Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something

Worth seeing, especially for fans of Chapin and folk music in general. BTW anyone with rudimentary internet skills can quickly determine that Bill Ayres and Bill Ayers are 2 different people, and that the co-founder of World Hunger Year / WHYHunger has nothing to do with the Ayers of Weather Underground.

Sometimes it's a little unfocused, most of the time it's not. Sometimes there's present-day footage, most of the time it's archive footage. Sometimes there's a little over-padding in 93 minutes, most of the time you probably won't care either way. Yeah I'm talking about Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something, a documentary that acts just the way Chapin did in real life, exhaustively trying to do a lot in such a short period of time. Now I was 6-years-old when Harry Chapin passed (July 16, 1981 in a car accident). Obviously I didn't know much about him but over time I realized he was the guy that sang "Cat's in the Cradle". Through "Do Something" and other excerpts from stuff like good old VH1, I learned more and more about the wistful, Chapin mystique. He wasn't just a musician mind you, he was also a filmmaker, an activist, the insight behind USA for Africa, and a philanthropist. Watching Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something, you realize Harry knew he wasn't going to live a long life (a premonition perhaps?). In his thirty-eight years on earth, he still had the gumption to put out 11 albums and perform in thousands of concerts. Not too shabby. "Do Something" is a lot of docu for an hour and a half. It's not necessarily its downfall but its strength. The film doesn't really have a beginning, middle, or end. I mean you can turn it on, watch it from any point, and kind of feel like you're getting something, something that the late Chapin would be smiling down on. Added to that, "Do Something" is not flashy nor is it over-directed by rookie Rick Korn. You've got clips from the 70s and prior to and then you've got the present-time stuff. That's about it, no animation (ugh), no reenactments, no reckonings, no BS. How refreshing. What's more refreshing is how the people being interviewed were actually part of Chapin's life and not you know, other folk (critics, pundits, writers, blah blah blah). Billy Joel and Pat Benatar chime in but most importantly, it's Chapin's family that gets to give voice to. "Harry, keep the change!"

Sometimes it's a little unfocused, most of the time it's not. Sometimes there's present-day footage, most of the time it's archive footage. Sometimes there's a little over-padding in 93 minutes, most of the time you probably won't care either way. Yeah I'm talking about Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something, a documentary that acts just the way Chapin did in real life, exhaustively trying to do a lot in such a short period of time. Now I was 6-years-old when Harry Chapin passed (July 16, 1981 in a car accident). Obviously I didn't know much about him but over time I realized he was the guy that sang "Cat's in the Cradle". Through "Do Something" and other excerpts from stuff like good old VH1, I learned more and more about the wistful, Chapin mystique. He wasn't just a musician mind you, he was also a filmmaker, an activist, the insight behind USA for Africa, and a philanthropist. Watching Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something, you realize Harry knew he wasn't going to live a long life (a premonition perhaps?). In his thirty-eight years on earth, he still had the gumption to put out 11 albums and perform in thousands of concerts. Not too shabby. "Do Something" is a lot of docu for an hour and a half. It's not necessarily its downfall but its strength. The film doesn't really have a beginning, middle, or end. I mean you can turn it on, watch it from any point, and kind of feel like you're getting something, something that the late Chapin would be smiling down on. Added to that, "Do Something" is not flashy nor is it over-directed by rookie Rick Korn. You've got clips from the 70s and prior to and then you've got the present-time stuff. That's about it, no animation (ugh), no reenactments, no reckonings, no BS. How refreshing. What's more refreshing is how the people being interviewed were actually part of Chapin's life and not you know, other folk (critics, pundits, writers, blah blah blah). Billy Joel and Pat Benatar chime in but most importantly, it's Chapin's family that gets to give voice to. "Harry, keep the change!"

Oh hey, did you know he was super close with Bill Ayers, and they did a ton of political stuff together? They ended world hunger!!!' For all the proof you need what Ayers influence can do, look no further than current cesspool San Francisco and Chesa Boudin. I admire the efforts of Chapin to try and have an impact, but with so much of his efforts tied to Ayers, one has to wonder how much he was aware of this former priest and how completely enmeshed in corruption he and his family are/were. That's the problem with good intentions. A decent documentary to that point- a tad condescending and preachy but not horrible .

Worth seeing, especially for fans of Chapin and folk music in general. BTW anyone with rudimentary internet skills can quickly determine that Bill Ayres and Bill Ayers are 2 different people, and that the co-founder of World Hunger Year / WHYHunger has nothing to do with the Ayers of Weather Underground.

I've been a Harry Chapin fan since 1972. I thought I pretty much knew all about him but this documentary tells the true story of one of the most unselfish, singer/songwriter and humanitarians that lived. Harry did so much for World Hunger and even 40 years later his legacy lives on. He belongs in the singer/songwriter hall of fame. I have watched this documentary at least 5 times and it always amazes me what he did in his short 38 years. Harry, we miss you!

I will leave it to someone else to critique the film making & technical art. I watched this film to see Harry come to life again for 90 precious minutes and was not disappointed. Why no 10? I wanted more; more songs, more stories about Harry and his songwriting. This film is obviously a Chaplin family blessed enterprise, no unauthorized biopic here. Harry is briefly shown in his childhood & youth and soon the stories start & you'll be smiling and remembering if you are old enough (I am, barely.). Harry was just so alive, so driven to push others to action, so charismatic that his marks on this world have only deepened over time. The film does a remarkable job with original video of Harry and his band and his family. His surviving brothers and Big John Wallace are additional key contributors. In today's world, terms such as inequality & social justice are overused & often are utilized to indict others. Harry promoted social justice and equality the old-fashioned, hard-core way, with his voice & his heart & his soul. The dignity with which he treated humankind is too often missing from modern discourse, Harry made it real, Harry made it happen. Check this film out, even if you only know Cats in the Cradle and Taxi.