NY1 Movie Review:

Trying to restore New York and America's confidence, ex-Beatle Paul McCartney put together an all star show at Madison Square Garden to benefit 9/11 first responders, fallen fireman and policemen.

In addition to performing himself, McCartney, helped get the likes of The Who, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, James Taylor and a ton of other music superstars to perform.

But make no mistake, this is not a concert film even though some brief musical clips are interspersed throughout.

Noted director Albert Maysles, along with his late brother, made the classic Rolling Stones film "Gimme Shelter" and they also shot documentary footage on The Beatles when they first came to America. Here he follows McCartney around during the weeks following the World Trade Center attacks as he prepares for the show.

Shot in grainy black and white, Maysles shows McCartney interacting with adoring fans and having candid conversations with his limo driver. There's rehearsal footage and comments by McCartney on how he wants to do something to help out the residents of New York City.

There's backstage glimpses of such notables as Harrsion Ford and President Bill Clinton as we're given sort of a backstage pass to the event.

If you're a fan of Paul McCartney, you'll find this sort of inside look at how he lived his life on the streets of New York in the wake of the September 11th attacks interesting. That's what the film is really about. At times, it's a little too much of Sir Paul and you get the feeling he is aware of the camera. Still you have to admire both the filmmaker and McCartney's intentions.

"The Love We Make" is currently playing on TV on Showtime and opens at the Film Forum in New York next week.