The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
Official Title Poster
Directed by
Written byMark Monroe
Produced by
StarringThe Bee Gees
Cinematography
  • Ariel Grandoli
  • Michael Dwyer
Edited by
  • Derek Boonstra
  • Robert A. Martinez
Music by
  • The Bee Gees
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • December 3, 2020 (2020-12-03) (United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand)
  • December 12, 2020 (2020-12-12) (United States)
Running time
111 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$283,826[1]

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is a 2020 American documentary film, directed by Frank Marshall. It follows the life and career of the Bee Gees.

The film had a limited theatrical release in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand on December 3, 2020[2][3] with its worldwide release on December 12, 2020, through HBO Max. It received positive reviews and has been nominated for six Emmy Awards, including the Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.[4]

Synopsis

The film follows the life and career of brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, the Bee Gees. It includes interviews with Barry, alongside archival interviews with Robin and Maurice, plus new interviews with Vince Melouney (former Bee Gees' guitarist during the mid-to-late 1960s) and former touring members Alan Kendall and Blue Weaver. It also features interviews with other musicians and individuals in the Bee Gees' orbit, including Lulu, Yvonne Gibb, and archival interviews with the Bee Gees' younger brother Andy Gibb.

Other musicians and individuals (outside of the Bee Gees' orbit) interviewed include Justin Timberlake, Noel Gallagher, Nick Jonas, Chris Martin, Eric Clapton, Mark Ronson, and Bill Oakes.[5]

Production

The film is directed by Emmy-nominated director Frank Marshall, and written by Mark Monroe, with Barry Gibb participating for interviews with HBO for the documentary.[6]

Release

The film was given a limited theatrical release by Universal Pictures in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand on December 3, 2020[7][8] with a release worldwide on HBO Max on December 12, 2020, in association with Polygram Entertainment.[9][10]

The film was first released on DVD, digital and Blu-ray disc in the United Kingdom by Universal Pictures on December 14, 2020.[11] Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released it on disc in the United States on November 16, 2021 with two deleted Scenes - Meeting the Bee Gees and Bands of Brothers.[12]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes surveyed 52 critics and assessed 52 as positive and 2 as negative for a 96% rating. Among the reviews, it determined an average rating of 7.7/10. The critics consensus reads "Blessed with the Bee Gees' discography and director Frank Marshall's concise thesis, How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is a poignant documentary that persuasively argues the trio's importance in music history."[13]

Accolades

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2021
 American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Documentary (Non-Theatrical) Derek Boonstra and Robert A. Martinez Nominated [14]
Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Documentary Gary A. Rizzo and Jeff King Won [15]
Golden Reel Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary Jonathan Greber and Pascal Garneau Nominated [16]
Philadelphia Film Festival Best Documentary (Audience Award) Frank Marshall Won [17]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special David Blackman, Nicholas Ferrall, Jody Gerson, Jeanne Elfant Festa,
Mark Monroe, Frank Marshall and Aly Parker 		Nominated [18]
Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program Frank Marshall Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Programming Mark Monroe Nominated
Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming Derek Boonstra and Robert A. Martinez Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Jonathan Greber and Pascal Garneau Won
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Gary A. Rizzo, Jeff King and John Rampey Nominated

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
  2. ^ "Bee Gees documentary with new Barry Gibb interview is coming to cinemas". Smooth Radio. October 29, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  3. ^ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020)". Box Office Mojo. December 3, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  4. ^ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Television Academy.
  5. ^ Beachum, Chris (13 July 2021). "Frank Marshall interview: 'The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart'". GoldDerby. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  6. ^ Leishman, Rachel (22 September 2021). "'The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart' Documentary Coming to Blu-ray". Collider. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Bee Gees documentary with new Barry Gibb interview is coming to cinemas". Smooth Radio. October 29, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  8. ^ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020)". Box Office Mojo. December 3, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  9. ^ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  10. ^ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  11. ^ "The Bee Gees - How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? (Blu-ray) [2020] [Region Free]". Amazon UK. 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  12. ^ ""The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" on Disc November 16". Warner Bros. UK. September 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  13. ^ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  14. ^ Hipes, Patrick (April 17, 2021). "ACE Eddie Awards: 'Trial Of The Chicago 7', 'Palm Springs', 'Soul' Top Film Winners; 'Ted Lasso', 'Queen's Gambit' Score In TV – Full Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  15. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (April 17, 2021). "'Sound of Metal' Tops CAS Sound Mixing Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  16. ^ "2021 Golden Reel Awards Winners". MPSE.org. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  17. ^ "29th Philadelphia Film Festival". Philadelphia Film Festival. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  18. ^ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  1. ^ Sexton, Paul. "10 Takeaways from The Bee Gees' 'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart' Documentary". UDiscoverMusic.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.