Bare Play

By NICOLE ARTHUR, Washington Post, September 29th, 2000.

"They seem like guys who would work at the Gap."

So says one Barenaked Ladies fan in "Barenaked in America," a documentary about the Canadian pop quintet's 1998 U.S. tour. He's right. The band members are pleasantly unpretentious, seem genuinely nice and, of course, have a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, which won't surprise anyone who's heard the group's ubiquitous radio hit, "One Week." In fact, they seem like guys who would work at the Gap.

Directed by Jason Priestley (yes, that Jason Priestley), "Barenaked in America" chronicles the band's entree to the heady world of arena rock. (Priestley has a prior association with the group: The actor, a fellow Canadian, directed the video for their song "The Old Apartment.") At its worst, the film is the cinematic equivalent of a fanzine, with Priestley asking each member in turn questions like, "Who's your favorite 'Sesame Street' character?"