Synopsis
BITTERSWEET MOTEL takes a look at the iconoclastic musicians of Phish, one of rock and roll's most successful touring bands, a group Rolling Stone Magazine has called "the most important band of the '90s." This 84-minute documentary tracks the band over the course of a year — on and off stages across the United States and Europe and at home in Vermont. The film wraps with an extensive section devoted to one of Phish's grand festivals, "The Great Went," where 70,000 fans descend on the tiny village of Limestone, Maine, for a spectacular multi-day musical event. Director Todd Phillips, best known for his groundbreaking films, Hated (The GG Allin Story) and Sundance Award-winner Frat House as well as the blockbuster comedy Road Trip, reveals the fascinating phenomenon of the band — its music, loyal fans and spectacular live shows. Phillips presents a compelling film that every music fan will find fascinating.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Trey AnastasioTrey Anastasio
- Jon FishmanJon Fishman
- Page McConnellPage McConnell
- Mike GordonMike Gordon
Recommendations
- 83
Entertainment Weekly
It's like Woodstock without the mud, and it leaves you feeling clean. - 75
San Francisco Examiner
A crafty, sometimes craven, but hardly worshipful snapshot of an unlikely candidate for biggest rock act on earth. - 63
New York Post
Fans will love this quick flick by director Todd Phillips, but it better serves as an introduction for the uninitiated. - 50
TV Guide Magazine
Clearly Phish's appeal is fundamentally experiential, and the experience doesn't lend itself to being captured on film. - 50
Philadelphia Inquirer
It falls short of its tie-dye target. - 50
Variety
Well-made if not particularly insightful docu should be catnip to Phishheads, while the previously unconverted are likely to stay that way. - 50
San Francisco Chronicle
There are just enough revelatory moments to recommend the movie. - 40
Los Angeles Times
A film without a framework, without a skeleton--a Phish philet, if you will.
