Mr Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO (2012 TV Movie) User Reviews

Great, but I would have liked to get just a little beneath the skin

[yhteydessa · 6/10 · 19 October 2015]

The part of the title "The story of Jeff Lynne" does not describe the film very precisely.

I have always seen Jeff as probably a very nice and very reserved person and that impression only grew stronger by this movie which in essence does not really tell much anything about Jeff as a person. It's about "Jeff, the songwriter-producer and some comments about working with him". That is the reason I felt it honest to take off some stars from the rating. Music-wise it's what everyone knows: Doen't get sweeter than what Jeff's done in his musical area , 10/10. But the storytelling in this movie is the usual documentary patting on the back kind of thing while it oddly enough leaves out a huge portion of ELO and the members of ELO and Jeff's family-/personal-/emotional life is left out of the equation.

It is definitely worth a watch and will be very enjoyable for people who either know his music or in general like old school melodic music.

Just too much. Something was off.

[bcrox5 · 6/10 · 30 December 2013]

The superlatives never stop. The stories are all just a little to perfect be believable. Several of the interviewees appeared to be reciting from a script. For several, it didn't feel like it came from the heart.

There is absolutely no insight into his life outside of playing an instrument and singing (he seems to live like some kind of immortal musical hermit in his mansion above the city).

I couldn't shake the feeling that this was just one gigantic narcissism project by the subject himself. Which by the way culminates in a digitally created jam session with the subject playing all the parts (not very subtle).

All that aside, the music is excellent and was a joy to hear. I would have preferred fewer awkward interviews and simply more of the tunes. If you are a music geek; you will certainly envy his home and lifestyle.

Missed Opportunity

[panta-4 · 6/10 · 20 October 2015]

This documentary written and directed by Martyn Atkins was about Jeff Lynne, and it was all about praising him. It is not that the man doesn't deserve praises, but that was all the are was. It was nice at the beginning but very soon an hour and twenty minutes become too long. It was very informative but there was nothing artistic in it from a film-making point... dry and uneventful, with good music which somehow finished there on its own, disconnected from anything happening on the screen.

I gave it a positive score for only one reason, Jeff Lynne! There was almost nothing about ELO (if we exclude the title), and nothing about REAL Jeff Lynne. Missed opportunity to make it big!

Not an ELO documentary at all.

[patxi1460 · 16 November 2014]

I grew up loving the music of ELO and always admired Jeff Lynne, in part because I remember reading somewhere that he actually could neither read nor write music, (though he might have learned since) so I eagerly tuned into the program only to discover that it was not a history of ELO at all, and barely touched on the records or the band's background. Travelling Wilburys? yes, Beatles Reunion? ... yes... ELO? I got the impression that maybe the other band members, other than Richard Tandy, no longer talk to him so wouldn't make the documentary. It was fun to watch but as an ELO fan, disappointing and left me feeling cheated.

Informative. But incomplete.

[airmeki-684-377965 · 6/10 · 20 February 2019]

I just heard of this Documentary last weekend and being a huge fan of everything Jeff Lynne had touched, I just needed to see this!

As others have already pointed out, this isn't an ELO documentary nor about the man Lynne himself. It is mostly about his versatility and his apparent Midas touch when it comes to music.

I found it to be too glorified (arguably deserving) and self centered. There is no talk about the ups and downs within ELO nor in his own life.

The movie editing is the least enjoyable part of it all. Too many abrupt cuts and many that didn't make sense. Too much of the man himself in 2012 and not enough of when he was at his peak (either with his band or as a producer).

Still, I've learned a thing or two about his mastery - but at the end this man is still a mystery to me, same as he was before.

Fantastic and Well done.

[Chrisweil265 · 10/10 · 6 December 2012]

The documentary is obviously of Jeff Lynne. It features stories from people he's previously worked with, and is an all around enjoyable film. Whether you're familiar with Jeff's music or not, the documentary is fun to watch. Jeff Lynne seems to have always gone under the radar in terms of the musical industry, because he really isn't trying to achieve fame or fortune. What he's doing is really what makes him happy. It's a shame there aren't more videos like this, and from what I hear, it is coming to DVD, and hopefully Blu-ray in very early 2013. Jeff Lynne really should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and this documentary just proves it. With all of the accomplishments Jeff Lynne has made, it's a wonder he isn't in there already.

Mr Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO

[studioAT · 3/10 · 23 July 2023]

I think you're enjoyment of this will depend greatly on what your expectations of it were in the first place.

If you wanted a dark expose on Jeff Lynne as a man, then you've come to the wrong place.

This instead is a rather light and perfunctory look at him as a person, with all the glowing tributes and anecdotes from rather well-known talking heads along the way.

As others have said, it's certainly more skewed in terms of focus towards him than the actual story of the band ELO, but I'd imagine this has been covered elsewhere over the years.

This was fine, it's a DVD extra that you could quite happily do without, but it passes the time.