I unapologetically enjoy a lot of Nickelback songs. They’re a band that exists in a very strange limbo of cultural relevance: they are a global sensation that everyone collectively despises. Their success (which is massive and more than you would ever think) is constantly juxtaposed by the vitriol the band gets for existing, and “Hate to Love: Nickelback” should be a great examination of that dichotomy. Instead, the documentary sticks to convention and strays away from the most interesting parts of their long standing career.
It only briefly touches on their place in musical history, and fails to dig deeper into the parts of their lives that would change someone’s perspective. “Hate to Love” is too surface level to be interesting, refusing to engage with the harder questions it poses and instead feels like a stock episode of Behind the Music. A forgettable episode at that.
Having it’s world premiere at TIFF, “Hate to Love: Nickelback” follows the band in the present day as they reflect on their humble beginnings to their global superstardom. The documentary attempts to capture the totality of their music and contributions, as well as briefly cover their place in the culture and the conversations surrounding them. Framed in the typical talking heads interviews with the band and video, internet and live footage, “Hate to Love” lets the band tell their own story…sometimes.
The problem is that it never musters the courage to actually explore the questions it poses. We rarely get any commentary on the hatred for the band, and are only given mere glimpses of them addressing it, which is mostly them just laughing it off and shrugging their shoulders in indifference from their mansions. We learn the drummer lost motion in his right arm due to a neurological diagnosis, the bassist almost died from substance abuse, and lead singer Chad Kroeger lost his voice for an extended period of time.
All of these things are only mentioned and never explored and all of which would make a much more compelling documentary than what “Hate to Love” actually is. Tell me more about these very real and life threatening struggles! Tell me more about how the band feels about how much people hate them. Tell me what happened when they walked off stage in Spain before even starting the concert due to boos.
If you’re going to call your documentary “Hate to Love,” then it should be about that very thing. Instead, you can pretty much learn everything you need to about the band from half ass internet research on your own, with “Hate to Love” refusing to shed new light on anything and anyone.
It’s a shame too, because Nickelback really is a fascinating subject. This is how you remind me that documentaries can miss the narrative mark, too.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
“Hate to Love” is in theaters now. You can check out the trailer below:
