Recommended Carpenters documentaries/movies?

Hello!

I would really appreciate recommendations on the best and most accurate documentaries and movies about The Carpenters. My mom is a huge fan and have all the albums, so it was basically the soundtrack of my childhood, and we went to Karens crypt when the family visited the US when I was a kid. I always had Carpenters songs on my playlists etc but I never actually looked into their career in-depth, so can't put their songs in context. I watched a TV movie back in the day but it seemed very dramatised.

Many thanks!
Rickard
 
Nice to meet you, welcome to the forums!

I share the same experience with you in that my mom is also a huge Carps fan and that’s how I was introduced to it early on. I haven’t really seen any of the documentaries about them so I don’t know if I’d be able to really give a good recommendation, haha. I have seen the “Mr. A and Mr. M” documentary, though, and I thought the section they did on the Carpenters was interesting.

And yes, from what I’ve heard the made-for-TV movie is rather dramatized.
 
Close to You; Remembering the Carpenters is probably the most "known" documentary and most commercially available. My favorite, though, which I think provided the best "balanced" story was the VH1 "Behind the Music" episode. Most others focused on the Anorexia more than the music/career in my opinion.
 
My favorite, though, which I think provided the best "balanced" story was the VH1 "Behind the Music" episode.

That VH1 broadcast is my favourite out of all the documentaries too. It has quite a dramatic opening with Richard recounting Karen’s passing but then moves on to their their musical journey and there’s some nice footage of Richard with Mindi as a baby at the end.
 
My suggestion is to watch all the documentaries that are available, because there aren't that many to begin with. And in my view, a definitive documentary has yet to be made. For an in depth look at their career and studio recordings, start with reading "Carpenters: The Musical Legacy" by Chris May, Mike Cidoni Lennox, and Richard Carpenter.
 
Many thanks for the warm welcome and the recommendations, its much appreciated! So far I've watched The Carpenters' Story: Only Yesterday and it was very good, especially the interviews with Richard and others who worked closely with them. It actually reminded me of another documentary I watched many years ago. The memory is very vague but I specifically remember Richard looking traumatised when talking about the hate mail he got about the fuzzy guitar in Goodbye to Love, which seemed both crazy and hilarious. I'll be working my way through the other recommendations, thanks again!
 
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