So much average

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Just perfect...

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

One of my most vivid childhood memories related to music is my dad playing the first album by Cream. Having kept a casual interest in Eric Clapton, (and having read a number of music mags with pieces about him) I was intrigued to see the BBC show a recent feature film doc on him,which led to me playing with a slow-hand.View on the doc:Narrated by Clapton himself, director Lili Fini Zanuck plays an outstanding amount of archive material,from childhood photos of the Clapton's,grainy footage of infamous gigs,and joyful snaps from the present of Clapton enjoying life with his family. While Clapton takes centre stage in the doc, Zanuck stays far away from making this a fan tribute,by making this a warts and all title,with additional comments from family/former band members and Clapton's own self- criticism painting him at times in a self-centred, less than flattering light. Even with a 2 hour run time, the movie feels oddly lacking in depth, with the phases in Clapton's music career each being skimmed over, and people known to have played a big part in his life (like Pete Townsend) not getting one mention as Clapton plays the 12 bars of life.

This starts out well, as Zanuck uses childhood footage with concert clips of Clapton. Some of the interviews are good, but I got tired of the endless Patti Boyd material. Clapton pined for George Harrison's wife and wrote "Layla" for her. Years later they hooked up, and it was the classic be careful what you wish for line. He continued to drink and use heroin even after he finally got his girl. I wish more music was included and Boyd should have ended up a footnote in music history. She was nothing but a glorified groupie. Zanuck's editing leaves a lot to be desired. At the end, we get to see Eric, as an older man with his young children. Watch Creams farewell concert instead.

I'm bored to write reviews. I have rated over 4000 films in IMDB, but this is my 1st review because this docu made me furious. First of all a WARNING: this is not a docu about Clapton as an artist, but as a person in his social life with just a pinch of his music. So, the title has nothing to do with 12 bars (I'm a guitar player and Clapton IS one of my gods), rather than his social life, like a cheap American reality show. I can accept the director's view and differentiation of how Clapton behaved in his social life, however when you do a docu about a world class musician and famous person , you do it to show how and why he became famous, in our case because of his music and guitar playing, and NOT because of his affairs. You can mix some of that inside, but the main scope should be the artist's work. I couldn't care less if he was "drifting" with various ladies, his mother issues, drugs, and other stuff, as long as he was writing music history, which he did every step of the way. I want to see his music legacy, period. We know Clapton because of his music and NOT because of his affairs. I can't stress more how many "vital" for his career persons, were never mentioned in this docu, like Delaney & Bonnie, JJ Cale, and others. Moreover, the film shows irrelevant videos to various eras (you see 1967, and in the video, you see Clapton in 1973, etc). It goes back and forth with no chronological order and messes up everything. You never get an explanation about the famous graffiti "Clapton is God" despite the fact that this was the beginning to gain world fame as a player (with the record John Mayall with Eric Clapton), or why he was named "Slowhand". At the end, even if he was an irresponsible person in his life, we know him and his name is in music history with gold, because of his tremendous soulful playing, his songs and the Blues revival from England. Do we judge artists for their social life or for their work (question applies to all past and present artists from Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison to Kevin Spacey....) ?? I prefer to judge them for their work and legacy, and not for their social behavior.....(which is their own business....)

Eric Clapton proves it again, he never really acknowledges who really carried him thru all the years, his fans. On that being said, I was glued to this film, especially to the rare footage and photos from the early British rock years. Great moments with all the big names from the British rock scenes. What is astounding is his minimal reference to his first solo album, work with Delaney and Bonnie, and his admiration for JJ Cale. From 461 Ocean Boulevard to Another Ticket and all in between, including Slowhand, Clapton mentions those as his "drunk years" in which he can't stand listening to the way he played on those albums because he was drunk all the time. Well guess what Eric, there are some fans out there who feel those albums are a part of their lives, whether you choose to forget that period of your life or not. Eric has a tremendous amount of work that he should be proud of. The work Eric has done in the 70's defined who he is to the American fan base. I wish he wouldn't forget it. What Eric wants to portray in his movie is quite simple, throughout all his tumultuous years, he has finally found what he is looking for; a family.