‘Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids’ review [TIFF ’16]

Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids review: Jonathan Demme captures the last two dates from Timberlake’s sell-out 20/20 Experience World Tour, filmed in 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids review, Toronto International Film Festival 2016.

The Silence Of The Lambs‘ Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme helms this documentary featuring global superstar Justin Timberlake as he plays his last two dates in Las Vegas on his global, two-year-long tour The 20/20 Experience.

Set entirely at the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas strip, the film is essentially a concert movie with the director assembling a crew handling 20+ cameras scattered around the venue as Timberlake takes to the stage with his Tennessee Kids – his band of brothers made up of musicians and dancers who wowed hundreds of thousands of fans on the worldwide tour which kicked off in 2013.

The issue with these kind of productions is one must really be a fan of the artist going into it as the film is essentially just them on stage performing from their current catalogue. Here, Timberlake brings out old hits like ‘Like I Love You’ and ‘Rock Your Body’ (though sadly no ‘Cry Me A River’), mixed in with new songs featured on his current album. Stand outs are the two-track revival of Sexy Back and Mirrors’ – an absolute show-stopper, as well as Timberlake’s guitar-led version of What Goes Around… and an unashamed cover of Michael Jackson’s Human Nature.

Fans of the artist will lap-up every single moment of this 90-minute epic, Demme employing some stylish camera work (with each one perfectly positioned in the venue) and editing techniques to capture and recreated the experience from the sell-out concerts. That is all there is to it really, and bar a 10-minute piece where all of the Tennessee Kids are introduced to the viewer over the opening credits, this film offers little else – but the director really just sets out to capture Timberlake’s 20/20 vision – and he does it well. There’s no behind the scenes stuff, but it’s great to see such superb concert footage projected on a gigantic IMAX screen – where we review this at TIFF ’16 – something that will instantly be lost once it hits Netflix who are behind the film and who intend to release it on their global platform – which is a shame.

Timberlake’s influences are obvious, but there’s a very nice and touching tribute title card at the end dedicating his and Demme’s film to Prince Rogers Nelson.

A very well staged concert and accompanying feature which fans will lap up every single second of. The rest of us will also be in awe of such an all-round modern creative marvel who really is in a league of his own, and of Demme who once again proves he’s the master when it comes to capturing that genius on film.

Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids review by Paul Heath, TIFF ’16.

Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids will hit Netflix around the world on October 12th 2016.