NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW! What happens when you reach the top of the rock-and-roll mountain at 26 and there’s nowhere left to go but down? Rob Arthur’s Frampton lets the guitar legend tell that story in his own words, and it all starts with one perfect year.
In 1976, Peter Frampton was at the height of his fame. Frampton Comes Alive! passed Carole King’s Tapestry as the best-selling album of all time, and he was filling stadiums. The way he performed made you feel like he was playing just for you, even from the back row. He started very young. He joined The Herd at 16 and Humble Pie at 18, and he had so much integrity in his music that, when Humble Pie started moving in a new direction, he left the band. He just felt like that wasn’t his style of music, and he didn’t want to do it. At 21, he decided to go solo and stop playing in bands, which led to his breakout in 1976.
Four years later, guess what? Broke. Zero dollars. How? His manager mismanaged his funds and basically overspent, much of it on himself. Frampton went from having the most money and the most fame ever to barely a memory in everyone’s minds. Years later, an old schoolmate named David Jones, better known as David Bowie, brought him in to play guitar on his album and tour. Today, Frampton is suffering from inclusion body myositis, which is basically degeneration of his muscles. Some would think his guitar playing caused it, but no, it’s just a rare disease he got. His days on the road are numbered, but he’s still got that musician in him. He has to keep playing.
“Frampton went from the most money and the most fame ever to barely a memory in everyone’s minds.”
I wasn’t a big Frampton fan as a kid in the late ’70s, but I definitely am now. Rob Arthur’s Frampton is basically the life story of Peter Frampton, one of the greatest rock musicians of all time. The year 1976 belonged to Peter Frampton, and what got me is how fast it all went away once he had to top himself with the next album. You’re on top of the world, and four years later, no one remembers who you are, and you have nothing.
Let me explain why Frampton has had the career he’s had, and still has to this day. He’s essentially a nice guy. He was a kid who, from the age of 14, wanted to be the best guitarist, became the best guitarist, and burned very few bridges along the way. To this day, people have nothing but respect for him. His first wife is in this movie, and she has only glowing things to say about him. He’s honest about the bad stuff, too. Starring in Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the lowlight of his life. The highlight was Almost Famous, where he was the music consultant, and he stands by that movie and is very proud of it.
It’s hard to rank Frampton with other music docs because they’re all so similar and so different. I think it ultimately comes down to who’s willing to stand up for you in the end, and for Frampton, that’s Ringo Starr, Sheryl Crow, Roger Daltrey, Alice Cooper, Tom Morello, Nancy Wilson, Bill Wyman, Tommy Shaw, Herb Alpert, and Cameron Crowe. It also comes down to the feeling you walk away with when the credits roll. I couldn’t help but walk away from this movie having such great respect for the man. That’s the reason to see it. This is definitely for Frampton fans, and if you’re interested in a time when music was great, this is another good movie to see. Quite frankly, I couldn’t tell you a popular song today because I don’t listen to modern music. Do I recommend Frampton? Absolutely.
Frampton screened at the 2026 Newport Beach Film Festival.
"…This is definitely for Frampton fans, and if you’re interested in a time when music was great..."
