DVD REVIEW: Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?

A new film remembers the man who sang "Everybody's Talkin.'" Some of us weren't too scandalized by Cee Lo's "Fuck You" this summer; almost 40 years ago, Harry Nilsson's "You're Breaking My Heart" had the same obscene two-word refrain. Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)? (Lorber Films) observes the many ironies of the life and career of Nilsson (1941-1994) — including that the singer-songwriter neither wrote his best-known vocal (the Midnight Cowboy theme "Everybody's Talkin'") nor sang his best-known composition ("One," made immortal by Three Dog Night). Nilsson, an ex-bank clerk, wound up close friends with Monty Python and The Beatles; John and Paul called him their favorite performer, and Nilsson accompanied John during his "lost weekend." Through interviews with his wives and grown children and an army of celebrities (including Jimmy Webb, Van Dyke Parks and Robin Williams), writer/director John Scheinfeld details how Nilsson derailed his performing career through heavy drinking, only to find late-in-life bliss as a family man in his last marriage.

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DVD REVIEW: Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?

POSTED: Tuesday, November 2, 2010, 5:00 PM

Filed Under: DVD | Movies | Music

A new film remembers the man who sang "Everybody's Talkin.'" Some of us weren't too scandalized by Cee Lo's "Fuck You" this summer; almost 40 years ago, Harry Nilsson's "You're Breaking My Heart" had the same obscene two-word refrain. Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)? (Lorber Films) observes the many ironies of the life and career of Nilsson (1941-1994) — including that the singer-songwriter neither wrote his best-known vocal (the Midnight Cowboy theme "Everybody's Talkin'") nor sang his best-known composition ("One," made immortal by Three Dog Night). Nilsson, an ex-bank clerk, wound up close friends with Monty Python and The Beatles; John and Paul called him their favorite performer, and Nilsson accompanied John during his "lost weekend." Through interviews with his wives and grown children and an army of celebrities (including Jimmy Webb, Van Dyke Parks and Robin Williams), writer/director John Scheinfeld details how Nilsson derailed his performing career through heavy drinking, only to find late-in-life bliss as a family man in his last marriage.

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