If you're a fan, he's 'Your Man'

OK, new rule: No more Leonard Cohen songs that aren't actually sung by Leonard Cohen.

Rarely has a singer's voice been more crucial to his music's presentation, and rarely have fewer interpreters understood that. Cohen's sepulchral intonations — not to mention his charismatic, melancholy persona — are a vital part of such broken-hearted classics as "Suzanne," "Hallelujah" and the titular anthem of the documentary "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man." Sadly, this has never stopped generations of singers from trying to have their often ham-fisted way with his songbook.

Lionsgate 'Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man' 2 out of 5 stars The verdict: Combines hit-and-miss concert footage, interviews with sepulchral songwriter. Director: Lian Lunson Starring: Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Rufus Wainwright, Beth Orton, Jarvis Cocker Run time: 104 minutes Release date: June 21, 2006 Rating: PG-13 for some sex-related material. A Cohen primer •  At 71, Leonard Cohen is still touching us with his mind. •  Singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright is among the reverent "children of Leonard Cohen." On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

Which might be why so few of the songs work in Lian Lunson's hagiographic flick. The apples-and-kiwis blend of concert film and talking-head interview never quite delivers on the potential of either, while the fact that only one song is actually sung (or is that lip-synched?) by our hero is a frustrating tease right out of, well, a Leonard Cohen tune.

"I'm Your Man" centers on "Came So Far for Beauty," the 2005 Cohen fete organized by Hal Willner, the Jerry Bruckheimer of tribute concerts. Musicians from Nick Cave to Linda and Teddy Thompson to Jarvis Cocker to a whole mess of Wainwrights (Rufus, Martha, Kate and Anna McGarrigle) take a swing at Cohen standards — some are strikeouts, most are pop fouls, only one is a home run.

Cave's version of "I'm Your Man" reminds you just how much he owes Cohen, while its Vegas-y, big band arrangement indulges Cave's Neil Diamond side. Rufus Wainwright camps up "Chelsea Hotel #2" to the point of eye-rolling exhaustion, while sister Martha seems to have forgotten that clear diction is a vital part of a Cohen cover. He also clobbers "Hallelujah" in what should be the movie's climatic performance. Although I admire his good taste in not introducing the chestnut with "Jeff Buckley couldn't be here tonight," not mentioning at all the late Buckley's wildly popular rendition seems a little weird.

It isn't all a slog. Androgynous singer Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons) nearly steals the show with a moving rendition of "If It Be Your Will," his near-countertenor fluttering like a hummingbird. U2 and Cohen take on "Tower of Song" as cabaret anthem; the 71-year old teacher simply buries his students.

After all, Cohen is still hypnotic to watch. Even with interviews sullied by irritating blips and annoying filters, our man embodies his aging Zen/Jewish poet-rabbi vibe pretty much perfectly, covering his youth, early days as a self-obsessed Montreal poet, sui generis musical career and life-altering time as a Buddhist monk with elusive, gnomic nuggets.

Sadly, too much of the yammering from the disciples rarely rises above the level of platitude. Here's Bono, at his most egregiously Bono: "As dark as he gets, you still sense that beauty is truth." Here's Cave, whose speaking voice isn't nearly as fun as his satanic-Elvis singing voice, on "Songs of Love and Hate": "(I felt like) the coolest person in the world because it separated me from everyone and everything I detested." This is what passes for insight into a man who changed your lives?

Even Cohen at times falls victim to the rote. On the Chelsea Hotel: "Everybody was there." Thanks for that, champ. VH-1's "Behind the Music" will be right back.