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AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 15: (L-R) Mike Dirnt, Billie Joe Armstrong and Tre Cool of Green Day pose backstage for a picture before the World Premiere of "Broadway Idiot" during the 2013 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at the Paramount Theatre on March 15, 2013 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for SXSW)
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Green Day's "American Idiot" made the transition from Grammy-winning concept album to Tony-winning Broadway musical.

Now, Billie Joe Armstrong's brainchild has spawned a film, "Broadway Idiot," a highly polished documentary that recounts the creation of the musical from its conception to its debut at Berkeley Repertory Theatre to, eventually, a hit run on Broadway.

The film -- which got its world premiere Friday at the South by Southwest Film Festival, with Green Day in attendance -- is a moderately enjoyable ride that could appeal to both the band's legions of fans as well as Broadway buffs.

Armstrong is the star of the film, filling nearly every scene he is in with loads of charisma.

But where are the other band members? It would have been nice to find out what Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool thought of this whole process -- it is, after all, Green Day's "American Idiot," not just Billie Joe Armstrong's. Yet the two other band members make only cameo appearances in film.

In all, the film features too many interviews with folks saying the same things (summary: "We didn't know this was going to work") and too much behind-the-scenes material, and not enough music. The musical segments -- whether performed by the "American Idiot" cast or the band itself -- are what make "Broadway Idiot" worth your time.


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