I really had high hopes for this movie. I wanted it to be a great rock film on par with "Almost Famous" or "That Thing You Do", and in a few ways it does get close. The period detail (cars, clothing and instruments) is really convincing, but the clichéd and messy plot, the writing, the acting, and the direction are the movie's downfall. I felt ZERO sympathy or empathy for any single character in this movie. The only time I actually cared for any character, was the girl who was committed by her parents because she tried LSD. I want to know what happened to her! That was a huge mistake leaving that sub-plot unresolved. I couldn't even bother to remember any of the characters' names for the sake of this review, that's how little I got emotionally invested.Speaking of unresolved, the whole movie is essentially unresolved. The ending is the absolute worst. It doesn't even really end. It just stops on a cliffhanger and pans over to the drummer/singer kid's sister, who by the way, her acting throughout the film was absolutely horrendous, and it was a complete slap-in-the-face to end the movie with her staring blankly at the camera, clearly reading her lines from a cue card and then dancing in the middle of the road (poorly I might add). I guess David Chase was trying to sum up the overall point of the story with this ending, but he chose to do it in the absolute worst way.As with any period piece, it's always strength to include great songs in the soundtrack, and the songs that they used here are absolutely some of the best of the era. Unfortunately, that's not the case with any of the cover versions or the original songs written and recorded for the film. They just don't sit well with the old songs, which is hard to do for most films. Some pull it off amazingly (again see "Almost Famous" or "That Thing You Do") and some fail miserably (besides this film, "Velvet Goldmine" & "Eddie & The Cruisers" also fail to deliver original music that could be thought of as representing the era in which their respective films are set).So, if you're looking for a great nostalgic piece of work, I would steer clear of this movie entirely, unless you're an absolute David Chase or James Gandolfini die-hard, which I'm not. Speaking of unresolved sub-plots, Gandolfini, although he's got top billing, is barely in the film, and he also has not 1, but 2 unresolved sub-plots, about possible infidelity and terminal cancer, both of which, had they been resolved could have made this movie so much better! So, in a way, that describes the film as a whole... Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

OK, this isn't 'The Commitments' or 'Georgia' or 'Grace of my Heart' or even 'Backbeat,' but this movie has charm, wit, a nice script, appealing young actors (Jack Huston, John Magara and Bella Heathcote, especially) and the most authentic reproduction of music from the start of the 60s to the end of the 60s that I can remember seeing since, well, 'The Commitments.' From the opening shot of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards contemplating starting a blues rock band to the charming voice over, to the music scenes (every one of which made me tap my toe) to the graceful and surprising, magical ending, this movie had me. And the sex scenes certainly add to the thrill. I love 60s music and it has to be done well for me to sit up and take notice. This film made me sit up and take notice.

Overall I really enjoyed this movie and I will most likely watch it again in the next few years since I did think enough to purchase a copy of it. The reason I will watch it again is the director did a great job in re-creating that 60's era feel that I grew up in as a teenager. I thought the band members clothes were spot on for the times and especially that one red paisley shirt that the character Wells (Will Brill) wore I actually owned two of them. The family environment that the lead character Douglas (John Magaro) grew up in was also typical for the times. Teenagers who think they know more about the world issues based on what their fleeting friends and acquaintances tell them, rather than hearing what it was like living in the past few decades from what their parents could really tell them, is a reality many families live with and this underlying theme was brought out so well by the film. Watch for the line that Brad Garrett playing the part of a rock band agent extols on the boy band that was first stated by Douglas's dad that success consists of 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration. The members of the band had their own singular reason(s) for wanting a record contract and emulating their 60's rock heroes, the Rolling Stones and The Beatles. I think the boy bands individual reasons for aspirations of success were more than just the whole Beatlemania craze and the desire of beautiful women throwing themselves at them if they became rock stars. Douglas for example was spoiled in my opinion at home by both his mom who continued to iron his clothes and his dad who secretly handed Douglas wads of cash. Douglas was a star in his own mind, which many teenagers are then, and still are today.As Bob Dylan has sung the 'Times They Are A Changing', well Not Fade Away gives all of us including those born after George Bush became president a glimpse in to the family and teenage life of the 1960's with over seas wars, the influence of England on rock music and the blues. It is a bit ironic that Douglas's dad, Pat, (played by James Gandolfini) who was diagnosed with cancer in the movie, would actually pass away from an unrelated heart attack in real life on June 19, 2013, a month before this movie was released in the U.S.. Yes, the times have changed, and this movie reminds us quite subtly of where we once were within the confines of a family, a rock band, and their friends. This movie is well worth a watch if you enjoy reminiscing and seeing the hip fashions of the 1960's.

Boy what huge disappointment this movie was, especially since the recent news of James Gandolfini passing. What a shame that this miserable movie is his swan song. Don't get wrong, James Gandolfini is excellent in this movie, he is definitely one of the bright spots in what I view as a very dim movie.David Chase wrote, directed, and produced this waste of time. David Chase is the creator and writer of the HBO hit series "The Sopranos". I'm not sure what David Chase was thinking or smoking when he came up with this fine piece of rubbish, but whatever creditability he had built up should hopefully now be completely behind him, as he has proved to be a one trick pony in my book.There are many many problems with this movie, but the main mistakes are there is absolutely no story here. Could there have been a story? Yes, but trust me when I say in this instance there is none. Second, there is no character development. You won't give a darn about anyone in this movie, so combined with no story and no viewer connection to the characters this is a disaster.The good news is the musical soundtrack is excellent, especially if you like the great 60's rock hits. The acting by everyone concerned is decent, once again James Gandolfini is excellent but at the same time a clone of his role on the Sopranos, which tends to make me think David Chase has him type cast.So here's the take-away....no story, no character development, no connection for the viewers, no good!!