. It also, most importantly, is very interesting and their energy is infectious. I appreciated how Weir and his band mates didn't seem to do this for the money or fame but for a drive to perform--and Weir apparently has performed more than 6000 times on stage! So, for the uninitiated like me, it's very enjoyable and well worth seeing because of Weir and the Dead's love of what they do.As far as my buddy goes, he was ecstatic and thanked me for turning him on to this film. In his words "I loved the film...every minute of it". I think that pretty much says what a fan would likely think about the film. If you want to see it, the film just debuted this month on Netflix and can be streamed from your TV or computer.