Kirsty Bell's documentary "Don't Forget Me" marks the first feature-length biographical film about rock'n'roll pioneer Eddie Cochran, a landmark given his lasting influence on the genre. The Guardian's review finds the film's structure thin and old-fashioned, padded out with archival material and cheesy dramatised scenes imagining phone calls between Cochran and his mother, yet praises its remarkably starry and varied roster of interviewees who speak to his enduring musical legacy.

The documentary leans heavily on archive footage and newspaper clippings, supplementing sparse original material with staged recreations in which an actor playing Cochran confides fears of dying young, as his friend Buddy Holly had (Cochran himself died in a car crash in 1960). Contributors range from British admirers such as Keith Richards, Rod Stewart, Roger Daltrey and Tim Rice to more unexpected voices including John Waters, guitarist Brix Smith and actor Kiefer Sutherland, once attached to an unmade Cochran biopic. The film spends its final third exploring Cochran's legacy and covers of songs like "C'mon Everybody" and "Summertime Blues", with detailed discussion of his gear, including his 1955 Gretsch guitar. "Don't Forget Me" opens in UK cinemas on 11 September.