Pulp Nonfiction

If you're of the opinion that the best thing ever to happen to music was the 199os, chances are you'll swoon over Pulp: A Film About Life, Death, and Supermarkets, the new documentary (in theaters Nov. 19) by the Berlin-born filmmaker Florian Habicht about the legendary Britpop group.

Set against the backdrop of the band's arena-sized December 2012 farewell concert, the movie is both a paean to the long-running U.K. quintet -- best known for promulgating a sound that was equally sweet, sexy, and populist -- and a portrait of their hometown of Sheffield in Northern England. Sheffield's "Common People" -- to borrow the name of Pulp's breakthrough 1995 hit -- include lovable characters like an elderly knife-maker and a portly newsstand merchant, who share the spotlight alongside Pulp and their adoring superfans.

The 90-minute doc is punctuated by live footage from the group's final gig, which captures both the singularly seductive crooning of frontman Jarvis Cocker and the rapturous adoration of his disciples. "I did want to tie things up," he tells Habicht, "and give this story a happy ending." Mission accomplished.

Watch "Mis-shapes," a deleted scene from the film: