As Good As It Gets

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

What I'm reviewing here is the one-hour televised version of this concert that was broadcast on Thanksgiving Day in 2009 and had been on my DVR for all that time until I just finished watching it. It chronicles Paul McCartney's concert at the just-opened Citi Stadium which replaced the Shea Stadium which Sir Paul had famously performed with his fellow Beatles some decades before. Many of his most famous songs-like "Yesterday", "Live and Let Die", "Band on the Run", etc.-get quite a workout from him. I especially liked the seamless editing of his song "I'm Down" segueing between his modern performance to that of him with John, George, and Ringo at the legendary Shea complete with the screaming girls in the audience! Oh, and another treat was seeing Billy Joel-who was the last performer at Shea which Paul accompanied with during that concert-come on stage to duet with him on "I Saw Her Standing There". If there's some quibble, it's the cutting of some songs' verses in this version to make room for commercials in the time allotted for broadcast. Still, I highly enjoyed this version of Paul McCartney: Good Evening New York City.

Paul McCartney has put out a fair number of recordings of his live performances over the years. This 2009 concert features the show he gave on 3 consecutive nights to mark the opening of the City Stadium in New York, the arena built to replace Shea Stadium. Shea, of course, was the scene of The Beatles' greatest live triumph when their 1965 performance marked the (then) largest audience for a pop concert, and the beginning of stadium rock.One song - I'm Down - was performed at both concerts, and this recording entertainingly cuts between 23-year old Paul performing it with The Beatles and 67-year old Paul performing it with his current band - in the same key.The difference, however, is that The Beatles performed just 9 songs in under 30 minutes - McCartney performs over 30 in a performance lasting over 2 hours.The songs are terrific, McCartney is in good voice, it is a great occasion and a memorable concert. This is one of his better ones, and well worth catching.

How does a nearly 67 year old rocker do this? After watching this opening concert of CITI field on the site of the old Shea Stadium, I am just marveling at the energy shown by a senior citizen named Paul McCartney. Granted he has a lot of help.The back up musicians on this show are excellent. The sound system & the special effects on this are great. The DVD of this I watched on a home theater with MTS Digital 5.1 sound is just amazing. This is a very well produced DVD of the concert. You can almost feel the magic of being @ this concert opening the new stadium for the NY Mets in 2009.The concert DVD starts with a few clips of the Beatles entering SHEA Stadium in 1965. Then Paul opens with an excellent rendition of Drive My Car. From here, it just gets better. One Beatles song features some inter-spaced clips of the 1965 Beatles performing the same song as Paul. This is very well produced & nostalgic.The variety of songs he does ranges from all different points of a great career. There is a dedication to the late George Harrison featuring a Uke given to Paul by George. The salute to him is touchingly done. This concert has everything you could possibly ask for from MCcartney. Paul even Directs the entire thing.There are 2 hours & 30 minutes of concert footage. Narration is done by Alec Balwin. Billy Joel pops in for a guest shot duet with Paul (I Saw Her Standing There). Besides the Beatles vast library of music he taps into Wings and some other stuff as well. The Beatles last number, The Long & Winding Road is in the first part of the concert.This is 33 tracks of sure delight for anyone who is a Beatles/McCartney fan. The concert is staged in front of a modern LCD screen which provides dazzling video's. The Pyrotechnics of the new CITI field get a major workout during Live & Let Die. The jam packed stadium audience get a couple of major workouts singing, especially during Hey Jude.Paul plays guitar & cavorts about the stage much of the show doing a few numbers at the piano as well. To sum this up, a fantastic performance magnificently staged by someone who appears to have more energy than some teenagers I've met.