Michael_Elliott Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me (2014) *** 1/2 (out of 4)Highly entertaining but at times very depressing documentary taking a look at Glen Campbell's final tour, which was a result of him coming down with Alzheimer's Disease. This documentary works in parts of showing what a great career Campbell has had as well as a look at the struggles of this final tour and the impact that the disease has had on his family.I was lucky enough to see Campbell on his final tour in Louisville in 2012 and I was amazed at how well the show went. When you hear the disease you know what can happen so I was a little worried going into that show how the entertaining would handle it and I thought it was a highly entertaining show. After watching this documentary it certainly gave me a better understanding of the disease as well as what was going on behind-the-scenes of this tour.The documentary works best as an education to people on what the disease does to one's mind and the impact it has on those closest to the person. We're introduced to Campbell's wife, son and daughter (who are in his band) as well as other members of the band and we get an up close and personal look at someone who is slowly forgetting everything. There are some really sad moments throughout the film including the daughter talking about the thought of her father not being able to remember her.Throughout the documentary we get interviews with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, The Edge, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley as well as behind- the-scenes clips with Jay Leno and Paul McCarthy. Some of them share stories of Campbell's music while some share stories of how the disease has effected them. There's even talk from the family about some people's thoughts that Campbell was being exploited to go on this final tour and this is something I originally thought as well but the tour and this documentary really did do a great job at highlighting the disease.GLEN CAMPBELL: I'LL BE ME also features plenty of live performances of the classic songs, which fans will enjoy. The entire documentary is hard to watch at times but it's certainly very rewarding.

Larry Silverstein This is not your typical documentary which is directed by James Keach, as it places a glaring spotlight on the horrific and progressive disease of Alzheimer's, and its effects on the enormously talented musical icon Glen Campbell, as well as his family. Going public with the diagnosis, the film focuses on Campbell's "Goodbye Tour", which began in 2011 and extended through 2012.Although there are, of course, references and film clips of Campbell's extraordinary career, which include his beginnings as a most talented studio musician for The Wrecking Crew, his sale of over 50 million records, his numerous awards including 5 Grammys, and his TV show "Glen Campbell's Goodtime Hour", the movie places its main emphasis on how Alzheimer's is affecting Campbell on the tour, and on a day to day basis. There's also much feedback from those closest to Campbell, namely his wife Kim, his daughter Ashley, and sons Shannon and Cal who are playing with him on stage in his performances. Finally, there are tributes from many superstars in the field, some of who movingly share how Alzheimer's has affected their own family members.One important aspect of the documentary is that Campbell's doctors fully support his tour as they demonstrate how doing what he loves to do can strengthen certain parts of his brain and slow the progression of the disease. His wife Kim recognizes that some will object to allowing Campbell to be so vulnerable in a public setting, but it's clear his adoring fans at his concerts will give him all the slack he needs just to see him in what will most likely be his final performances.All in all, this can be a difficult film to watch, and I'd have to say it affected me quite deeply, but it can also be inspiring and illustrate how urgently we need to find a cure for this terrible disease.

Charles Herold (cherold) This documentary follows Glenn Campbell on his last tour, as he deals with the effects of Alzheimer's. It's an absolutely fascinating documentary. In spite of the depressing subject matter, Campbell is funny and charming and he and his family are so likable that it's far more entertaining than you might expect. This is not to say it doesn't get awfully sad - you do see the disease progress and that can be hard to take - but overall it's a pretty positive movie even though it's dealing with something so grim.There are a lot of interesting things in the film. I was fascinated by Campbell acting as though being unable to recall who the first president was his own decision - that he'd just tossed out extraneous information. It's amazing how well he was able to perform even as lost the ability to find his own bathroom. The family does a good job of dealing with Campbell; they're very nice (and strikingly attractive) and you feel really bad for them.Unfortunately, some misguided choices keep this from being as good as it could have been. A big problem is a section in the middle in which a bunch of politicians blather on about how important a problem is, one of a number of times where the movie's advocacy goal played out in ham-handed tediousness. Even though the movie kills its own momentum in the middle though, it manages to get it back again.There is also a monologue by the wife that is surprisingly defensive, since in the movie no one is criticizing her for taking Glenn on tour. I saw a premier with the filmmakers, the wife and daughter, and the wife said there were critics of the plan in the family, and I don't know why the movie didn't show that (or didn't get a less defensive monologue that wouldn't suggest there was more to the story than you'd seen).Some things feel a little extraneous. There are brief chats with celebrities about how cool Glenn is that often seem pointless (although some, like Bruce Springstein, did have something worthwhile to say). Glenn's security head also seems poorly integrated into the story. And there are clips of a young Campbell that in some cases work and in some don't. While it's clearly not the work of a truly masterful documentarian, it is still entertaining and powerful and well worth watching. I just wish an editor with better instincts could fix the weak parts. It's good, but with a few changes here and there it could be great.

larry_raughton A first hand look at the effects of Alzheimer's, not just on the individual but the family and friends. Usually when it hits someone, they always go into seclusion and no one wants to interact with them because they always want to remember them as they were. Thanks to Glen and his family for sharing this with us and informing the public on this dreaded disease, as he says in the song, "I'm not gonna miss you", Once the memory has been flawed there is still a person, one of God's creations, in that body, although they may not recall events or even their closest friends or family, they are still the people we love. Can't wait to view the entire movie. May God's Blessings be on Glen, his family and all others dealing with Alzheimer's.