Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni’s documentary delivers an intimate portrait of the legendary Canadian singer/songwriter.
The paeans come fast and furious in Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni’s documentary about legendary Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. “If there was a Mount Rushmore in Canada, Gordon would be on it,” exclaims Tom Cochrane. “He is one of the greatest examples of timeless singer/songwriters,” says Rush’s Geddy Lee. “This is a guy who sang poems,” gushes Alec Baldwin, who seems to have been included in the proceedings simply because he’s a fan.
Fortunately, the octogenarian Lightfoot is also on hand to provide a less hagiographic perspective. “I guess I don’t like who I am,” the performer confesses. And when asked about his 1965 song “For Lovin’ Me” — which features such chauvinistic lyrics as “I ain’t the love you thought I’d be/I got a hundred more like you,” the performer admits — “I hate that fucking song.”
As its title indicates, Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, being released in virtual cinemas, delivers an impressionistic portrait of its subject, loosely using his songs as a framework. Although far from comprehensive, the entertaining cinematic biography should well please the singer’s longtime fans, particularly those who have followed him through his career spanning six decades, and possibly make him some new ones.
Continued: The Hollywood Reporter. Additional: USA Today