“Childrens by the millions sing for Alex Chilton,” Paul Westerberg sang, in full wishful-thinking mode; this documentary on Chilton’s band Big Star won’t make that lyric come true, but it reminds you just how influential these power-popsters were for a generation of alt rockers. Drew DeNicola’s capsule history traces the group’s rise from studio wunderkinds to critical darlings and cult heroes, detailing how bad luck, an alienating-but-amazing avant-Memphis last album and protopunk solo outings all played into the myth of Chilton and cofounder Chris Bell as the lost musical geniuses of the ’70s. Whether this love letter is more preaching to the converted than a corrective is arguable, but if it gets one person to buy #1 Record…
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