His Way

An enormously entertaining documentary that uses the colorful producer as an eager surrogate to breeze through a half-century of iconic Hollywood and pop music history

When everyone behind the camera is an admirer, including Ocean's director Steven Soderbergh, the doc's exec producer, then you won't get much introspection. But, boy, do you get stories told with the vivid sense of drama and imagery that old Homer would no doubt admire.

The indulgence gets annoying, even as the basic details are fascinating and fun, as are the seductive testimony settings. You gotta love the fantasy of all those swank joints and modern mansions.

Mr. Weintraub is a genial, garrulous interview subject, rattling off anecdotes about Colonel Parker, Sinatra and Pat Morita, and Mr. McGrath supplies lavish film clips of 1950s, '60s and '70s New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. It's not a vanity project, but it's the kind of deluxe package Jerry Weintraub has spent his life working relentlessly to assemble.

Jerry Weintraub feels like he's the guy pulling the strings on His Way, which hinders the film, particularly in its second half. That doesn't mean His Way isn't an entertaining 83-minute documentary, but it's an entertaining 83-minute documentary, rather than being an enlightening film that's anywhere near as perceptive as its subject matter