CSNY flip-flop in 'Déja; Vu'
David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young are legendary folk rock musicians. They continue to have an audience because their vocal harmonies, instrumental prowess and politically pointed lyrics belong to good tunes. To Woodstock-era activists whose counterculture efforts were accompanied or inspired by the group, CSNY's emotional appeal is even greater.
We are now well past Woodstock, a nostalgic peace-and-love pipe dream that was eternally sullied by the rampant commercialism and violent finale of the event's 1999 revival, but some aging hippies deserve credit for tenacity. Neil Young, for instance, whose new documentary "CSNY: Déjà Vu" attempts to bridge the turbulent Vietnam era and the now-ubiquitous post-Sept. 11 landscape, using unpopular wars and the quartet's musical endeavors as tentpoles. That's a lot of territory, and though it tries, the film simply can't cover all of it.
The main problem is that Young presents two related but ultimately very different films in the guise of one. The first is a sort of tour diary, wherein we see CSNY preparing for, promoting and playing dates on their 2006 "Freedom of Speech" jaunt. The second is an examination of the home front environment, mainly snatching glimpses of veterans, families and supporters trying to bring the Iraq war to an end.
Most of the time, though, "Déjà Vu" feels like it's trying too hard to connect its points. The first half leans heavily on the group's tour to provide its narrative, integrating '60s-era archival footage with contemporary performances as if to say, "hey, look, we protested this war stuff four decades ago, but it's still happening today." After enough of this approach, one wonders whether Young is admitting that musicians, or at least he and his associates, can have no effect on government actions, and if he is, why he bothered to make this blatantly anti-war film.
The second half all but abandons the concert angle to explore the country's mood outside of their tour bus. Sure, the subjects converge at times, such as when Stills hobnobs with Hoffman Estates resident (and then-candidate for Henry Hyde's 6th district seat) Tammy Duckworth, or when Young sits down to strum with a young vet who now plays acoustic punk protest songs. The segments concerning American life during war are so compelling in their own right that whenever CSNY reappear, the musicians seem to be intruding on their own documentary.
ABC News correspondent Mike Cerre comes off worst. Having served as a Marine in Vietnam and an embedded reporter in Iraq, Cerre tags along on tour, ostensibly to add objectivity or perspective. Instead, his portentous narration and self-important demeanor (come on, a tan photojournalist vest?) comes off like a "Daily Show" parody of zealous TV reporters.
The film's overall approach is not so reverent. There are plenty of negative quotes from the press who covered this reunion tour, and a segment on its Atlanta stop shows conservative fans streaming out of the concert in protest of Young's song "Let's Impeach the President." It even comes close to synthesizing its dual focus in a scene where the group sings "Find the Cost of Freedom," the camera zeroing in on the mother of a slain soldier who weeps bitterly while surrounded by hooting, beer-waving concertgoers.
This could be a great documentary, if only Young had stuck with one subject. Instead we get two halves of a so-so one.
"CSNY Deja Vu"
Starring: Neil Young, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Stephen Sills
Directed by: Neil Young
Other: A Roadside Attractions release. Rated R (language, war images) 96 minutes. At the Century Centre in Chicago.