The titular vacation refers a little bit to a song by notorious New York junkie Johnny Thunders, and to the lightning-fast rise and fall of Sid Vicious, former scenester, one-time bass player for the Pistols, and lovesick idiot brought to ground by Nancy Spungen, the famous climber. It's a sad story, no matter how you look at it, and one already told to expert effect by Alex Cox in Sid & Nancy. (Devotees of that film, of which I am one, will find in this documentary a healthy dose of deja vu, as Sad Vacation demonstrates just how slavishly Cox and Gary Oldman recreated what footage of the real Sid Vicious that exists.)

The doc starts in harrowing fashion as it details through recreation, archival footage, and photos, Spungen's lowly death. Thence, the usual treatment unspools, telling of Sid's early days and time with the Pistols, and especially his entanglement with Nancy, laid out with more archival footage, snaps, and plenty of interviews with scenesters, artists and musicians of the day. The movie culminates with a lengthy look at the death, or murder, as if Garcia were directing a true crime story. It's riveting stuff, with unanswerable questions.

However you believe Spungen died, murder, suicide pact gone wrong, or more nefarious conspiracy, you can't help but to be sucked in by the stories of those who were there. Viewers who've seen Garcia's previous movies will recognize the list, from charming Steve "Roadent" Connolly to Leee Black Childers, Neon Leon, Sylvain Sylvain, Honest John Plain, Roberta Bayley, Donna Destri, and many more. As with Garcia's other documentaries, the budget doesn't exactly allow for lots of Sex Pistols music in the background, relying mostly on snippets of similar punk, much of which is really good, but which puts things at a slight remove.

Sad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid And Nancy represents a fantastic, shaggy documentary re-telling of the saga of Sid and Nancy. Longtime punks may even find a new outlook on the story, some new images they'd never seen, or footage, or newfound appreciation for the biggest flash-in-the-pan ever. Garcia collects the usual suspects for great, trenchant opinions and stories, assembling everything in a hybrid music/crime documentary that will leave you wanting to tear a hole in your t-shirt. Recommended for fans.

The DVD

Video:
MVD Visual brings us this documentary in a 16:9 ratio for you widescreen-having hippies. The doc looks good, like a DVD should, with a range of fidelity, (accounted for by archival stuff) but mostly solid, detailed contemporary footage from interviews either in well-lit galleries, pubs for day-drinking, or dark alleys near the Chelsea Hotel.

Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound Audio is left over mostly to interview subjects yakkity-yak-yakkin', but also includes lots of snippets of that punky sound. Everything is clean and clear, mixed well, and enjoys a decent dynamic range. Like the visual quality, the audio is solid for DVD.

Extras:
About 18 minutes of Bonus Interviews are included, which are as insightful as anything that made the cut. Two Trailers for the movie, plus a Heartbreakers Music Video are included as extras. Not to mention Spanish Subtitles and a poster of the DVD cover art.

Final Thoughts:
Sad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid And Nancy represents a fantastic, shaggy documentary re-telling of the saga of Sid and Nancy. Longtime punks may even find a new outlook on the story, some new images they'd never seen, or footage, or newfound appreciation for the biggest flash-in-the-pan ever. Garcia collects the usual suspects for great, trenchant opinions and stories, assembling everything in a hybrid music/crime documentary that will leave you wanting to tear a hole in your t-shirt. Recommended for fans.

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