Shane MacGowan

If I Should Fall From Grace is a touching look at one of post-punk's beloved troubadours, Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan. Since the early '80s, MacGowan had never adhered to conventional ways of doing things nor had he refrained from being honest on both a professional and personal level. A poet, a punk, and a charming man, MacGowan is one of a kind; however, his talent had been tested with drugs and drink over the preceding two decades. Sadly, MacGowan's foolhardy behavior became a big part of his rock & roll legacy, but producer/director Sarah Share doesn't solely focus on his infamous battle with the bottle. Borrowing the title from the Pogues' 1987 work of art If I Should Fall From Grace With God, Share finds a raw spirit behind MacGowan's mind-wandering alcoholic exterior. Inside that lost soul is an Irish boy with a heart -- a wishful heart that only wants to love and to feel such adoration in return. Share's 110-minute documentary is a bittersweet tale, truthful in recounting his rise and constant falls in rock & roll. Fans will appreciate Share's direction of the story itself; the Clash's Paul Simonon and Nick Cave have nothing but wonderful things to say about this misunderstood crooner, and conversations with MacGowan's working-class parents and longtime partner, journalist Victoria Clarke, are warmheartedly reflective of MacGowan's real personality. Despite his frequent struggles with substance abuse, one cannot ignore the fact that MacGowan is a great songwriter with a unique intellect. He's an icon, an undeniable star, and like If I Should Fall From Grace, fans around world will forever celebrate his influence on a generation. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide