Superficial sinking feeling

Rating: 2/10 (26 November 2011)

Negative reviews are mainly a waste of time. Watching all this film was also a waste of time. The director treats his characters like morons, his women like dross and the public of radio listeners as 11 yr. old Beatles fanettes... Worst of all, is how he treats US, the spectators. I've been a radio buff for years, host my own program, have a large and very special collection of material, mostly on vinyl, and was brought up secretly listening to John Peel, under my cushion.... so, as the film kicked off, and a schoolboy does just what I used to do, I was... well... expectant. But the frenzied locomotive that the director thinks he's cleverly conducting, soon goes off the rails. We digress to stupid, senseless romps with tarts in the dark, and a 'coming of age' theme as hackneyed and un-witty as few which have graced the screen. Only Kenneth Brannagh, as Hitler. made me perk up my curiosity for a while... but then the repetition set in and.... R.I.P. The movie tries to pump energy into a dismal dead whale of a ship. Upper-Class twits of the year, 'cool lady-killer DJs' and awkward lesbians with a last-minute runner-up prize, Thick but Pete Townshendsy cuties and a host of other clichés are scattered all over the place, like chutney splodges on fancy-dress costumes. ANYONE who truly knows the pleasure of radio will feel deeply embarrassed by this storm in a tea cup, where nothing is TRULY felt or considered. Ever since "Trainspotting", British cinema has floundered about with this kind of jerky editing, strident over-acting and hollow artificiality. Give me Spinal Tap's balance and humour. And keep off the Kinks, The Who and Donovan. This film really does Radio and Music more than a bit of a dis-service.