Spinning Gold
This story meant something to me. I already knew a lot of it and was interested in seeing it played out on-screen. It's the story of 'go-for-broke' record executive Neil Bogart.
Bogart created Casablanca Records. On the advice of Bill Aucoin and perhaps due to his infatuation with Aucoin's business partner Joyce, he signed KISS, the first band on his new label. Not only did he sign the band, he stuck with them through three albums that sold poorly, stuck with them to the point of near bankruptcy, and then changed the world with a last-ditch desperation hail mary -- Alive!
Bogart and Casablanca also brought us Donna Summer, George Clinton/Parliament, and the Village People. Before Casablanca he helmed Buddha Records and developed music that stands the test of time: Isleys, Bill Withers, Gladys Knight, Charlie Daniels as well as a handful of one hit wonders like O-oh Child, Put Your Hand in the Hand, One Toke Over the Line, and more.
It's an interesting story of rags to riches to rags to riches to rags. Unfortunately this film does little to capture the essence.
It's more of a vanity piece, written, directed, produced, funded and overseen by Bogart's surviving family. For that reason, the faults and quirks that made him interesting are glossed over. It's more of a hosanna to his brilliance and includes Forrest-Gump-like scenes that almost certainly did not happen.
He did not teach Gladys Knight to sing Midnight Train. He did not dangle a microphone like a floating phallus to get a moaning performance out of Donna Summer. He did not have a heart-to-heart with Gene on a bus.
It also fiddled and fudged with the timeline for convenience. For reasons that make no sense, Donna Summer was credited with pulling Casablanca back from the brink and erasing mountainous debt when in actuality it was Alive! that was Casablanca's savior. Bogart was weeks away from complete financial ruin when Alive! broke and gave his label new life. Why the film shaded that an pretended Summer filled the coffers I don't know.
Bogart's is a story that would make a great movie. This isn't it. Too much of his life was sanitized, bleached of substance, and excused. We needed to see those personal failures without the sheen. Glorifying Bogart robbed the film of so much depth.
Other things that damaged the film:
> KISS wouldn't license the actual makeup design so that looks bad. Really bad.
>Ridiculous CGI used in several scenes. The scene outside a horse track between Bogart and his dad (portrayed by Lucius Malfoy/Col. Tavington) was worse than a used car commercial. It was atrocious.
> Horrible wigs and outfits. Jay Pharoah's was particularly bad. Like they just ran out of wardrobe money and raided the prop room of an eighth grade play.
> The lead. It was the guy's first film, taking over a role that was supposed to be Justin Timberlake's (before he wisely backed out). He was a Broadway star and it was obvious he played it like he was on Broadway. That rarely translates well to film.
> Donna Summer was not a short, fat ball of lard. That was distracting.
Reasons to recommend:
> The closing song is really interesting in how it weaves portions of many of the songs that made Bogart's career. But, like the lead's overall performance it has a real Broadway quality to it.
> Lyndsy Fonseca is nice to look at and carried the 70s/early 80s vibe well
> Michelle Monaghan is also nice to look at (not so much here, and not given enough to do).
> The music is great throughout, even though in most cases they used knockoffs sung by the actors in the film rather than the originals
Those reasons are not enough to put this film on anybody's watchlist.
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