Name: Vasco Rossi: Living It
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2023-09-27T00:00:00+00:00
Cast: Vasco Rossi

The camera lingers on a weathered, handwritten lyric sheet, ink smudged from years of handling, as Vasco Rossi’s voice narrates in hushed tones about his early days. This opening shot sets the tone for Vasco Rossi: Living It, a documentary that promises intimacy but often settles for surface-level reverence.

Italy’s rock icon grants us access to his life and career, yet the series struggles to translate raw material into something more than a highlight reel. The structure is straightforward: childhood memories, musical breakthroughs, personal struggles, and professional milestones. But where it should dig deeper—into the contradictions of Rossi’s polarizing persona—the documentary often glosses over, opting for easy wins like concert clips and adoring fan testimonials.

The strongest moments come when Rossi himself steps into the frame, unguarded. His prison stint is a standout section, not just because it’s dramatic (a rock star behind bars!), but because he speaks candidly about how it reshaped his priorities. The archival footage of him performing in cramped clubs or penning lyrics late at night feels authentic, alive in a way the polished Netflix packaging isn’t. These glimpses of vulnerability are rare, and when they appear, they elevate the series from fan service to something resembling insight.

Yet for every compelling anecdote, there’s a misstep. The documentary leans heavily on Rossi’s reputation as a rebel poet, but it never interrogates what that label truly means—or why his later albums drew such vitriol from critics (a point glossed over entirely). The series also struggles to balance its dual identity: part music doc, part personal biography. Scenes of Rossi with his family feel forced, as if the filmmakers weren’t sure how to humanize him beyond his guitar.

Visually, Living It is competent but unremarkable. The concert footage is well-chosen, capturing the raw energy of Rossi’s performances, and the archival material is crisp for its age. But the modern interviews—shot in soft focus with too much reliance on close-ups—lack texture. There’s a missed opportunity here: a documentary about a man who thrived on rebellion should have taken more risks itself.

The performances (if we can call them that) are hit-or-miss. Rossi is compelling when he’s unscripted, but the moments where he’s clearly reading from prompts feel stiff and rehearsed. The talking heads—fans, fellow musicians, journalists—are uniformly reverent, which leaves little room for critical examination.

Originality is another weak point. Living It follows a well-trodden path: rise, fall, redemption. There are no fresh angles here, no bold structural choices to distinguish it from other music documentaries. Even the “unprecedented access” angle feels overstated; Rossi has been interviewed extensively before.

As for genre fit, Vasco Rossi: Living It works best as a love letter to the artist’s most devoted fans.

Tags: Netflix, Vasco Rossi, Vasco Rossi: Living It