From what promised so much, emerges a great steaming turd

Rating: Null/10 (5 June 1999)

An absolute shambles of a film. As a depiction of an era it fails. As a study of egotism it fails. As a coherent film it fails. In fact for me it just about fails on every level. With an utter lack of any sort of coherent narrative, terrible performances (see particularly Jonathon Rhys Meyers who appears to think that pouting is a substitute for acting) and unremarkable direction make for an utterly dull movie. Ultimately it is trying to depict an era in a gay context (that many would argue never existed), an era that fizzled with creative energy and of great diversity in music. The cast and crew of the Velvet Goldmine try to communicate energy by letting Ewan McGregor get his penis out yet again. Utter unmitigated pants.