Documentary Review: ‘Neil Young Coastal’

by | Apr 14, 2025 | Featured Post, Movie Reviews, Movies | 0 comments


Greetings again from the darkness. Over his 60-year career, Neil Young has proven to be one of a kind. As an incredibly talented songwriter with an instantly recognizable singing voice, he’s also acclaimed for his guitar playing. Few musicians have cut a wider swath of diverse music than the Canadian-born Young. His success began in the 1960’s with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. A solo career with two amazing albums (“After the Gold Rush”, “Harvest”) took him to new heights in the 1970’s, followed by some hard-rocking tunes with Crazy Horse. Since then, he’s kept fans guessing as to what style each successive record would feature.

He has also dipped his toe into directing movies, and the most recent one I saw was MOUNTAINTOP (2019) directed by Young’s nom de plume, Bernard Shakey. The film was an interesting look at the uneasy process of Young and Crazy Horse collaborating on a new album. This time out, Young/Shakey is not directing. Instead, it’s Neil’s wife, actress Daryl Hannah. She spends most of her time behind the camera, though we do catch a few glimpses of the SPLASH (1994) star. She gets full credit for the crisp black-and-white look of the film.

It opens with Neil Young writing in the sand as the waves flow in and out. It’s a reminder that writing is his true gift, and this occurs just as he’s undertaking a short tour on the west coast. Each show will be held at an outdoor venue … including the stunning amphitheater, The Ford. Thanks in part to COVID, this is Young’s first tour in four years, and his son Ben joins him for one leg of the tour. As the miles go by, we eavesdrop as Neil and his Silver Eagle bus driver, Jerry Don Burden, chat about a few topics … including Howard Hughes.

The conversations aren’t particularly interesting (and neither man appears to be wearing a seatbelt), but we do gain some insight that Young’s activism remains in place as he hopes the crowd will understand the meaning behind his song, “Love Earth”. A later singalong reinforces this. Of course, Young’s blistering “Ohio” in 1971 solidified his voice on social topics.

Beyond all of that, this film, and most of Neil Young’s career, has been about the music. In these beautiful venues, Young digs deep into his catalog for some rarely (maybe never before) played live songs. His musicality is expressed through many guitars, a piano, a reed organ, and his ever-present harmonica. This solo act is something to behold, and it raises another question: has the renowned curmudgeon softened? This appears to be a kinder, gentler Neil Young. He even serves up playful banter with his audiences. Perhaps recovering from a brain aneurysm has caused this, or maybe it’s the steady presence of his wife. Either way, it’s a good look for the 79-year-old musical genius – the one who sips tea from a Willie Nelson porcelain mug.

In theaters for one night only on April 17, 2025

David Ferguson
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