Disappointing

Rating: Null/10 (17 November 1998)

I was really disappointed by Velvet Goldmine. I'm a huge Bowie fan and I heard that this was well researched, but not a biography. The scenery and the costumes are amazing. I haven't seen such outrageous costumes since Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Ewan McGregor is terrific as Curt Wild. He IS sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I liked a lot of things about this movie like Ewan, the music, and the visuals. Visually, the movie is stunning. Toni Collette and Eddie Izzard also give good performances but Jonathon Rhys-Meyers was terrible. The movie doesn't come together as a cohesive whole quite as well as it should. I didn't understand what Jack Fairy and Oscar Wild really had to do with the movie. The visuals also made you feel removed from the characters, with the exception of Curt Wild. Without an emotional core, this movie rings hollow. It's the cinematic equivalent of a pinata.