fierstein In short, this is footage of a tribute show with Leonard Cohen material dressed up as a documentary.It seems like the film only contained 15 minutes of Leonard Cohen himself, with the rest filled in with treacly words of praise from talentless Leonard-wannabes (except Bono and Edge) which interspersed the bulk of the film - hacks such as the Wainwrights butchering Leonards wonderfully crafted songs.I can't tell you how bad it was to hear the catterwauling and tuneless wailings of a bunch of pretentious artsy folk. Nick Caves contempt for the country town he grew up in. Limpwristed Rufus and Martha breathe-singing into the mic like she has a cold. Bono trying to wax poetic for 5 stumbing minutes. Thanks, Bono - I was already aware there will never be another Leonard Cohen. There will probably never be another you or I either...The format was also predictable for true fans of Leonard. When they showed one tiny snippet of his interview he mentioned his time in New York. Instantly I knew that the next scene would be at the tribute concert again, where someone would butcher "Chelsea Hotel" (the song is set in NY). And the film didn't let me down (in its predictability anyway).A documentary that attempts to reveal the man behing the poetry would have been great. What we have here is just a groupie-fest - a lot of fawning and not a lot of Leonard.

wrlang You have to know and like Leonard Cohen to appreciate this film. I found the documentary style to be quite nice and informative. Up close and personal kind of format. You really should be in a melancholy mood to watch this, if you're in action film mode you will fast be bored. But the songs are nice and well executed and very meaningful for those that idolize Cohen. Cohen seems to look for the deepest of emotions in his writings and comes up with many good lyrics that are unique in presentation. I would recommend this on Christmas or New Years Eve after the guests have all left and you're sitting in the great room with a snifter of fine warmed brandy waxing nostalgic in front of the fire.

jdesando I once succeeded with an attractive older woman because we shared a poetry lovers' delight in Leonard Cohen's Suzanne. A singer/composer who doesn't need U2 for background deserves a tribute by with singers who do. Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man is an entertaining tribute documentary that took place in January 2006 at the Sydney Opera House. Album genius producer Hal Willner has arranged 13 performances in the "Came So Far for Beauty" concert. Although Nick Cave and the Wainrights among others could hold their own in concert, when they successfully cover Cohen's songs in Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man, there's a slight disappointment that the basso gravel voice himself is not singing. After all, he composed the poetry and melodies, in a distinctively soulful, weary signature style that says, "I did this. Let me tell you about it." So, you can anticipate both my praise and criticism: Cohen's songs transfer remarkably well to other singers, especially Cave (Even with a Vegas attitude his Suzanne is effective) and Rufus Wainright (His oft-performed rendition of Hallelujah reveals a song that can endure even Rufus's emendations). The singers carry an experience and innocence respectively, as Cohen does. Cohen's conversations with director Lian Lunson are the most interesting parts of the documentary: his being a poet in Montreal, a hipster in New York, and a monk in a Mt. Baldy Zen monastery. All the time, however, he is cool enough to avoid revealing too much about himself, but then, that's the mystery of his songs as well. He just makes you long to know why he left his art and came back to it. He doesn't tell.When Cohen finally sings Tower of Song, I knew why he was being feted, albeit too unctuously by Bono, and why he sings his compositions better than anyone else. Because he sometimes takes up to a year on one, the care and feeling show in his weathered voice and heavily-lidded eyes. His smirk is not smug either: It mirrors a translucent soul that loves humanity in all its weaknesses, as he loves himself in all his. Deservedly.

maudebasset My husband, two younger friends and I saw the Leonard Cohen movie the other night. We were blown away by the music, the story, and the documentary. My husband and I came of age in the 60's and are thrilled that Leonard Cohen has not given up writing songs. His work withstands the test of time. Also the movie works as a documentary as well, holding interest while moving the soul with the musical interpretations. I hope this will introduce a whole new group to his poetry and music. As a sidebar, watching this movie introduced me to a few performers I'd never heard of such as Antony. His voice is so compelling and soul-stirring.