It’s the first documentary about one of the biggest names in architecture, directed by one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Narrated by Pollack himself, “Sketches of Frank Gehry” is a biased commentary on the controversial architect behind jaw-dropping buildings such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. It is not so much a story of the 79-year-old architect’s life, but more of a conversation between two close friends (Gehry and Pollack had known each other for decades)—and a gushing, head-over-heels portrait of the man as he is now.

A typical moviegoer will ask the very same question Pollack asks at the beginning of the narration: “If you’re a layman, who’s so hot about Frank Gehry?” In Hong Kong, where Gehry has never designed anything, many audience members will not even know his name. But if you’re into architecture at all, the film is enjoyable and at times inspiring. Pollack, despite claiming to have no knowledge of architecture, uses the most flattering camera angles to give purpose to every  surface of Gehry’s buildings, from the Guggenheim Bilbao to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA. Most impressive of all is watching Gehry’s working process—his scribbling, his scaled models, tearing them apart, and putting them all together again.

Pollack took five years to make the documentary, tagging along with Gehry at work and interviewing some of his closest friends (even his therapist). But friends are biased. Almost all the interviewees Pollack picks are bowled over with awe for Gehry. There’s only one naysayer, who appears fragile and defensive when he has to explain himself.

It’s not right that the late director brushes aside the criticism that’s directed at Gehry. The architect’s works have often been attacked for disregarding harmony with their surroundings, but all Pollack does is ask Gehry a single question on how he deals with criticism, using a 20-second print montage of his detractors as if that’s the end of the matter. As a documentary then, “Sketches of Frank Gehry” isn’t a great work, but a sketchy, biased narration of a great man of our times. But when you watch it, you can’t help wishing that Pollack documented more of his friends while he was still alive.

3 Stars by Winnie Yeung.

Directed by Sydney Pollack. 84 minutes. Category TBA.