These days, people have made documentaries about every obscure piece of pop culture you can think of. If there is a fandom to be found, there is likely a documentary made — or in production — about its creation. Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak’s A Disturbance in the Force focuses on the sometimes maligned, sometimes beloved The Star Wars Holiday Special in a decidedly fans-only affair.
The film tells the bizarre behind-the-scenes story of how The Star Wars Holiday Special was made following the immediate success of the original movie. Although Star Wars is one of the most popular IPs in the world, one has to wonder: is a variety show that aired 45 years ago on CBS compelling enough to make an entire documentary around?
Of course, part of the reason why The Star Wars Holiday Special has become such an infamous part of culture is its elusiveness. Nevertheless, the filmmakers of A Disturbance in the Force were able to scrounge up enough footage to get the point across. To fill in the gaps, they include segments from other Star Wars-adjacent media like The Donny & Marie Show Star Wars Special or more modern-day examples like The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special.
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It’s admittedly a bit odd that there is such a heavy level of nostalgia in this documentary for a TV special that aired once and has only found life through bootleg VOD copies. The movie primarily appeals to a middle-aged to older audience that was already into Star Wars fandom enough to watch the special live. Although fans who came into the franchise later after its inception might find something of value here, they will mostly feel like an outsider looking in.
One of the big draws of this documentary is the wealth of interviews for the film. Of course, the discussions from people directly involved in the franchise — like George Lucas, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford — are pulled from archive footage, because none of them *really* want to acknowledge the special’s existence. But Coon and Kozak were able to assemble all sorts of other high-profile fans, including Kevin Smith, Seth Green, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Mick Garris, and more.
There is something humorous looking back at The Star Wars Holiday Special in retrospect thinking that George Lucas or anyone else involved in the franchise was ever worried that it was going to be popular. Coon and Kozak go impressively in-depth with their exploration of all of the politics that went on behind the scenes in the making of this unlikely relic of the past.
Unfortunately, as is the case with many independent documentaries about niche topics like this, A Disturbance in the Force ends up feeling more like an 85-minute long bonus feature than a great standalone movie. It’s made for a niche audience that will forgive the film for any of its flaws because they are blinded by nostalgia.
A Disturbance in the Force is certainly coming out at the right time — as if it is acquired and released this year, it will be in time for The Star Wars Holiday Special’s 45th anniversary. It’s not a great documentary, but for fans of the franchise, it’s sure to be a fun trip down memory lane.
A Disturbance in the Force screened at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival, which ran March 10-18 in Austin, TX.
Rating: 6/10
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