Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Docu about controversial rock star has sex, drugs, alcohol.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
JERRY LEE LEWIS: TROUBLE IN MIND is a brief, rousing introduction to the brassy, electrifying Louisiana-born rock-and-roller turned country/gospel artist who died at age 87 in 2022. Young viewers may be unfamiliar, but the movie will acquaint them with Lewis' obvious influence on pop music and where it went after him. The minute Lewis skillfully thumps, bludgeons, and pummels the piano with his signature boogie-woogie, rock, country, rockabilly, rhythm-and-blues energy, he reveals the dynamic, you-can't-look-away style that earned him many number one hits, mostly covers, including "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' on," "Great Balls of Fire," "Chantilly Lace," and other irresistible bops. With an absence of talking heads (except for the talkative Lewis himself), the filmmakers rely on recordings of mostly black-and-white TV and stage performances and nothing but a few lines of informative captions to paint a portrait of a man and all his demons and contradictions.
Is It Any Good?
Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind is a gem, a story about a startlingly talented, self-described "sinner," told without comment or judgment. Musician T Bone Burnett asked his friend director Ethan Coen to finish what he had begun, a project about a 2019 recording session of gospel music with then 86-year-old Lewis. The footage was handed over and Coen and his wife editor Tricia Cooke assembled archival recordings of Lewis performing from the 1950s, '60s and '70s into a mostly riveting review of an extraordinary character. Asked why Elvis became a success, he said "Elvis had a great manager who treated" his client as if he was "a monkey in a cage." No one could put Lewis in a cage, it seems.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Lewis' influence on rock and pop music. Where do you see this influence today?
Many White musicians are said to have coopted Black music and turned it into a lucrative and popular entertainment. The same fame, recording contracts, and payments were denied the Black creators because Jim Crow laws and general prejudice kept Black performers out of mainstream venues. How does Lewis ' story represent this? How does he acknowledge it?
How do you think passion and talent mix to make great performers? Even if his style seems old-fashioned, does Lewis' skill make him relevant? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 1, 2022
- On DVD or streaming: May 1, 2024
- Director: Ethan Coen
- Studio: A24
- Genre: Documentary
- Run time: 73 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: May 9, 2024
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