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The tragically brief career of '70s British pop group Badfinger is a story of a chaotic band in need of structure. As a rockumentary, Badfinger is an equally unfocused affair desperately in need of historical context and, worse, a narrator. For a few years in the early '70s, Badfinger rose from the shadow of the Beatles and emerged as pioneers of infectious power pop. Bridging the gap between the British invasion and American indie pop bands like Big Star, Badfinger crafted beautifully melodic tunes like "Day After Day," "No Matter What," and "Come and Get It" (penned by Paul McCartney). While director Gary Katz obviously has affection for the band's contributions to rock history, he unfortunately hasn't a clue as to how to present them. Instead, we get a jumbled mix of interviews with the band's two surviving members, Joey Molland and Mike Gibbins, not to mention Molland's wife, cut together with far too many lip-synched "live" performances. While the footage gives intimate looks at the band, Katz really needs narration to explain just why we should even bother watching the film. Badfinger is known as much for the tragedy that hit the band--their crooked manager emptied their band account and disappeared, causing two members to commit suicide later on. However, by the time Katz gets there, the story is so underdeveloped that it feels like an afterthought. After viewing this, you can't help but think that the band deserved better. --Dave McCoy
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