24 Hour Party People

Reviewed by:
Paul Ulane

In the early ’80s, the Manchester music scene was experiencing some serious changes. Punk faded, and a new style of music came along. Before long, it was only the music that mattered—making the bands obsolete and the DJs and clubs all the rave…um, rage. 24 Hour Party People attempts to tell the story of how it all went down, focusing on Factory Records cofounder Tony Wilson—played with too much comedic emphasis by British comedian Steve Coogan—and the bands he worked with. Shot in documentary style but forced to use actors instead of the real people, Party People focuses on the glamorous and fails to tell the story.

Following the bands Factory Records worked with (Joy Division, New Order, and the Happy Mondays, to name the biggies), Party People glorifies Wilson but rarely touches on the major musical accomplishments of the bands themselves—in other words, the real story. The movie gets too cute with its storytelling devices and has too many artsy tangents that are more distracting than anything else. It’s also lengthy and loses the steam it builds early on, when we feel as though we’re coming along for the ride during this monumental musical moment. With no coherent time line, the film confuses and, as a crutch, just keeps going back to the partying. If you were hoping for the new Spinal Tap, this is no Spinal Tap.

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