'The Sparks Brothers' Trailer: Edgar Wright Re-Introduces Audiences To The Dynamic Pop Rock Duo

The pop duo known as Sparks may have a career that spans over 50 years and 25 albums, but director Edgar Wright will probably be introducing them to a whole new wave of fans with The Sparks Brothers. The filmmaker behind Shaun of the Dead has delivered his first feature film documentary, in which he attempts to profile a band that he describes as "successful, underrated, hugely influential, and overlooked all at the same time." Even if you know songs by Sparks, it's very likely that you don't know their whole story. Get a taste in the trailer below.

Ron and Russell Mael are Sparks, and this documentary chronicles their rise to fame, various reinventions and comebacks, and all the ups and downs in-between. On the surface, this is a a familiar music documentary, but with Edgar Wright behind the camera, there's a fascinating bridge between the surprisingly comedic sensibilities of many catchy Sparks songs and the reverential cinematic satire of the filmmaker behind Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Hot Fuzz.

The Sparks Brothers gets a boost from talking heads like Mike Myers, Beck, Fred Armisen, Patton Oswalt, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, Todd Rundgren, Jason Schwartzman, Patton Oswalt, Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many more familiar names from music and pop culture at large. But Wright also has fun with the documentary medium, using a variety of visuals, from animated sequences to carefully chosen stock footage, and even some cheeky lower-thirds that introduce the film's various subjects. The talking heads with Ron and Russell Mael are especially amusing.

If you'd like to know more about The Sparks Brothers, be sure to read our review from the film's virtual premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and check out a clip from the movie right here.

How can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? Edgar Wright's debut documentary THE SPARKS BROTHERS, which features commentary from celebrity fans Flea, Jane Wiedlin, Beck, Jack Antonoff, Jason Schwartzman, Neil Gaiman, and more, takes audiences on a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers/bandmates Ron and Russell Mael celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band's favorite band.

The Sparks Brothers will be released in theaters on June 18, 2021.