ALL DOLLED UP: A NEW YORK DOLLS STORY (2005) ** ½

In the mid-‘70s, rock photographer Bob Gruen and his wife Nadya bought a (then) state-of-the-art video camera and used it to capture one of the greatest rock bands of the era, The New York Dolls as they approached their zenith.  He was able to gain nearly unrestricted access to the band as they toured the west coast, interviewing them, filming their backstage antics, and recording them playing to packed houses as they belt out such classics as “Looking for a Kiss”, “Personality Crisis”, and “Human Being”.  

I’m genuinely a fan of Gruen’s work.  As a noted rock photographer, he captured some of the most iconic photos of some of the most iconic bands of the ‘70s.  I just feel that maybe video wasn’t his forte.  Thanks to his photographer’s eye, much of the footage looks great, it’s just a shame the sound quality is often poor (which is a pretty big deal when you’re making a documentary about music).  The interview segments aren’t all that enlightening either.  I know the Dolls aren’t exactly the deepest band in the world, but the questions Gruen asks are superficial, and the backstage day-in-the-life minutia he captures is mostly inconsequential too.  

There are some nice moments to be sure.  I dug the scene where the Dolls are hanging around an airport waiting for their flight.  The expressions on the squares and little old ladies who gawk at them are priceless.  I also liked seeing the Dolls shopping for lingerie at Fredrick’s of Hollywood.  These segments are fun.  It’s just that there’s not a whole lot here to hang an entire documentary on.

Even die-hard fans of the band (like me) might be left a little cold by this one.  Many performances are cut to ribbons, or just shown in snippets.  Sometimes, we even hear the same snippets of songs, just sung at different venues.  It would’ve worked better had Gruen allowed the performances to play out in their entirety.  Whenever the numbers start to gain momentum, Gruen just cuts back to more ho-hum backstage shenanigans, which is frustrating.  I did like the addition of news footage about the band playing Max’s Kansas City though (featuring a none-too impressed Joel Siegel).  

Overall, All Dolled Up:  A New York Dolls Story feels less like a snapshot of the band as they reach the crest of their wave, and more like an assemblage of home movies.  Some fans won’t mind that approach.  In fact, it almost (but not quite) skates by from just featuring the band immortalized in all their glam glory.  Too bad Gruen barely scratches the surface as to what made The New York Dolls so great.