Music Documentaries typically have two kinds; insightful, deep, and entertaining or shallow, predictable, and promotional.

Somehow, this is all of these things and so much more. And each is totally unexpectedly bought out in this carefully crafted documentary about singer/ songwriter Lewis Capaldi's rise to fame.

With only the briefest hints of how deep this experience will be, we are guided through Lewis early days as a kid to playing in the family kitchen to pubs to sold out arenas. You think " good for him- he got his dream..." then at the height of his fame, 2020 slams everything to a halt.

Like so much of us, the pandemic was a pivotal moment for Lewis's life. We start to turn the page and dig deeper into what game is really like. How getting all your dreams coming true is a double edge sword. The insight that comes from those around him and Lewis himself is direct honest and raw in places. You begin to see how big successes come with massive pressures, both from outside forces and within his own mind.

Lewis's mental health starts to decline as the pressure mounts and we see the deep that he is affected. You are all at once sucked into the chaos unable to look away, cheering him on, cussing at people applying more and more pressure, and standing in crowd singing along. You want to protect him at all costs!

His family and friends give you the real backstory. His parents are all of us parents supporting your kid and their dreams while trying to protect them at the same time. You see the struggle for Lewis. You see the struggle for his parents. You see the strong bonds and you see the heart felt emotions between them. AND you see them taking the piss out of each other. There were definitely laughter through tears.

Don't get me wrong... you have the contrived bits that sound out a little too much. The tricks and bits that seem to go hand in hand with a music documentary. However, Lewis's humor and sheer force of presence make them easy to overlook. Hell, half the time he is poking fun at them too. It makes you love him all that much more.

As a new fan and a mother of sons, I appreciate how open mental health is talked about and how you see the progress and setbacks. You really understand how fame and life collide to create a storm. The management and portrayal of the concerns tries to paint how Lewis feels at those moments. You get a true sense of how difficult it is to move past them.

You get to see how songwriting can be a pain in ass. Albums are a complicated weave of so many people's perspectives. If you are like me, you will get pissed at several comments heaping more pressure on and saying callous things as Lewis tries to find his way to the perfect songs. I did some colorful cussing.

You will be moved if you have ever struggled with mental health or know someone who has. I was kept from ugly crying by Lewis's sheer force of will to keep moving forward. My son, who was 8 at the time of his first therapy session, struggled and seeing a way forward is a fight in and of itself.

Bottom line: Lewis's talent is undeniably brilliant, his humor is infectious, and the movie a solid hit. As his dad says "he (Lewis) can see humanity, that darkness, and vocalize it..." and he does it with a wink and a smile and songs that will get stuck in your head!

Just finished watching this, and as someone who has battled with depression for most of my adult life I commend his courage. Because mental illness normally does not manifest itself in a physical way, his showed itself with his twitching. We all fear the unknown in some way. Lewis has a gift that needs to be shared. Too many think just because someone is successful or rich that they should be happy all the time, not true. It can often be a catalyst to the affliction. I wish him nothing short of a life filled with love and overcoming his illness. May he find his happiness no matter how long it takes! Peace out!

I was not really expecting anything going into this film. I am not really a fan of Lewis capaldi, but know his music and knew very little about himself. I really enjoyed this film! It did not keep my attention the whole time but it was really cool to see the ins and outs of his life. He is such a unique celebrity, in the fact that he does not really give in to the glitz and glam of the Hollywood lifestyle. He is goofy and down to each, and really honest. The film starts off with his current life, and talk about his life and career during the pandemic and also struggles he faced. I was unaware of the hardships in his life, so it brought a whole new layer to him after watching the documentary. I liked the production a lot as well. It was a good mix of interview clips, concert clips, and different shot types as well. I liked being able to hear him sing his music acoustic during some scenes too. I loved when they put in clips that he took himself as well. There were some video clips that were taken off of his iPhone in a selfie mode which was fun because it made it feel personal. He was really open with the camera crew and let the viewers take and honest look into his life. I would definitely recommend for a weekend watch if you are at all interested in Less Capaldi.