Synopsis
A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew." a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, and Bing Crosby.
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Cast
- Lou AdlerSelf - Producer
- Herb AlpertSelf - Recording Artist Producer
- Hal BlaineSelf - Drums
- Glen CampbellSelf - Guitar
- Al CaseySelf - Guitar
- CherSelf - Backup Singer, The Ronettes
- Dick ClarkSelf
- Micky DolenzSelf - The Monkees
- Snuff GarrettSelf - Producer
- Bones HoweSelf - Producer
Recommendations
- 75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
The enlightening and necessary film, narrated by an adoring Denny, is very much in the vein of 2002’s "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," a documentary that celebrated the Funk Brothers, the criminally unheralded house band at Berry Gordy Jr.’s hit-making studio in Detroit. But where "Standing in the Shadows" of Motown used re-enactments and new live performances, The Wrecking Crew is composed mostly of archival footage and newish interviews. - 75
Movie Nation
It’s a fascinating slice of rock and pop archeology and well worth your time. - 75
New York Post
The documentary was filmed in the 1990s by Denny Tedesco, whose father Tommy is credited as the most recorded guitarist in history, including the instantly identifiable themes to “Bonanza” and “Mission: Impossible.” - 75
The A.V. Club
As a love letter to the director’s late father, The Wrecking Crew sparkles. As a potentially comprehensive, context-rich chronicle of one of pop music’s most inspired engines of rhythm and melody, it mostly sticks to one note. - 75
Boston Globe
There’s a similar shared joy among the participants, a similar sense of discovery for the viewer, and, of course, a killer soundtrack. - 70
The Dissolve
The Wrecking Crew is a provocative look back at an art form in transition, reflecting on the moment when it started to matter whether Mickey Dolenz was actually playing drums on The Monkees’ albums, and the moment when, according to Dolenz, people started to “take the rock ’n’ roll very seriously.” - 70
Los Angeles Times
Once the singer-songwriter model became the norm for the rock business, the Wrecking Crew's star began to wane, but seeing this film makes it clear what its members accomplished in their prime. - 67
The Playlist
There are a thousand stories to be told in the studios where these session players cut some of the greatest records of all time, which makes it disappointing that there isn't more to be found in the documentary The Wrecking Crew.
