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Nov 01, 2008 Year End 2008 - Best of 2008 By Nick Hyman

The story of Darby Crash, lead singer of L.A. punk band The Germs, is held under a microscope in Rodger Grossman’s What We Do Is Secret. Shane West plays lead singer Darby Crash, a drug using, self-abusing, promiscuous rock star; in other words, a cliché that we’ve seen a thousand times. Many would argue that just getting through the role justifies it as a great performance, but West is perhaps too handsome and comes off as playing dress-up. The film has the same problem, in that it never escapes the feeling that it’s constantly playing pretend and never feels lived in. Case in point is E.R. actor J.P. Manoux’s portrayal of famous Los Angeles KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, a mockish cartoon that pulls you right out of the film. The best parts of the film are the cursory glances of the late ’70s/early ’80s L.A. punk scene. In the end, the story would have been better served in documentary form. The DVD contains a commentary track with the director and West. (www.peacearch.com)

Author rating: 4/10