Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

OK, as bad ideas go, this one is the worst! This movie is soooooo unwatchable it hurts. I mean that in all senses of the word. John Lennon actually called Chapman and asked him to kill him after he saw this film. True Story! The movie is based loosely on the album, although it contains songs from other Beatles records. The worst being Steve Martin doing Maxwell's Silver Hammer. I love Steve a lot! He must have been on some serious 70's drugs to agree to this. Terrible! I can't say "terrible" enough for you to truly grasp how crappy this movie is. THE BEE GEES star! They do! Aerosmith can't even save this crap. Someone please find all the copies of this movie that ever existed and destroy them! BURN THEM! The flames will reach the heavens and John and George can R.I.P. OK, so you think I'm wrong? Go ahead! Watch it yourself! Prove me wrong children, prove me wrong! Ps IMDb is crap for not letting me post anymore!

I liked this movie. I'm not ashamed but then again, I also like Phantom of the Paradise. Let's get one thing straight. This movie was not intended to be taken seriously. It never took itself seriously. The people involved in the movie were not concerned with grand cinema, believable storytelling or even cohesive plotting. They were interested in having fun, in making a fun movie and in providing the artists involved with the opportunity to cover some of their favorite Beatles songs within the framework of a loosely told fairy-tale like story. In terms of what so many viewers seem to be expecting, this film is a dismal failure. In terms of what the makers of this film were trying to do, I find it to be quite accurately on the mark. Don't try to make sense out of the movie. Don't try to believe the characters and their motivation. Don't try to analyze this thing to death. Just sit back, suspend disbelief, listen to the music and have fun. Look at this as a string of early MTV videos pieced together with a common narrative thread and you'll have the vision of the producers. Oscar winning caliber film-making? No way. Enjoyable escapism? You bet your Silver Hammer!

Robert Stigwood had it all in 1978. He had great success with such pictures as Jesus Christ SUPERSTAR, TOMMY, Saturday NIGHT FEVER and GREASE. Then he decided to take on The Beatles SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND. His career has never fully recovered. SPLHCB is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Without a storyline to work with, Stigwood hired writers to string together a bunch of unrelated songs from the album (as well as many songs which do not appear on the album) into a coherent story. The result is so awful, it really must be seen to be believed. The movie takes place in the town of Heartland. Basically, it's about a trio of brothers ("The Hendersons," played by The Bee Gees) who are asked to take over the town's festivities when Sgt. Pepper dies in mid performance. Aiding them is "Billy Shears," played by Peter Frampton. With help from "Mr. Kite," played by George Burns, they must thwart the evil activities of record producers and crooked real estate developers who want to take over Heartland. Billy gets involved in a romance with "Strawberry Fields," they battle villains such as "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Maxwell Edison," and that's only the tip of the iceberg of desperate (and asinine) Beatles references. As Maxwell Edison, Steve Martin turns in the worst performance of his career, stumbling through "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and looking uncomfortably clueless as to how to make it appear that the song has anything to do with what's happening in the scene. Other guest stars crash and burn in similarly nonsensical performances. Alice Cooper, Donald Pleasence and Billy Preston all show up and embarrass themselves. Watching George Burns and two obnoxious little girls maul "Fixing a Hole" is one of the lowest points in motion picture history. Even Ed Wood never committed to film a sequence so abysmal. Only Aerosmith, who briefly bring the movie roaring to life with a knock-out performance of "Come Together," survive this train wreck completely unscathed. Not that there aren't a few other good points to it. The Bee Gees' and Frampton's renditions of Beatles classics really aren't all that bad, Earth, Wind & Fire does a catchy cover of "Got to Get You Into My Life," Paul Nicholas (from Ken Russell's TOMMY and LISZTOMANIA) is entertaining as Frampton's conniving cousin and Dianne Steinberg is sexy as Lucy (and does a surprisingly good disco take on "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds"). As decent as the music is, the ridiculous attempts to incorporate these songs into scenes which have little or nothing to do with the lyrics is often unintentionally hilarious, and sometimes downright bizarre. A scene in which Strawberry Fields tends to Billy Shears while singing "Strawberry Fields Forever" inadvertently comes off as an invitation to perform oral sex on her ("Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields..."). This oddball list of ingredients creates a cinematic disaster that is so astonishing and so mind-bogglingly ill-advised, it is genuinely fascinating to behold. It's like a musical PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE for the 70s. SPLHCB is a favorite among bad movie buffs, though the movie itself has a loyal (albeit small) cult following. Stigwood followed this with such garbage as GREASE 2 and STAYING ALIVE. He had a mini comeback with EVITA, but otherwise his career is pretty much over.

Time & death has a funny way of smoothing over harsh criticism. What was deemed a colossal egg upon its release, certainly hated by discophobes and Beatles purists for its sacrilege back in the late 70s, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" has since become a historical document on its own. Only 35 years later and after the deaths of 3 Bee Gees are we beginning to chill on our Bee Gees hatred and give this monumental group its due. If you watch this movie not as a Beatles tribute but perhaps as a wacky Bee Gees tribute, you'll enjoy yourself. This movie is a forgotten landmark of the 70s. The Bee Gees are known for their disco hits like "Stayin Alive" and such, but did you know that in the 60s they were a moderately successful psychedelic rock band quite similar to the Beatles? With that in mind, it's not so far fetched to imagine them playing Beatles music, and in fact they do a pretty good job if you can dump all preconceptions. The opening numbers "Sgt. Pepper" and "A Little Help from my Friends" (with Peter Frampton singing) kick the movie off nicely. I thought the best tune was "Nowhere Man" with their silky smooth harmonies. And where else are you going to hear basically the entire Sgt. Peppers & Abbey Road albums in a movie, Beatles or otherwise? Where this movie sags is in the fact that it's barely a movie. It's more like a string of campy music videos loosely stuck together with a somewhat vapid plot. But hey, aren't a lot of musicals like that? The plot revolves the Lonely Hearts Club Band: The Next Generation, 20 years after the original horn blowers left the stage. Now amped up and rockified, the new band tops the charts and is lured away from its hometown to LA with a record deal while an evil villain "Mr. Mustard" takes over their hometown and turns it into a city of sleaze. Mr. Mustard answers to an even eviller entity known as "F.V.B." (the meaning revealed only at the end). What follows is a very flimsy chain of events, each represented by a Beatles song. There is no dialogue in this film; it's all music. Production values are high, and you can expect to see some impressive sets, scenery & costumes as well as decent cinematography. In other words, it's not a cheap production. The style is very tongue-in-cheek, much like The Who's musical "Tommy" released 3 years prior. In fact I had to check to see if both films were directed or produced by the same people. They weren't. But if you were entertained by "Tommy" you'll probably get a kick out of this as well. I recommend getting acquainted with the Bee Gees before watching this movie. There's a good documentary called "The Bee Gees: In Our Own Time" which might open your eyes and prep you for a better experience if you decide to watch this. Only now, decades after the fall of disco and with only 1 Bee Gee still living, the band is finally getting some respectful treatment. Love em or hate em, you gotta admit they took the world by storm for a brief moment in music history. Notable guest musicians Earth Wind & Fire, Peter Frampton, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, and a hilariously bizarre appearance by fancy-footed soul singer Billy Preston shooting laser beams of love from his fingertips round out this one-of-a-kind experience (Billy played electric piano on the Beatles' original "Get Back" which he sings here). I like to keep this DVD playing at loud volumes while I'm doing household chores to keep me moving. It may scare off some visitors, but then who needs em?

