If you read any of the pro reviews here, read the one from Aisle Seat dot com. My amateur take on this is that I wish I had seen it when it first came out. The Police were definitely one of the "soundtracks of my youth" bands. I saw them in 1983 in Syracuse NY and yes, they were amazing and yes, I could see they were doing it rather robotically. Summers is a full ten years older than Sting and Copeland, having played in the Animals, and at London's Flamenco Club back in the day. His perspective is a little more seasoned, let's say, but still, when stardom hit, he was no less susceptible to its dangers. He's clearly very talented in multiple ways (his photography is really great). His narration, which others call dull, is actually a counterpoint to the astonishing events he found himself caught up in. He's frank about the drugs, the women, the neglect of his wife and daughter. The conflicts with his band mates were baked into pie, so to speak. The surprise isn't that bands break up, it's that they stay together at all after touring.
There's a rather emotional finish, and I loved that the very last song was a hat tip to another "working musician" from "Casablanca" amazingly enough.
There's a rather emotional finish, and I loved that the very last song was a hat tip to another "working musician" from "Casablanca" amazingly enough.