It’s been five years since Cameron Crowe bellyflopped with “Elizabethtown” but we still have a lot faith in the helmer and with two pictures from the director arriving this year, it’s a good time to be a Crowe fan. Of course, there’s “We Bought A Zoo,” the dramedy that is currently in production starring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Angus MacFadyen, Elle Fanning, Patrick Fugit and J.B. Smoove. But also on the docket is a long in the works documentary on Pearl Jam who are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year.
Details have been a bit scarce on the project but speaking with Rolling Stone, bassist Jeff Ament opens up about the forthcoming film which promises to be a no holds barred look at the group. “I just saw a rough cut,” says Ament. “It was so fucking weird seeing footage of stuff I didn’t know anybody was taping at the time. The whole movie is Cameron’s love letter to us – but it’s equal parts complimentary and really painful. It shows our growing pains and some real bad times, including Roskilde [the 2000 Danish festival where nine fans were trampled to death during the band’s set]. It was just really hard to watch.”
It sounds pretty fascinating and even though this writer is not a fan of the group, it does sound like it has the potential to be a great, interesting doc. There’s no word on a firm release for the film which will be packaged with a book and soundtrack, but it will apparently arrive sometime in the late summer, around the time when Pearl Jam will play their own, 2-day curated music festival where they will headline both nights.
So lots to look forward to for Pearl Jam fans, but even if you’re not, Crowe enthusiasts will have a lot to take in as well. “We Bought A Zoo” will hit on December 23rd.