Edgar Wright presents a spellbinding portrait of the cult pop duo Sparks in this brilliantly devised documentary. Made up of two brothers, Ron and Russell Mael, Sparks have a host of well known figures as fans on both sides of the Atlantic. Musician Beck, TV personality Jonathan Ross and actor Mike Myers are only some of their super fans, and are all at hand to sing their praises.
We are told that after their first appearance on Top of The Pops, the group became a talking point overnight. There’s no denying it, the Mael brothers looked odd and were always more than happy to play to that image. Keyboards player Ron became the main focus for many with his odd nonchalance on stage and  because he sported a dodgy Adolf Hitler moustache — all the stranger because the brothers were born into a secular Jewish household. 
Their Jewishness  is never alluded to in the film. Curious about the omission, I asked a a source close to the film production who told me, “Ron and Russell weren’t raised, nor do they identify as Jewish”.  All we’re told is that the brothers were born and raised in the Los Angeles area and later went to college where they formed their very first band and had some minor success. But it wasn’t until they relocated to the UK in the 70s that Sparks truly came into their own.
The band really took off after their single This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both of Us from their iconic third album Kimono My House became an instant hit.
Just like Sparks themselves, Wright’s movie gives us more than we bargained for. Knowing full well than not everyone wants to spend more than two hours listening to endless talking heads about their love for one band, Wright uses stop motion animation and other clever trickeries to make this into so much more than your average rock doc. 
The Sparks Brothers is perhaps one of the most complete portraits of a pop band ever made. Wright presents an unabashed love letter to a band he clearly loves and does it with style, humour and great attention to detail. It’s just a real shame that the subject of their Jewish roots was, for whatever reason, never broached.