Although “Jagged” doesn’t tell us something brand new on how Alanis came to be the big star she was back in the ’90s, it does showcase the trials and tribulations of constructing her famous record, “Jagged Little Pill;” if you are a fan of her work, you are going to eat this up.
I’m not the biggest Alanis Morrissette fan out there, nor do I listen to her work that much. Still, I remember the first time I’d heard her songs “You Oughta Know,” “Hand in my Pocket,” and “Head Over Feet.” They’re classics that took over the world back in the early ’90s, the decade where alternative music was growing into one of the best and most experimental genres out there. By combining pop, rock, and a dash of alternative, she got into the hearts and souls of millions of people as each belted out her choruses.
The documentary focuses on Alanis’ route on how she managed to go from ’80s bubblegum-pop, which I in a way loathe, to crafting what can be called her “magnum opus.” I didn’t know much about her beginnings, so the only thing that shocked me in this documentary was her start. Most people wanted to mirror Madonna (whose label later signed her), Kate Bush, heck, even Bananarama with their whimsical style, and Alanis wasn’t an exception. Her early work had the same fashion as many artists that came and went during those years. However, she managed to stay for a while. That style didn’t benefit her much, as she later dropped it to focus on more meaningful music.
The doc also shows us how she met her producer, picked up her bandmates, some of her songwriting processes, and even went through her archival notebooks and demo tapes of her records. Interestingly, only the guitarist and drummer were the only ones called back to be in the band, and Alanis made a mistake with the bass player, but after years of looking back at it, everything worked out fine. Chris Chaney was a jazz musician and didn’t know much of the genre; it wasn’t until Taylor Hawkins, the drummer for the Foo Fighters, taught him about rock by giving him Soundgarden and Jane’s Addiction records. And coincidently flash-forwarding to today, Chaney is the bass player for Jane’s Addiction.
These are the most exciting bits; the segments that focus on the process of curating and the process of creating that record. Nevertheless, the rest of the documentary doesn’t show much else that we music enthusiasts knew already. For her fans who don’t know the backstory, this would be an exciting watch. But unfortunately, it also doesn’t have that pulling effect that other music docs have that makes you want to hear and learn more about the band/artists when the credits roll. This is unlike Edgar Wright’s “The Sparks Brothers,” which made you want to listen to Sparks and shout the lyrics to “Angst in My Pants”.
Of course, she went on to win the infamous Grammy for ‘Album of the Year,’ which is a bit tongue-in-cheek. She already had the award in the bag, the lineup wasn’t that tough to beat, and the Academy loved her. Although Pearl Jam’s “Vitalogy” and Mariah Carey’s “Daydream” were in the lineup, it was still weak. As usual, the best “albums of the year” didn’t make the cut like Björk’s “Post,”, PJ Harvey’s “To Bring You My Love,”, D’Angelo’s “Brown Sugar,” Supergrass’ “I Should Coco”,”or Elastica’s self-titled record. It would have been nice to see either one of the best artists of all time, Björk and PJ Harvey, win one of these luxurious awards; but “Jagged Little Pill” was a worldwide sensation and critically acclaimed album and it ticked all the boxes.
Morrissette managed to write her soul out in her lyrics with ease and make them catchy enough for people to sing along. The main issue this doc has is that it’s for her fans and her fans alone—it has a disconnecting problem with people who don’t know or aren’t fans of her work. There are moments to enjoy and others that feel redundant, but that may have been me since I stand in the in-between regarding liking her music. If “Jagged” brought more to the table or more secrets, it would have spiced up the doc, albeit this is an ode to the fans. A thank you note for sticking by her side.
This review of “Jagged” is written from its screening at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
