Status Quo: Hello Quo

When a band has been together (in its various incarnations) for half a century, it's inevitable that there will be as many must-tell anecdotes as hit singles. Status Quo have more than their fair share of both and, fortunately, director Alan G Parker has realised that it takes time to tell the full story of the band: this definitive account may clock in at over two hours 30 minutes, but it is one of the best rockumentaries of recent times. Putting aside the bitterness that seeped in over the years, core members Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan recall their journey from childhood friends to their 1970s heyday and subsequent rock legend status with clarity and affection. Fans ranging from Cliff Richard and Jeff Lynne to Paul Weller and Brian May dispel the idea of "The Quo" being three-chord thrashers by discussing the dynamism, distinctiveness and deftness of their sound. The group's most famous songs - from Pictures of Matchstick Men to Rockin' All Over the World - are all here, and the squabbles, drug binges, health scares and rare misfires are confronted with laudable frankness. It's compelling stuff, and the climactic reunion performance of In My Chair will have toes tapping and stiff upper lips quivering.