It is clear that the filmmakers and/or James Murphy, the lead singer and founder of LCD Soundsystem, didn't want to do a traditional documentary about the band in the style of VH-1's Behind the Music. In fact, Murphy said he hates talking about himself; he finds it boring.
Watch the trailer for Shut Up and Play the Hits
by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FAUyrFWDvw
Watching Shut Up and Play the Hits, you can almost hear Murphy and the filmmakers saying they didn't want to do a traditional "talking heads" documentary with a "voice of God" narrator who would weave together the story of the band. The only problem with this approach is that it doesn't engage non-fans who know little know little or nothing about the band and why the group came together in the first place.
Shut Up and Play the Hits also fails to convey why this final concert at Madison Square Garden was such a momentous event for fans and a turning point in the lives of Murphy and the band.
The way the documentary is directed, it's too hip for its own good; it's pretentiously hip. For example, one entire interview sequence has just audio of Murphy talking with an extended shot of him shaving his beard in the mirror.
For someone who supposedly hates talking about himself, Murphy didn't realize that having a shot of his face onscreen for all these interrupted minutes was boring?!
It's understandable why the filmmakers didn't want to have a standard head-and-shoulders interview shot onscreen as Murphy talked, but they could've broken it up with vintage photos of the band or other visuals that somehow enhanced the viewer's understanding of LCD Soundsystem's legacy.
Shut Up and Play the Hits is a lost opportunity to convert more people like myself, who love all different types of music, to LCD Soundsystem. Especially now that the group has disbanded.
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