Courtney Howard // Film Critic
THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE
Not Rated, 1 hour and 41 minutes
Directed by: John Wilson
Starring: John Wilson
The Emmy nominated HOW TO WITH JOHN WILSON blazed a new path on HBO as an offbeat, endearing way to look at life’s mundanities – especially for New York City dwellers. Maybe it was programming best suited for autistic hipsters, but it hit the sweet spot for many of us who’ve ever spiraled into a rabbit hole of online information or in-person conversation. The all-too-brief 3 seasons acted as a soothing balm for those who are curious about meaningless minutia encountered on a daily basis. Within those 30 minute episodes, he examined everything from scaffolding to spontaneity, breaking those topics down to their essence and then completely diverging from his discourse in kooky ways, shedding new light on something wildly different yet tangentially related.
Wilson takes his trademark filming style, witty profundity and… um, stilted… cadence and applies it to his feature length documentary THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE. Part educational schooling on the universal building material, part loving tribute to eccentric New York City residents, it’s a wholly unique, ridiculously weird look at a subject that does more than scratch the surface. While it’s undoubtedly the funniest documentary we’ll see this year (at least the most hilarious one that’s not centered on a well-known scam artist), the run time that extends Wilson’s typical shtick is at times taxed by the very elements we love about the documentarian behind the camera.
To understand the foundational aspects of the titular topic, we must be updated on Wilson’s life since his HBO show ended. It’s essentially what got him thinking about concrete in the first place. The building he purchased from his friendly former landlady has started to crumble and his attempts to stop problems has only worsened the situation. He’s also grappling with filmmaker woes like raising capital for this very documentary via Zoom. It leads him to strange places like visiting an instructional seminar on how to write Hallmark Channel movies and watching a Hallmark movie centered on affordable housing. And by the time the title card pops up, we’re deeply ensconced in his distinct brand of cinéma vérité.
Wilson posits a fascinating conspiracy theory, if one is to have such ruminations about concrete: the quality of concrete is worsening so that man will constantly have to uphold the cycle of progress and commerce. Buildings, roads and sidewalks are no longer built to withstand time – and it’s even worse when it erodes as harmful dust filled with byproducts impacts humanity. It’s a late forming premise mainly because of his multiple sidetracks – a few of which serve to frustrate (like anything dealing with getting a musical act for his “Rock-u-mentary”). However, he makes a strong case for it after visiting construction workers paving a patio, who say concrete from the 50s is more durable than our current mixes.
Wilson’s travels take him all over, from Rome (where he admittedly blows his budget) to Los Angeles (where he attends a dinner party alongside Jacob Elordi, Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson for Kim Kardashian thrown by Tom Ford). He even weasels his way onto the MARTY SUPREME set, which becomes less impressive once learning in the end credits that Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein are executive producers on this doc. Yet his most personally devastating reckoning takes place in Texas – where, due to budget reasons, it was cheaper for him to hire someone to capture a 3D printed Starbucks store in his signature non-style only to have footage completely antithetical to his style returned to him. He realizes, just as concrete’s mixture is worsening in our era, so are his copycats.
The filmmaker’s vibrant personality, humor and smarts are on full display and, for the most part, it all works to the doc’s benefit. However, during a very noticeable “middle portion,” the electricity begins to sag and wane. Cracks in its visage appear, collapsing a bit due to the sheer weight of the old “too much of a good thing” adage. Wilson is best in 30 minute increments. He gets too in the weeds in a few of his explorations. His meeting with Michael Imperioli can be chocked up to famous filler. And the musician he follows adds only a moderate amount of a human interest story, though we’re acutely aware he represents the struggling underdog dreamers who make up NYC for its betterment.
Yet other randomly procured segments soar. His sidetrack to a driving school gets sidetracked itself. His asides with a man who embalmed the real Chef Boyardee, another man who pressure washes gum (“the bird shit of the human world” Wilson astutely calls it) off sidewalks and the man who invented the term “gridlock” all add a hilarious verve and vigor to the proceedings.
With a name like THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE, skeptical audiences and the uninitiated to Wilson’s shtick might expect something more subdued to literally sleep on. That’s ultimately not the case at all. When Wilson goes on a tear, it feels like we’re watching a best-of reel from his former show. Rattling off a definitive statement utilizing boat names as a visual stinger is a genuine highlight. His voiceover work (which he records in its entirety in one go, forgoing splicing for an authentic commentary track) is impeccable (given it already vibes with your acquired taste for weirdo, as it does mine). If anything, this doc only cements his career achievements.
Grade: B-
THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE opens in theaters in limited release on September 18.
