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One year to the day after George Harrison’s death in December 2001, his friends and family gathered to play a concert tribute to the former Beatle, now released as a standard concert documentary directed by David Leland. Fascinating mainly for its assemblage of some of rock-and-roll’s most accomplished luminaries, the doc features performances by Eric Clapton, who organized the event; Paul McCartney; Jeff Lynne; Tom Petty; and Joe Brown. Harrison’s mentor, sitar player Ravi Shankar, composed a piece, conducted by his daughter, for the concert, which appears in part in the footage. Brief interviews with the musicians offer only a glimpse into Harrison’s private persona, and while the songs covered — mostly Harrison’s own — are necessarily moving, the tribute feels too shallow to be truly revealing and yet too reverential to engross as a music documentary. Tom Hanks is utterly wasted in the film’s too-brief nod to Harrison’s extracurricular activities as a producer for Monty Python, and though his wife and son appear onstage, very little of Harrison’s life is conveyed. The film ultimately feels like an extended concert video, which, while interesting to fans, seems an inadequate tribute to Harrison’s remarkable life. (104 minutes.)
BY BROOKE HOLGERSON
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