Film Review: Of All The Things

Title:               Of All the Things
Director:              Jody Lambert
Producer:            Taylor Williams
Screenwriter:    Jody Lambert
Cinema:               P.H. O’Brien, Ed Haines Hall
Editor:
Music:                   Dennis Lambert
Year:                      2008 (85 minutes)

Synopsis: It’s the most unlikely comeback of the year. Dennis Lambert was one of the most successful and diverse songwriter/producers of the 70’s and 80’s, with hits like “Ain’t No Woman Like The One I Got,” “Rhinestone Cowboy,” Don’t Pull Your Love,” Baby Come Back,” and “Nightshift.” Today, he’s a 60-year-old family man selling real estate in Florida. But it turns out his obscure 1972 solo album Bags and Things is huge – in the Philippines. A Filipino concert promoter has been begging Dennis to tour for decades, and in 2007 he finally agreed. Of All the Things is a hilarious, touching and winning pop/rock/country/R&B documentary that follows Dennis on his whirlwind tour as he rediscovers his passion for music – a two-week adventure that takes him from the comforts of Boca Raton to a sold-out show at Manila’s famous Araneta Coliseum for thousands of fans he never knew he had. Some lives deserve and encore, indeed.

Review: As I’ve said before, when it comes to documentaries, the rule is, tell an interesting story and tell it well. Director Jody Lambert did exactly that in telling the story of his father, the songwriter, turned singer, turned real estate agent, turned Philippine pop star, turned real estate agent. It is an interesting story and it is very well told.

The thing I liked most about Of All The Things was the way the film (and the filmmaker) didn’t take the story too seriously. Lambert had fun with the film, and his father, Dennis Lambert, had fun with the experience of reclaiming the popularity he didn’t know he had. That fun shines through in the film.

Of all The Things was the surprise hit of the film festival circuit, winning audience choice award at the Sarasota, Nantucket, and Palm Beach film festivals. In his directorial debut, Jody Lambert did an excellent job.

(4.0 out of 5.0)