Some people make everything better. I wish I were one of those people. Alas. Perhaps this is a blessing; I have no idea how I’d handle that. Linda Ronstadt is one of those rare people who makes things better and she handles it like a pro: always humble, always willing to smile, always willing to accept something new. It’s hard to come away from this biopic with any feeling other than, “I wish there were more Linda Ronstadt.”
Gilbert Ronstadt, Linda’s father, was Mexican. I did not see that one coming. He crossed the border to marry an American woman (Ruth Copeman) and their kids all grew up in Tucson talking English and singing Spanish. It should go without saying that if the current anti-Mexican MAGA climate had prevailed, we might never have gotten this union, much less produced a Linda Ronstadt. If you truly believe the world is a better place without Linda Ronstadt or the next Linda Ronstadt, you and I will never see eye-to-eye.
Linda’s career was far easier than that of her peers … probably because she’s fairly peerless. During act I of this documentary, I wondered if the material wasn’t better suited for a Bohemian Rhapsody-like biopic. And the answer is “no” for two reasons: 1) There isn’t enough controversy in Linda’s life – the hypothetical producer/director would end up emphasizing how difficult it was for her to succeed as a woman in man’s world, which might detract from her upbeat personality and 2) –More importantly- ain’t no actress singin’ like Linda Ronstadt. You can imitate a number of different performers, but Linda ain’t on the list.
As a singer, Linda has the true gift of making any song powerful. And it is a gift. I don’t think the woman had a single hit of a song that hadn’t been recorded by somebody else first, but the version we know is invariably the one Linda covered (ex: “You’re No Good,” “Blue Bayou,” “It’s So Easy”) I gotta say, one thing this film was very effective in doing was making me rethink my stance on covers. I have little patience for the “American Idol” way of marginalizing hit songs – who would you rather hear: Mariah Carey or this 17-year-old Mariah Carey wannabe? And yet, Linda Ronstadt pretty much made every song better than it was to begin with.
The other truly fascinating piece of Ronstadt’s makeup is her fleeting desires. Not that such is unique – hey, one day I feel like pizza, the next day I feel like burritos. The unique part is Linda could nail any genre she chose. She had hits in rock, R&B, country, opera, international, and I’m sure several other genres I’m missing. I swear if she were into Gregorian Chants, she could record a platinum album of penitent droning.
Among the few memories I have of growing up in a Linda Ronstadt world is how she would disappear from time-to-time. This, of course, is just my perception; it’s not that Linda “went” anywhere; I just had little tolerance for all of the genres of music that she mastered. Her Pirates of the Penzance could have been the greatest gift to mankind, but teenage me wouldn’t have cared a lick. I won’t say I missed her; I clearly knew who Linda was and what she did. However adult me has a much greater appreciation for the woman than teen me ever did.
As for Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, I found it great and worthy subject matter, but not exactly Earth-shattering in any form – Linda now has Parkinson’s which, sadly, takes away from her ability to sing. But she didn’t die; her life is hardly tragic, and she was a covergirl from the time she hit El Lay at age 18. Linda had strong political opinions, but they seem sadly malformed, like somebody just playing at being politically active, rather than one driven by injustice or conviction; she made no bones about this even when she dated Governor Jerry Brown in the 1970s. Again, this is colorful bio material, but hardly the stuff of cinematic genius. I’m glad she’s getting her due; I find Linda far more palatable than, say, Katy Perry, and as such I like this film better than Katy’s documentary.
♪I feel so bored I got a restless clime
Gotta kill two hours of time
Justifying reason or rhyme
For New Bijou
Costing nickels, maybe a dime
Filling up my wealth of downtime
Hoping this ain’t a film about mimes
At New Bijou
I’m going back today
And I’ll stay
At New Bijou
Where the films are rare
And you almost care
At New Bijou
Where I’ll grump and sigh
At no Wifi
And be forced to see
Subtitles galore
And plots that bore
The teenager in me♫
Rated PG-13, 95 Minutes
Director: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Writer: Surely somebody else; Linda only did covers
Genre: The tragic biopic of a decidedly non-tragic bio
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Music fans
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Controversy fans
♪ Parody Inspired by “Blue Bayou”