This movie didn't just kill Peter Frampton's career but it killed the careers of everybody who was involved with or had anything to do with this movie. I saw this movie shortly after George Harrison died and it's a good thing that I only saw this once because I couldn't believe how stupid it was. When I don't want to watch Alice Cooper or Aerosmith or George Burns then that's bad. Calling Sgt Pepper's a "bad movie" would be an understatement because this movie sucks big time. I'm not BSing that comment because that's the truth. Let's face it Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees are NOT actors. They're singers and to have singers pass themselves off as actors is really bad.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is truly delightful! A classic! Last night, presented by the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian in Hollywood, we saw Sgt. Pepper on the big screen for the first time in 25 years, and it not only "holds up" (as aging movie geeks like to mutter while their fantasies needlessly crumble), it is as fresh, funny, charming and touching as it was when we saw it in the summer of 1978. Blessings to director Michael Schultz, writer Henry Edwards (where are you, fellah?), obviously very busy producers Robert Stigwood, Dee Anthony and Bill Oakes, bright-eyed DP Owen Roizman and of course that music fellow George Martin and those English blokes who wrote such sensational songs. I hope they still have a little money left over, in addition to all the love and joy. (Don't go hungry, Paul; call if you need a few quid.) Yes, there are thousands of brilliant films to adore, and of course it's common to find a scapegoat to flog, but the sweetness of this movie is undeniable. It would be very easy to ramble for a couple of days about the wonders of this eternally surprising cast, but I'll save that for parties at B.D.'s pad or the Heartland gazebo. Simply, just try to watch Billy Preston (those boots!), Sandy Farina (!), George Burns, Steve Martin (!?!?!?!), Alice Cooper, Frankie Howerd, Paul Nicholas, Aerosmith, Donald Pleasance, Dianne Steinberg, The Earth, The Wind and The Fire, Stargard (????) and the rest without smiling or getting one of those weird "tingles." Particularly, Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees -- Barry, Robin, Maurice (goodnight, Brother Gibb) -- commit themselves to a unique, today almost unknown sense of silly good humour. Admittedly, it's a bit uncomfortable when Barry croons to his brothers that he'd "love to turn them on," (egad!) but -- like the sometimes staid framing and cutting -- it's worth overlooking in appreciation of the bigger picture. If you love Rocky Horror, Shock Treatment, The Magic Christian, The Robe, Python's musical offerings, Visconti's The Leopard, Phantom of the Paradise, The Star Wars Holiday Special, Intolerance, The Muppet Movie, Xanadu, Summer of Sam, Happy Campers, The Conversation, The Wiz, On the Waterfront, Spice World, Infested, Yojimbo & Sanjuro, X-2, Bugsy Malone, Potemkin, Grease, Repo Man, Richard Lester's oeuvre, Pennies From Heaven, American Graffiti, Badlands, The Tigger Movie, Little Odessa, The Tattoo Connection or, heck, Singin' in the Rain, High Society or Disorderlies, there's plenty to enjoy here, and no reason to be a mindless bully or snob about it. Everybody sings really splendidly, too, and Sandy Farina's presence in her one lead role (to date) is unforgettably lovely. Nice one, Sandy. While we're at it, why not commend Carel Struyken for being a really good "Brute," and Patti Jerome, Max Showalter and those disturbing robots for tugging our heartstings in "She's Leaving Home" (this version still moves me more than Tori Amos' nice take). Who knows what bizarre energies converged behind the scenes to bring this thing together (not to mention landing Etta James, Leif Garrett, Barry Humphries, Tina Turner, Sha-Na-Na, Jose Feliciano and Wolfman Jack on the same risers at the finale), but whatever it was, thank you. (Use that great IMDB "more" clicker to scan the credits.) Now please release a proper widescreen, ZONE-FREE, global DVD packed with extras ASAP. (I cheerfully volunteer as interviewer for the commentary, since no one else on the whole planet would have the guts.) This version from Brasil is pretty good for a full-screen with no chapter-stops (Steve's freaking through "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" right now), but -- like Shock Treatment, The Fabulous Stains and others, the public deserves a good look at this stuff. Sorry if that sounds like a threat. Let the pleasure be guilty no more!

I find it difficult to believe that in America, where good television consists of smart aleck children mouthing off to their parents or overly dramatic potrayals of human tragedy, that many voters here cannot understand the value of silly entertainment. This movie would never have won any awards, but it was certainly a sight better than -Plan 9 From Outer Space-, a movie than has garnered such a following that there are entire chat sessions devoted to it at sci-fi conventions. To the snobs and toffee nosers in the voting pool...lighten up. It's just a fun movie. No one's asking you to make a university study of it. Over 60% of the voters gave this movie a one...geez. (Deep Throat would get a better rating than that.)

This movie is like a trainwreck. You don't want to watch, but its impossible to resist. Some of the songs aren't bad at all! Earth Wind & Fire and Aerosmith turn in excellent performances. Overall the movie is so over the top and campy, that you can't possibly take as anything but a somewhat fun romp, the likes of which we will never see again.I can only speculate on the amount of drugs that were consumed on the set of this movie..haha. The ending has to be seen to be believed. A crowd of 70's personalities and musicians on a platform singing Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I can only imagine what the 70's were like to live through, but if this is any indication...LOL...

Stunned by the audacity of the makers of this film, my good friend Andy and I duly presented ourselves at the local cinema on its release, just to see how awful it could be. Andy is the biggest Beatles fan I know, apart from me (we have been friends since we were both 11, 30 years ago), and on the awfulness score neither of us was disappointed. I haven't seen this film for 23 years, but time has not, alas, erased its sheer appallingness from my memory. If I may utter the ultimate words of condemnation, this film could not have been worse had it been made in the 80s! I read reviewer Morlock's appreciative review with mounting disbelief until he (?) revealed himself as a non-fan of The Beatles. It is probably pointless to deliver a sermon to the perpetrators of sacrilege, or their misguided apologists. Perhaps I shouldn't even dignify this justly-forgotten movie by reminding people of its regrettable existence. That said, I think I have a moral duty to warn Beatles fans to avoid this grotesquely misbegotten travesty like the plague. Non-fans of The Beatles are too far-gone in the ways of unrighteousness either to heed or merit such a warning.

I have a very hard time believe that people do not like this movie. The storyline isn't wonderful, but it is passable. You can't watch this movie and expect it to be like an Oscar winner. You WILL be disappointed. I am sure of that. The music is AMAZING, though, and that is what counts. Not to mention the star studded cast. Earth Wind and Fire, Peter Frampton, The Bee Gees, Aerosmith, and more. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. Any fan of the Beatles or music in general probably feels the same way. To all the people that voted 10, I salute you. To all the people that voted 1, rethink your lives.