Jump into the Fire

Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?) (2006) is another movie that sort of floated to the top of the queue. I'm glad we watched it, but maybe we didn't need to right on that night.

If you don't know Harry Nilsson, he sang (but didn't write) Everybody's Talking at Me, wrote and sang The Lime and the Coconut, Jump Into the Fire, I Can't Live (If Living is Without You) and a lot of other, but less popular songs. He had a bit of a rough childhood - his dad didn't come back from the war. Many years later he found out that he didn't die, he just didn't married another woman and raised another family. Harry got into music, went to LA, and eventually sold a song to the Monkees. He made an album that got him some fame. In particular, the Beatles loved it. So he was hanging out with Micky Dolenz, Ringo, and John Lennon among many others. 

And that's sort of the message of the movie. He was a massive partier - a drinker and drugger. As Dolenz says, you go out with him on Friday in LA and wake up on Wednesday in a massage parlor in Las Vegas, wondering how you got there. That part is fun, but also sad, since he was killing himself slowly.

He also repeated his father's story - left a wife and son, then met a teenaged Irish girl (while drunk), and when she was old enough, married her. They had five kids, all lovely, and I'm sure he loved them. His son from the first marriage didn't seem too broken up by it, but it must have been hard. The movie doesn't seem to think this is a problem, but again, sad.

He never seemed to reform his hard-living ways, but when they finally killed him, he had a loving family, so I suppose there's that.

Interesting guy, but this seemed a bit surfacey. It holds back, which I don't think Nilsson did. Maybe just as well - that kind of living isn't good for you.

Anyway, I put this on the queue because I was looking for Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?, which wasn't available. It's a Dustin Hoffman movie about a rock star who's cracking up. I feel like it's largely forgotten except for the title. Anyway, I actually bought a copy. I'll review when I watch it.