Directed by Julien Temple
Featuring Shane MacGowan, Johnny Depp and Siobhan MacGowan
Running Time: 2 hours and 4 minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated

by Ian Hrabe

It is, quite frankly, a miracle that Shane MacGowan is still alive. In terms of musicians who have lived a notoriously hard rock and roll lifestyle, the legendary Pogues frontman might be second only to Keith Richards in terms of being famous for his penchant for drink and drugs. It’s hard to imagine him speaking without slurring. In Crock of Gold--an inventive and engaging chronicle of MacGowan’s life and career--we primarily see MacGowan slumped over with glassy eyes and a drink in hand. He looks as if he is being kept alive by some sort of Irish curse. He has dental implants now, complete with one perfect gold tooth that is, shall we say, a bit more aesthetically pleasing than the teeth that were in a progressive state of decay throughout the 80s and 90s. He looks like a shell of a man, and though he can’t even narrate his own story here--a lot of the footage is of a zonked out MacGowan listening to old interviews--goddamnit, he’s still here.