Listening to Kenny G

Directed by Penny Lane, Listening to Kenny G explores the life and career of infamous saxophonist Kenny G and details the musician’s various accomplishments in the decades since making his debut. There’s ultimately little doubt that Listening to Kenny G‘s greatest asset is Kenny G himself, as the much-maligned figure’s open, affable personality ensures that the picture is at its best when focused on his easygoing chatter – with the stories and anecdotes that subsequently form much of the movie’s running time certainly boasting an entertaining and sporadically eye-opening feel. And although Lane generally does a nice job of exploring the various facets of her subject’s life, Listening to Kenny G‘s paucity of personal information about the man grows more and more curious (and distracting) as time progresses. (There’s a very quick reference to his two sons, for example, and the myriad of questions that inevitably raises are never pursued or answered.) The end result is a mostly watchable yet ultimately surface-level documentary that nevertheless shines a light on a decidedly polarizing figure, which ensures that the film does, in the final analysis, hold plenty of appeal for both ardent fans and staunch detractors alike.

**1/2 out of ****