Alex Ross Perry’s Pavement Movie Is Very Slanted (and Even a Little Enchanted): Review

The Pitch: In late ’80s Stockton, California, Stephen Malkmus and his buddy Scott Kannberg were fuckin’ around. They were fuckin’ around with weird sounds, lo-fi recording equipment, and crackpot ideas. Eventually, those crackpot ideas began to attract some local attention and, eventually, some not-so-local attention. Soon, they had expanded to a full band lineup and were seemingly on pace to become a defining voice of left-of-center guitar music. They were Pavement.

Did they live up to the early, perhaps slightly hyperbolic accolades of college disk jockeys and magazine critics? In many ways, without question. In 2025, Pavement are consistently (and rightfully) hailed as one of the most influential acts of the ’90s. And, hey, we’re still talking about them — that counts for something, no? But were they a fixture of pop music at the time, topping charts and leading festival bills like their tour-mates-turned-rivals Smashing Pumpkins? Well, it’s a complicated story.

That’s the tale director Alex Ross Perry seeks to explore with his new music documentary/biopic/meta joke/thingy Pavements. All at once, the film serves as a traditional rockumentary complete with archival footage and retrospective interviews, a document of the production of the very real Pavement jukebox musical Slanted! Enchanted!, a tour vlog of the band’s 2022 reunion tour, and a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional big-budget Hollywood biopic about Malkmus and the gang. For a movie about a bunch of folks commonly referred to as slackers, it’s a wild ride.

A Slanted, Enchanted Structure: So, how does Pavements balance its various elements? Pretty well, actually.

Like a good avant-garde song, Perry structures his film via recurring, intertwined segments. The viewer is launched back and forth through the years, sometimes spending time with the young Pavement members, sometimes with the current-day musicians, and sometimes with the likes of Joe Keery, who portrays Malkmus in Range Life, the aforementioned fictional biopic.

On paper, it’s a lot to keep track of. The viewing experience, however, is remarkably smooth and easy to follow, even with unique editing choices like shifting aspect ratios and split-screen presentations. Along the way, parallel themes build on each other to form an imperfect but extremely representative mosaic of how Pavement took over the underground in the ’90s and what their enduring legacy means today.

Of all of the weaving plot threads, though, the development of the Slanted! Enchanted! musical unfortunately comes across as the weakest. There’s undoubtedly novelty in seeing the production come together, as well as in hearing classic Pavement cuts recontextualized into show tunes, but compared to everything else Pavements has to offer, the theater sequences stand out as quite a bit thinner. It’s clearly the aspect of the film that the band members themselves had the least amount of involvement in, and watching interviews with performers who admit to only learning about the band in the audition process, these segments feel less than substantive.

Luckily, the film never lingers in one place for too long, meaning that the Slanted! Enchanted! subplot rarely overstays its welcome. Instead, its nuggets of charm serve their purpose and it’s back to the band spinning the tale of their incredible five-album run or Jason Schwartzman and Tim Heidecker portraying pivotal, dramatized, perhaps even fully invented moments from Pavement’s past.

Navigating a Minefield of Sarcasm: Where the film really captures the essence of Pavement is in its tone, blending a very Generation X sardonic view of the world and “the man” with real emotion and genuine sincerity.

As a band, Pavement existed as something of a contradiction. Oftentimes, they made artistic and career decisions that were seemingly designed to keep their spotlight from burning too hot. There’s their legendary, almost mocking performance of “Cut Your Hair” on The Tonight Show, the legends of them turning down various syndication opportunities and television appearances, and their famously tumultuous relationship with Smashing Pumpkins and Lollapalooza (all of which are addressed in some fashion in the film). At the same time, clips from Pavements showcase Malkmus expressing aspirations of reaching as many listeners as possible, scoring a hit, and achieving sustainable success.

Which one of those versions of Pavement most faithfully resembles the truth? Who knows; Maybe both, maybe neither, but the mythology of their punk attitude, internal conflicts, and ever-present sarcasm has become integral to the band’s legacy. Pavements, smartly, leans fully into it.

Perry is clearly not interested in charting out the ‘official, definitive story of the band Pavement.’ Sure, he presents a general arch of the band and includes interesting anecdotes, but Pavements is much more of an attempt to celebrate and embody the indescribable magic that has led to the act’s cult status.

Such a goal informs every minute of Pavements, none more overtly than the satirical Range Life. Footage of Keery and his fellow castmates preparing for their roles, over-the-top and sappy scenes from the fictional project, and even “For Your Consideration” adverts are all presented with a straight face. As a result, it’s difficult to parse out what exactly is real and what isn’t, a paranoia that (by design) even slightly infects the more traditional parts of the documentary.

The Verdict / The Most Important Band in the World: As a holistic statement, Pavements sets out to prove that Pavement was/is the most important band in the world. That sentiment is explicitly stated within the film, and while it’s not entirely clear how seriously us viewers are meant to take it, the film does a pretty damn good job at convincing you of its case.

By the end of its runtime, even the mildest of Pavement fans will likely have been swept up in the mystique of the band. The aesthetics, the presentation, the band members, and the ultimate narrative (however true or untrue it may be) are all, put plainly, fucking cool. It doesn’t hurt that the whole thing is soundtracked by great Pavement song after great Pavement song, too.

Pavements is a genuinely unique watch that turns the idea of a rockumentary upside down. It at once delivers upon fans’ thirst to learn more about the band while respecting the fact that their inconsistent story is part of the appeal.

Above all, even with its sardonic sense of humor, it’s a project with a heart of gold, one made by Pavement fans for Pavement fans. Much like Pavement’s best work, it’s not quote-unquote “flawless,” but it just might be perfect for the weirdos who never got down with perfection in the first place.

Where to Watch: Pavements is set to return to theaters for a limited run starting June 6th and will be available to stream on Mubi later this year.

Trailer: