Review of 24 Hour Party People (2002) by Miguel S — 01 Jun 2010

"24 Hour Party People" is not really a movie and is not really a documentary. This being so, and although the movie is good, the sum of its parts is bigger than the whole, and the movie becomes unbalanced in its narrative.

It basically describes the late 70s, early 80s, movement occurring in Manchester where a new kind of music emerged through Joy Division, New Order and Happy Mondays, and the man that made it happen: Tony Wilson, played by Steve Coogan, a natural for the part.

But the movie chooses to present the story by breaking the 4th dimension. Coogan speaks many times directly to the camera, being an omniscient character who knows everything. He says thinks like: "he is so and so, in a year he will create a new band and will eventually sleep with my wife", as the action is occurring behind him.

Also, he presents the cameos: this is the real guitar player making a cameo as a waiter, who was played in this film by that guy. This is funny a couple of times but makes the movie loose its reality.

Even so, I believe the movie is aware of it. Most flaws the movie has are excused by comments on Coogan's part. There's one point where he quotes "The Man who Shot Liberty Valence" by saying that between the legend and the fact, print the legend.

And the movie is a lot of small scenes, small legends, about the three major bands portrayed, about the sex, the drugs, the drums and the rock and roll, and about Wilson himself. The gigs, the record deals, the rise to fame and the fall from grace, all are displayed in a never deep nor serious way, with funny sketches from TV shows Wilson did to gain money stuck in between.

There is one point where all of a sudden his grown son appears for the first time, and he turns to the camera and says "ah, forgot to mention I had a son". But later he says that the movie is not about him, its about the music and the bands and the venues.

And it really is so, but it is given in such a dream-like fashion that it is just legend and entertainment, not a very worth documentary of the real 24 hour party people. But it flows well, and mixes life footage in the scenes.

Unfortunately, the photography was the worse, every shot seemed to have a different colour setting, from black and white footage, to fuzzy TV footage, to perfect studio cinematography, to greyish exteriors usual in 70s movies.

It does not go down well indeed such constant changes. In the end, the movie is more of an homage and a private joke, as it had the involvement of many of the real characters. It keeps to the rhythm of the movement, and not even Ian Curtis' death (Joy Division's lead singer at 24 years of age) breaks the movie's light tone.

Fans of the bands will love, other will enjoy a music history lesson but beware, I am sure most of that is just made up. Example: before Curtis dies he has a discussion with Wilson about the glory of dying young.

Convenient, no? As I said, an homage to one of the last great musical movements.