Image via Complex Original
Written by Matt Barone (@MBarone)
Director: Ron Howard
Running time: 90 minutes
✭✭✭✭✭✭✩✩✩✩
Score: 6/10
The duality isn't subtle: There's Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard asking hip-hop super mogul Jay Z what it was like growing up in Brooklyn's Marcy Projects. A good ol' boy from Duncan, Oklahoma, who once played a TV character named "Opie," inquiring about a former street hustler's law-breaking days, in earnest. And Jay Z's happy to answer—that kind of worlds-colliding dichotomy serves as the mission statement behind the Roc Nation mastermind's Made in America Festival, the two-day music extravaganza held on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philly last September and this past weekend. It's the man named Hov's attempt to bridge all cultural gaps, to get the rap dudes and dudettes to party with the electro/house kids and the Pearl Jam circuit. All peoples united in the name of good, live tunes, in the city of brotherly love. How apropos.
That's the central theme of Made in America (a Toronto International Film Festival premiere), Howard's documentary about the festival's 2012 inaugural celebration. The approach is simple: present a loosely tied together collection of interviews with the festival's many performers (including Jill Scott, Tyler, the Creator, Skrillex, Eddie Vedder, and Rita Ora) interspersed with stage-side concert footage. The framing device is Jay Z himself, who's own interviews open and close the film, as well as provide additional commentary for everyone else's sections. And the thesis, which is repeated ad nauseam by anyone who in the line of Howard's camera isn't necessarily surprising: In America, there shouldn't be any color lines, class divisions, or prejudices against one another's sexual preferences, since we've all dealt with our own unique yet universally relatable struggles. Let's all band together and recite Jay Z's "P.S.A. (Public Service Announcement)" with verve. La di da. Kumbaya. And all that good stuff.
Made in America's sum is lesser than its parts—while never boring, it's also rarely enlightening beyond what's already known about its individual artists or its commendable though one-note message. What Howard's film does do well, however, is occasionally show the candid sides of its participants. In one particularly funny scene, Howard sits down with Tyler, the Creator to learn more about the Odd Future movement. Somehow, the conversation turns to Howard's love for bright colors, a topic that clearly doesn't fascinate the younger, less reserved Tyler, who licks his lips and basically eye-fucks the camera, as if he's trying to seduce it. As that's happening, Howard is going on and on about colors, totally oblivious to what Tyler's doing. It's strange, awkward, and hilarious.
There are several other moments like that in Made in America, though none are as weird. But it'll all make for good television when Made in America premieres on Showtime on October 11. See for yourself.
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Odd Future has a thing for Ms. Jill Scott.
Before the film's opening credits, Howard sets up the festival's backstage camaraderie and energy by showing various performers palling it up and singing Jay Z's praises. Since they're in Philadelphia, Odd Future's Tyler, Taco, and other members take it upon themselves to seek out their favorite Philly songstress. "I wanna meet Jill Scott!" says Tyler. Then, looking around the village of trailers, he and his cohorts began shouting, "Jill! Jill! Jill!"
Also, the Odd Future gang loves Fruit Loops.
Bravely, Howard enters OF's tour bus to get a better understanding of their way of life. As soon as he boards, Howard notices three things: an open box of Fruit Loops, hand sanitizer, and a fishbowl housing two fish. "Those are the Ying Yang Twins," one of the Odd Future guys yells to Howard from off-camera. Howard's response: "Fruit Loops, hand sanitizer, and a fishbowl—that's the American dream right there."
Jay Z recites old lyrics incredibly fast.
There's some in-studio footage of Hov rehearsing his Made in America set with his live band. The song Howard decides to focus on, practice wise, is the Jay/Beanie Sigel-assisted Memphis Bleek track "Murda Murda," the one that goes, "South Philly motherfuckers kill at will," because, you know, he's going to be in Philly. Thinking his band's playing a bit off-key to his lyrics, Jay spits his verse back to his trusty engineer Young Guru, but not normally—Jay goes all Micro Machines guy on Guru and raps his entire verse in about ten seconds. It's like a Twista song, but not unintelligible.
Not everyone in Philly loves the Made in America Festival.
To get a bigger perspective of the concert's impact on Philadelphia, Howard visits an elderly white woman named Lillian Fowler. Her apartment's window overlooks the stage, and she's not happy about the noise. Howard tells her that the fest's organizer is Jay Z, to which she responds, "He just got married, didn't he? See, I know what's going on. I may not like it, but I know what's going on." Assuming an event thrown by a rapper like Jay Z must be all rap music, she tells Howard that she doesn't like "that bang-bang music." But once Jill Scott starts belting out operatically, in Italian, just to show up every other soul artist in attendance, Ms. Fowler's impressed. "See, that is not bad." Fortunately, they don't show her reaction to Skrillex's set. It's possible her head would have done that Scanners thing.
Ron Howard really admires club DJs.
Speaking of Skrillex, there's a Opie-and-Tyler-level weird moment where the director's interviewing the EDM superstar Skrillex, who is showing how he programs beats. His fingers bounce around the MPC as if possessed. Amazed by what he's seeing, Howard comments, "It's like tap dancing with your hands!" Skrillex then offers to give Howard a lesson. Needless to say, Howard's no Skrillex.
Jay Z doesn't think EDM music is a fad.
During Made in America's Skrillex section, Jay Z offers his thoughts on the performer's brand of electronic dance music that's currently sweeping the nation. Whereas rappers like Ludacris and Lil Wayne have shown their allegiance to it by working with producer/spinner's like David Guetta, Jay's been quiet on the subject…until now. "It's the music of the next generation," he says. "They're claiming it. It's their own." As Hov puts it, kids today don't want to listen to the music their parents grew up on, and since most of those parents in 2013 grew up on albums like, say, Reasonable Doubt, hip-hop doesn't give them much ownership. But EDM does. "This is something they can claim."
Under the right circumstances, Jay Z can get verklempt.
Near the end of Made in America, Jay takes Howard and his camera crew to 560 State Street, the Brooklyn apartment building where he once lived with a cousin (and which he shouts on "Empire State of Mind"). They head up to the roof, something Jay says he's never done before. From there, he has a clear view of Barclays Center, the sporting/entertainment arena Jay helped fund. "You trying to make me cry?" he says to Howard, a huge cheese-grin adorning his face. He asks someone to take a picture, even though the fact that they're all hanging out on the building's roof feels "illegal." Never mind the law, though. Jay stands with his back to Barclay's, lifts his arms in the air, above his head in an I'm-the-king-of-the-world stance, and poses for a snapshot.
Deep down, Jay Z's a big softie.
The film's closing credits are accompanied by a random assortment of unused interview footage. The best moment comes from, what do you know, Jay Z. He's visiting the people who now live in his old State Street apartment, a young couple with an infant son. Jay talks all goo-goo, gaga to the kid, who's not very responsive. Apparently, even infants are intimidated by Hov. On his way out the door, though, Jay gives it one last shot: He plays peek-a-boo, sticking his head out from behind the door and saying the game's title in a register you've never heard from him. Jay's fans may never get to see how he is around Blue Ivy Carter, but Made in America's most adorable scene gives them a clue to "aww" over.
