Out last week on DVD was Lord Don’t Slow Me Down, a documentary shot on Oasis‘ supporting tour for their 2005 album Don’t Believe the Truth. Actually, documentary might be stretching the term a bit: this is a nonfiction film, but it doesn’t tell a story, nor is it a straight concert film. It’s a snapshot, a portrait of a few months in ‘05 when the Brothers Gallagher and crew toured the world and elsewhere. The film takes for granted that you know who the band is and why they’re big, that you know there are no original members left outside of the Gallaghers, or that Don’t Believe the Truth was seen as a comeback after a few years in the wilderness. It may not explain much about Oasis but, in a way, it tells everything about them, how they act and interact as a band entering their second decade.

Watching this film, Oasis do seem like veterans: they’re not conquering the world for the first time, they’re a bit older so they’re not partying as hard as they used to, they’re going through the same grind that they’ve done countless times before. There’s a palpable weariness in the whole routine, something that Noel cops to when he remarks to a journalist, “I don’t have the energy to do it like the Rolling Stones. I feel fucked at 36 years old!” The interesting thing about Lord Don’t Slow Me Down is that it captures why Noel would feel worn out, as the film is nothing but a series of interviews with DJs and journalists interrupted by brief bouts of travel and performances. With each subsequent round of questions — some insightful, most inane blather (”What makes it so great being Liam?”) — empathy for the band grows, along with an understanding that the Gallaghers give great quotes because they have to do something, anything to amuse themselves in this situation and, if given an option, you’d act exactly the same way. Most revelatory of all is hearing Liam deliver a rant against the bands of the moment — i.e., Liam on the Scissor Sisters: “I’m sure they’re nice people, but fuck them” — and noticing that he isn’t seething with hatred, he’s just matter of fact, or as he puts it, “I think people take it a bit personal, it’s not like I’m saying ‘I want them to get hit by a bus tomorrow.’”

That casual arrogance has always been one of the most appealing characteristics of Oasis, and there’s plenty of it on display here, along with only the briefest glimmer of roiling tension between the brothers, as they argue over a dinner. Apart from that, there’s a heated argument about Tom Cruise movies — all agree that he’s horrible, except Liam loves Cocktail — and just lots of very funny throwaway moments that make this worth watching. Indeed, while the performances are perfectly fine — professional and tight, the sound of a band that has played the same songs in the same way numerous times but still enjoy doing so — it’s hard not to wish that this entire 95-minute film just consisted solely of fly-on-the-wall moments of the band ranting and raving. It’s what makes the film worthwhile, as it’s colossally entertaining even if you’re not a big fan of the band’s music. And if you are a big fan, you know how they sound live and you know how much fun it is to hear the Brothers Gallagher talk, so chances are you’d rather hear them ramble than rumble through the songs you know inside and out.