It's All Gone Pete Tong - Reviews

 

“I was fortunate enough to score a ticket to the 9:45 AM screening of this film at the Toronto Film Festival. It's not usual that I'll be anywhere at eight AM, let alone standing in line, but as a fan of FUBAR, I simply had to see this movie. I'm not going to give anything away, nor will I waste space with a synopsis, but I will tell you that this is one of the best films I have ever seen. Paul Kaye does a remarkable job capturing both the humorous and painful essence of Frankie Wilde, a God-like worshiped DJ hammered with immense fame, beautiful girls, endless drugs and the physical toll of his role in the music scene. I'd never seen Paul in a film before, but after this I'm sure he'll be everywhere and I think that's awesome because his performance was Oscar worthy. Alongside Paul, is Mike Wilmot playing the part of Max Hagard and after his hilarious performance I cannot imagine anyone else in the part. Wilmot nailed it with grace, for he would spit out his lines with such conviction and meticulous comic-timing that he often caused gut-wrenching laughs and applause from the theater crowd.

Actors aside, it's the brain of Michael Dowse that we have to thank for such a film. Shot on a Sony 300 (I think) it has a crisp vivid look that sucks you in from the first frame. For the record, I hate house music, but I found myself so engrossed in the film that my head was bobbing to the beat. I didn't know what to expect after FUBAR, well okay "funny" was what I prepared myself for and it came in waves of hilarity. But it was the charming story, stellar performances and clever dialogue that make this picture stand way above the crowd. Seeing "It's All Gone Pete Tong" was a total cinematic sensory overload. At times I felt like someone was main-lining cocaine and scotch into my forearm while at others it was as if I was getting a warm hug from a loved one. FUBAR rocked and put Michael Dowse on the map but "It's All Gone Pete Tong" that can, should and will, take over the world. Without blinking I give this 10/10 and encourage you to check it out and see what the hell I'm raving about.”

Comment by vanpatten, taken from www.IMDB.com – 14/09/04

 

 

“To fully appreciate the in-joke-laden It's All Gone Pete Tong, it probably helps to be immersed in DJ culture to the point where cameos by folks like Tiësto, Paul Oakenfold, and Carl Cox (not to mention the eponymous Pete Tong) register as eyebrow-raising moments. It also probably helps to have spent a good deal of time partying in Ibiza, the setting for Michael Dowse's mockumentary about legendary DJ Frankie Wilde (Paul Kaye), whose life takes an unexpected turn when he begins to lose his hearing. The title translates from rhyming slang into "It's all gone wrong." For Kaye, it goes Pete Tong and then some.
Dowse at first seems to have This Is Spinal Tap in mind as a model, and he scripts and shoots with an eye toward capturing the excesses of the superstar DJ set. Kaye acts as though he hasn't been sober for years, and whatever wordless cool he projects from behind the turntables vanishes the moment he opens his snaggletoothed mouth. He's harmless enough—he may not be capable of noticing that he couldn't possibly be the father of his wife's bi-racial son, but he treats him affectionately anyway. Wilde is more a caricature than a character, but he's as well thought-out as the stylish, pulsing crowd shots and arty close-ups Dowse breaks out at every occasion.
Kaye plays the part with disarming conviction. He makes it look like there's nothing going on behind his zonked-out eyes, and he seems generally concerned when wrestling with the giant, snot-nosed badger that symbolizes his cocaine addiction. If only any of it were funny, Dowse might be on to something. But the comedy seems pretty forced, and eventually it disappears entirely. As Kaye's health gets worse, the film sobers up, following him as he learns to live with his deafness, finds love again, and struggles to make music from a silent place.
But what's a mockumentary without the mock? It's not a documentary, that's for sure. If It's All Gone Pete Tong were a true story, it would likely be a lot more interesting. But the shift from feckless comedy to uninspired inspirational drama, though daring, doesn't really make it a better movie. Both halves just sit there without making much of an impression. The film never goes Pete Tong, but that may be because it never really goes anywhere at all.”
By Keith Phipps, 10/05/05 – first posted on www.avclub.com

 

“Aided by a strong central performance from Paul Kaye, this is a surprisingly effective, moving drama with a black comic streak.

 

 

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