Fanny: The Right to Rock

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Fanny: The Right to Rock

Released May 27, 2022

1h 36m

Documentary

Music

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100%

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22 Reviews

72%

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Sometime in the 1960s, in sunny Sacramento, two Filipina-American sisters got together to play music. Little did they know their garage rock band would evolve into the legendary Fanny, the first all-woman band to release an LP with a major record label. Despite recording a handful of albums and amassing a dedicated fan base that included music legend David Bowie, the band all but disappeared from the records of music history. This documentary not only tells the story of the band's rocking past, but also documents its next chapter: now in their 60s, the bandmates are recording a new album. The film includes interviews with a large cadre of music icons, including Bonnie Raitt, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott and the Go-Go's Kathy Valentine. Fighting early barriers of race, gender and sexuality in the music industry, the women of Fanny are ready to take their place in the halls of rock 'n' roll fame.

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John Anderson

Wall Street Journal

As we learn in Ms. Hart’s very entertaining survey of the ’70s L.A. rock scene, Fanny would have stood out today for several reasons.

May 18, 2023

Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

The movie serves as an eye-opening look into one of the most important bands of whom too few people have heard...Heavily punctuated with performance clips, the film gives the kind of visual and aural testimony that mere history books cannot.

Jun 9, 2022

Full Review

Teo Bugbee

New York Times

What the movie showcases best from its subjects... is the humor and ease of women who have survived a lifetime of setbacks and strife.

May 26, 2022

Full Review

Ryan Oquiza

Sinegang

Alas, the tragedy of ‘Fanny’ is that they arrived too early and then came back too late, but this documentary doesn’t offer a tale of wrong timing, but rather, a heartwarming ode to one of the forgotten pioneers of rock & roll.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 18, 2023

Full Review

Glenn Dunks

The Film Experience

Luckily for Hart, the story of Fanny overlaps with a lot of other issues that give The Right to Rock a sturdier platform of relevance.

Jun 26, 2023

Full Review

Sarah Manvel

In Their Own League

A terrific primer both on a specific band and a specific moment in time, and how the music and the moments of our youth unwittingly shape our entire lives.

Apr 27, 2023

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WYZ of Roz

This is an incredible movie about a very long forgotten incredible rock band! It's about women & the struggle thru make it in a field of men! Incredible footage & interviews makes this a very moving movie. If you thought you knew rock music, you haven't seen anything yet!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/02/22

Full Review

alanb2590

A great documentary about a band whose recognition is long overdue. These women were pioneers on so many levels, and this film tells their story in an entertaining and compelling way. I am so glad I discovered this film and this band! See this film and check out their music!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/02/22

Full Review

Ricardo S

Excellent film/documentary. And what a great group. Fanny, the first all female rock band to sign to a major label - all but erased from rock and roll history. Hope lots of people see this and that Fanny get the recognition they deserve.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/15/23

Full Review

Chelsea P

I enjoyed most of this film but the second half really ruined it when it became increasingly preachy and promotional. The part where the band were shown on a march next to not just shouty feminists (of course the band were feminists, but they weren't shouty and annoying) but campaigners on issues like trans, which is often not even in the interests of women, felt totally tacked on and clumsy (look how down with the youth we are) and brought a four star film down to three. Shame, the first half was good

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/01/23

Full Review

Ace B

Focuses far too much on all the various "isms" that supposedly kept them from being successful when the reality is that they were musically talented but lacked the ability to write hit songs. No different than hundreds of other male bands but no movies were made about them because it wouldn't feed the narrative. If you doubt that, then watch then end of this movie which features some band members at a feminist march with raised fists. Halfway through the movie the bass player says that they couldn't write "pop" songs. You could've ended it right there.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An incredible tribute to an iconic band! An honest, sensitive and exuberant portrait of the past and present of these pioneering rockers. A must see if you're a fan and even more so for anyone just hearing about them. An important, indispensable piece of rock history!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

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Bobbi Jo Hart

Director

Patti Quatro

Actor

Nickey Barclay

Actor

Alice de Buhr

Actor

Brie Darling

Actor

June Millington

Actor

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Fanny: The Right to Rock: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Sometime in the 1960s, in sunny Sacramento, two Filipina-American sisters got together to play music. Little did they know their garage rock band would evolve into the legendary Fanny, the first all-woman band to release an LP with a major record label. Despite recording a handful of albums and amassing a dedicated fan base that included music legend David Bowie, the band all but disappeared from the records of music history. This documentary not only tells the story of the band's rocking past, but also documents its next chapter: now in their 60s, the bandmates are recording a new album. The film includes interviews with a large cadre of music icons, including Bonnie Raitt, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott and the Go-Go's Kathy Valentine. Fighting early barriers of race, gender and sexuality in the music industry, the women of Fanny are ready to take their place in the halls of rock 'n' roll fame.

Director: Bobbi Jo Hart
Producer: Bobbi Jo Hart, Robbie Hart
Screenwriter: Bobbi Jo Hart
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: Adobe Productions International
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 27, 2022, Limited
Runtime: 1h 36m

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