Movie Review #1: Avicii - I’m Tim
A thinly veiled attempt to discourage dreamers everywhere
Netflix’s new documentary Avicii - I’m Tim uses the rise and fall of the Swedish EDM legend to keep the masses in their place and discourage dreamers everywhere. The core argument of the documentary was said plainly by Avicii several times “I realized I’m not as happy now as I was before I became famous”. The problem with this argument made by the documentary is that everyone arguing it is an ultra-rich, successful, dreamer.
Superstars like David Guetta, Coldplay, Aloe Blacc, and Jon Bon Jovi all open up about the wonderful person that Avicii was, and recount how fame and fortune corrupted him. The rich and famous can’t tell me that being rich sucks, because I’ll tell you that being poor sucks, and that its ass to grocery shop at Walmart and only afford nosebleed tickets or used cars that can’t start in the winter. The grass is always greener, but I’d rather have a mansion with a turfed lawn than a one-bedroom apartment with no living space.
Tim Bergling (Avicii before he was cool) was someone who had a natural talent and desire for creating music. He frequently skipped school in order to make music with friends, writing his own songs and performing in clubs, bringing Tim what he said was true happiness. But Netflix then turns around and says that Avicii achieving success and popularity in his craft is what lead to his unhappiness, and ultimately his demise. To suggest and reiterate the idea that success and fame “ruined” Avicii’s life is akin to dissuading the film’s viewers from ever attempting to achieve success and fame themselves.
What should Avicii have done, Netflix? Finished high school, gotten a mediocre office job and then make music as a hobby? Why is a group of successful people, a Hollywood producing studio, Netflix, and famous musicians from across the globe perpetuating the argument that success isn’t good? Would you all rather be making music or a documentary with no viewers, no money and no fame? I think not.
It just seems a little rich that the message coming from the Ivory Tower to the audience is “no, don’t follow your dreams”. No youth, don’t skip school to make music, don’t take the leap and chase your dreams, for at the end of it is nothing but empty desire and unhappiness filled with sex, drugs, and an empty bottle. You should feel just fine sitting at home watching documentaries made by the very people who achieved their dreams by risking everything.
But Hollywood and Corporate America trying to suppress the dreams of the everyday worker aside, this documentary was very good. I love Avicii, past tense not present because he is immortal, and hot take – I don’t care who the man is, I care about the music. And even though Avicii may have not liked his popularity, I’m still going to listen to his music just like I still listen to Michael Jackson. Final criticism, they never played my favorite Avicii song, Heaven, even though it was clearly the most fitting outro.
Final Rating: 6.8/10