Of All the Things (Jody Lambert, 2008) United States

Reviewed by Marissa Vogt. Viewed at the Arclight Theater, AFI Film Festival.

Even if the name Dennis Lambert doesn’t ring a bell, you are probably familiar with at least some of the songs he wrote such as “Rhinestone Cowboy”, “Nightshift”, and “Baby Come Back”. At one point, Dennis had four Billboard Top 100 songs, a feat that was only accomplished by the Beetles before him. The documentary, Of All the Things, captures the retired hit maker’s journey from his home in Boca Raton, Florida to the Philippines where his album “Bags and Things” has been a favorite for over thirty years.

Directed by Jody Lambert, Dennis Lambert’s son, the film follows the father son duo as they prepare and embark for Dennis’s tour. For 35 years, a Filipino concert promoter/radio DJ has tried to get Dennis to do a tour in the Philippines for all of his adoring fans. In 2007 he finally agreed, after years of living the good life in suburbia and all but abandoning his music career. The film starts with a rousing sales pitch from Dennis for a 2.2 million dollar Boca Rotan home, and it’s hard to believe that the man who once the voice of a generation (or two) is now selling real estate. Next, the viewers witness the difficulties that Dennis faces while preparing for this overseas adventure, such as outfit planning, technical issues, and most importantly- relearning the songs he created over three decades earlier.

Once Dennis arrives overseas he’s met with several struggles, most arising from the hellish Yamaha soundboard. It’s not all horrible for Dennis, swooning fans, radio interviews, and idolism approach him from all angles once he steps foot on the island. The film is not only a journey for the viewer, in which they learn about the history of Dennis’s career and personal life, but also for Dennis and his son. Through the blood, sweat, and tears of the entire process the rebirth of a man’s passion is captured on film, as well as the strength and love of familial bonds. The heartfelt moments shared between father and son are what make this film truly inspirational, rather than just a documentary on a random musician’s “comeback tour”.

As a musical documentary, the sound aspect plays a key part in the film. All of the music in the film are songs written by Dennis Lambert, but it showcases the songs on Dennis’s “Bags and Things” album. Many of these songs have been long but forgotten in the United States due to the albums unpopularity. Dennis also tells the story of several songs during the film, which are then played, such as “Nightshift” which he wrote with F.Golde and W. Orange as a tribute to fellow songwriters (Marvin Gaye) who had passed away that year. The music also helps to illuminate the history that is being told throughout the film, such as the voice of a young Dennis singing for vacationers in the Catskills while photos and videos of the era where displayed.

Rather than using old concert footage and telling harrowing drug tales seen in most popular culture music documentary, this film focuses more on a man’s dream to reignite his artistic instincts and the culture that embraces him. The film slightly resembles the Grateful Dead Movie directed by Jerry Garcia, which documented the band’s last shows in 1974 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. Both portray the voices of the artists as well as the cultural impact of the artists on their fans. Though for Dennis Lambert the trend seems to be more hugs, less drugs.

This film is definitely worth seeing, especially if viewed on the festival circuit. At the AFI film festival showing, the whole Lambert family was there to share in the excitement of the film’s release, and stood to do a Q&A after the documentary. If you’re lucky you may just even get an invite to Dennis Lambert’s live performances which he is doing in each city the film is shown in. Overall, the films main value is for entertainment, unless you previously are a Dennis Lambert fan.