# Backstage (2000)

### reviewed by
Steve Rhodes

    BACKSTAGE
    A film review by Steve Rhodes
    Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes
    RATING (0 TO ****):  *

Chris Fiore's BACKSTAGE, a documentary about touring hip-hop groups from Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings, is a movie for hip-hop fans only. But even die-hard hip-hoppers will probably be disappointed by BACKSTAGE's proclivity for teasing its audiences with brief excerpts rather than complete songs from the groups' touring concert footage.

Starring Jay-Z, DMX, Method Man, Redman, Ja Rule, and Bennie Seagel, the movie does have energetic pacing, but I'm at a loss to find anything else good to say about it. With its shameless self-promotion, the documentary could just as easily have been a television infomercial were it not for the movie's plethora of profanity and its sexual episodes.

Among its low points are the scenes involving the groupies that hang around the stars. When these women pull up their tops or perform oral sex on the music performers, cheesy yellow bubbles are superimposed over their faces. On these, Fiore has added "cute" little sayings like "Your Face Here" and "Your Ad Here." See, he is saying, you too could hang around these guys and degrade yourself just like these women. It's a message that we certainly could have done without.

Many of the scenes have "staged" written all over them. One of the groups, for example, shows us a copy of GOOD WILL HUNTING to prove that they watch more than just gangster movies. The performers, in one of their many commercial moments, brag that hip-hop outsells all other types of music. This, for all I know, may be completely true. But their saying it smacks more of gratuitous self-promotion than anything else.

Let me remind Fiore that good documentaries can appeal to a wide audience. This one ignores that rule entirely in favor of cheap theatrics. And, as I've already said, this film doesn't deliver as it should even for its intended audiences. It is also haphazardly edited and poorly shot. Many much better films than this one have been unable to obtain a theatrical release, so it is a shame to see this one getting released to theaters. It should have gone directly to video.

BACKSTAGE runs 1:39. It is rated R for strong language, nudity and drug content and would be acceptable for high school seniors and older.

Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com

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