The Sparks Brothers

95%

Tomatometer

163 Reviews

98%

Popcornmeter

100+ Verified Ratings

How can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? Edgar Wright's debut documentary THE SPARKS BROTHERS, which features commentary from celebrity fans Flea, Beck, Jack Antonoff, Jason Schwartzman, Neil Gaiman, and more, takes audiences on a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers/bandmates Ron and Russell Mael celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band's favorite band.

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Critics Consensus

Their albums may be cult favorites, but this Edgar Wright-directed documentary offers an introduction to Sparks that has something for everyone.

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The Sparks Brothers | Rotten Tomatoes (1)

Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

From bucket-of-water tomfoolery to visually inventive biography and witty musicology, this really does have something for the girl with everything.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 1, 2021

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The Sparks Brothers | Rotten Tomatoes (2)

Max Weiss

Baltimore Magazine

The Sparks Brothers film is smart, funny, infectiously weird, a little geeky, a little too long, a little niche, and consistently entertaining.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 30, 2021

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The Sparks Brothers | Rotten Tomatoes (3)

Ed Potton

Times (UK)

The film is too long and, although Wright hopes it will convert heathens, it's still probably one for the fans. The Maels, however, make enjoyably unpredictable hosts.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 30, 2021

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The Sparks Brothers | Rotten Tomatoes (4)

Amy Smith

InSession Film

With a few tweaks, there is a strong movie in here. I just wish that some of the writing didn’t feel as flat and that there was a strong demographic group for the film.

Rated: C

Mar 1, 2024

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The Sparks Brothers | Rotten Tomatoes (5)

Serena Seghedoni

Loud and Clear Reviews

In The Sparks Brothers, master storyteller Edgar Wright introduces us to Sparks, crafting a documentary that’s as captivating, cool and ironic as the pop-rock duo itself.

Rated: 4.5/5

Sep 18, 2023

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The Sparks Brothers | Rotten Tomatoes (6)

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

It's good to hear their story both from their own mouths and that of a Greek chorus of associates and, less illuminatingly, admirers.

Nov 29, 2022

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Audience Reviews

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Catherine DeBlasio This film is so joyful, funny and inspiring that I feel like Ive been resurrected from the dead! I have immense gratitude to Ron and Russel Mael for all their hard work as well as to Edgar Wright for making this beautiful film. The fact that the Mael brothers have remained true to themselves and their artistic vision for 5 decades is in itself a truly brilliant victory. See this film. It will spark within you the desire to go forth and do great things. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/24/21 Full Review Russell W A great bio pic of a band Ive strangely never even heard of! Im definitely going to check their music out now! Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/04/21 Full Review robert J Really good. A it too long Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/03/21 Full Review Lisa Phenomenal. This is the best music documentary Ive ever seen. I think anyone would enjoy it whether a lifelong, brand new, or yet to be Sparks fan. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/02/21 Full Review lisa b Very entertaining and loved getting to know the Sparks Brothers! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/02/21 Full Review Catherine Sparks is one of the Greatest most Innovative bands EVER and to have their story woven together by the genius that is Edgar Wright is Seventh Heaven... Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/01/21 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Edgar Wright Director Ron Mael Self Russell Mael Self Edgar Wright Self Flea Self Beck Self

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Synopsis How can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? Edgar Wright's debut documentary THE SPARKS BROTHERS, which features commentary from celebrity fans Flea, Beck, Jack Antonoff, Jason Schwartzman, Neil Gaiman, and more, takes audiences on a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers/bandmates Ron and Russell Mael celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band's favorite band.

Director: Edgar Wright
Producer: Nira Park, Edgar Wright, George Hencken, Laura Richardson
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Media Rights Capital, Complete Fiction
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 18, 2021, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 31, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $623.0K
Runtime: 2h 21m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)