Directed By: Didier Charette

Studio/Streamer: Amazon

release Year: 2025

Audio Description Provided by:

Written By:

Directed By:

What Is It?: A documentary about the pop punk band Simple Plan.From their creation and influences, to the shocking reality that they are still popular today. Enjoy this Canadian band responsible for more hits than you might remember.

What Works: the documentary works. It just feels like what we’re getting more and more of. The rise of streaming services, I truly believe, has pushed the rise of documentaries. Not just investigative documentaries, but the kind that bring people in. By that, I mean documentaries about famous people. Amazon has tapped this so many times already, from Federer: 12 Final Days to Frida, and even limited series devoted to celebrities like the Earnhardt family. So, someone wanted to make one about Simple Plan, and Amazon obliged. It is a competent documentary for fans. I’m not sure it breaks new ground, or asks challenging questions, but that really wasn’t the point. it mainly promises to give you a behind the scenes look at Simple Plan over the years. From garage band status to chart topping world touring artists. I did learn things about the group. As someone who loved them back in the day, and own 2 or 3 of their albums, I didn’t even know they were Canadians. It is fan service, and I was served.

What Doesn’t Work: Content creation documentaries often fall in the “that was fine” category. I prefer my documentaries to blow my mind, or shake me to the core. I need things like The Commandates Shadow, We Will Dance Again, or No Other Land. I want to be shook.But, I do appreciate the ones like this that teach me about something I already like.

The Audio Description: I wasn’t blown away by the description, but it is also not structured in a way to support a lot of description anyway. Not only are their interviews, but then you have the band playing their music. Do we trample that? Simple Plan fans might argue no. Where it does come in handy, is that the band is French-Canadian, so there are people interviewed who respond in French, and need to have what would be subtitles, read to us.

Why You Might Like It: Simple Plan fans and documentary junkies.

Why You Might Not Like it: You thought Simple Plan was a 90’s movie starring Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton, so this is all very confusing for you. It’s OK. there’s an Ed Sullivan documentary on Netflix for you.

Final Thoughts: Simple Plan said they’d do anything, and that includes a documentary for their fans. But aside from being fan service, this is surface level, and well…simple.

Fresh: 7.0/10