I love documentaries where you learn something new, preferably about a subject you already know. And John Maggio’s Paul Anka: His Way manages to accomplish that in the film’s opening moments with a reveal that Jason Bateman is actually his son-in-law! Don’t worry, there are more surprises to come, which should not be shocking when talking about a man who has had his name attached to top 10 hits for 8 decades and counting.
Using the throughline of Anka’s 2023 tour, yes he’s very happily still touring in his 80s, the film shows his daily routine now but also drops back in time to outline the entirety of his career. The fortunate thing for filmmakers using a subject as well-known as Anka is that there is a deluge of audio and video to put to use. Put it to use they do, limiting the traditional “speaking heads” aspect a lot of documentaries lean on too much. Instead, we get a nice buffet of narration and fantastic footage, some quite rare, and hear directly from his contemporaries from both sides of the grave.
On top of the music, which is used plentifully, we get rare performance footage and a look behind the scenes. Not to mention some of the artists that have Anka’s name attached to their songs, all the way up to modern artists like Drake. It’s a thoroughly entertaining documentary from start to finish from a master storyteller who likely still hasn’t received all the flowers he truly deserves.
- Genre: Documentary, Music Documentary
- Release Date: 9/10/2024
- Directed by: John Maggio
- Starring: Alicia Anka, Bill Burr, Frank Sinatra, Frankie Avalon, Irving Azof, Jason Bateman, Michele Khal, Paul Anka, Sammy Davis Jr.
- Produced by: Caroline Kimmel, Charlie Corwin, Irving Azof, Larry Mestel, Sam Sniderman
- Studio: Ark Media, Blue Ant Studios, PA Doc LLC
