Trailer Debut: Not Fade Away

The trailer for The Sopranos’ creator David Chase’s feature film debut, Not Fade Away, hit the internet recently and surprised everyone with its conventionality.

Still set in New Jersey but with no gangsters, Not Fade Away stars James Gandolfini, Brad Garrett, and new faces Bella Heathcote and Jack Huston. The movie seems to be like a 60s cross between Almost Famous and That Thing You Do, telling the story of a band trying to make it big.

Although I’m probably being incredibly reductive by making that comparison, it does serve to point out the generic nature of the tale Chase seems to be trying to tell. One critic in New York recently commented after the premiere that it feels like a teen 60s riff on The Wonder Years.

After the immense achievement of The Sopranos it is inevitable that almost anything Chase does will feel like a step down so let’s give him a pass on this seemingly indulgent nostalgic diary.

Not Fade Away does not yet have a release date.