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STONED
Directed by: Stephen Woolley.
Produced by: Finola Dwyer & Stephen Woolley.
Written by: Neal Purvis & Robert Wade.
Director of Photography: John Mathieson.
Edited by: Sam Sneade.
Music by: David Arnold.
Released by: Screen Media Films.
Country of Origin: UK. 102 min. Not Rated.
With: Leo Gregory, Paddy Considine & David Morrissey.

In 1969, Brian Jones, the original lead guitarist for the Rolling Stones, was found dead at age 27 from an apparent drowning, just days after being kicked out of the band. After 10 years of researching the fallen Stone, producer Stephen Woolley (Breakfast on Pluto) makes his directorial debut with this tribute to Jones and an exploration of his mysterious death, which starts out in a Sunset Boulevard-esque manner with Jones’ lifeless body floating in his swimming pool. The rest of the film is told through an array of flashbacks that quickly jump from his tenure in the band to the events right before his death.

It’s evident that Woolley wanted to portray Jones as a musical visionary who just couldn’t handle the drugs, but Leo Gregory plays Jones in such a way that it is impossible to sympathize with him or mourn his inevitable death. It is clear that Jones is not supposed to be a functioning, mature adult, but Gregory makes him annoyingly childish and simultaneously takes all the vitality out of the character.

It’s not entirely Gregory’s fault. What could have been dramatic events in Jones’ life, like the abuse he suffered as a teenager for fathering illegitimate children or the original formation of the Stones, is touched upon briefly but largely ignored. Instead, there are eye-catching montages full of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll that take the place of any plot development. These sequences are interesting simply because the rest of the film moves along at a much slower pace. Meanwhile, the other band members are relegated to almost extra status; Woolley is focused explicitly on Jones.

For being a movie that is about music, the soundtrack leaves a lot to be desired. While there are some classics by the likes of bluesman Robert Johnson, there is no music by the Stones and newer versions of songs are often used instead of the original, like Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man,” covered by the British alternative rockers Kula Shaker. Overall, the updated music choices and the lack of Stones material makes Stoned feel inauthentic at times. With the music, as with the rest of the film, the intention is there but it just doesn’t follow through. Molly Eichel
March 24, 2006