Wham!

There's a decade that began with lots of style, if you were there I'd guarantee you had a smile, as New Romantics left a mark, Punk and Disco had a spark, but it was Wham that got you dancing in the aisle. Two bad boys who generated so much fun, they were the epitome of everyone's young gun, a ray of sunshine, panorama, cocktails abound at Tropicana, as they opened doors to everyone's freedom.

A more than enjoyable reflection of a time two young lads came together to create some pop perfection, to wake up a generation and give those tuned in, everything they wanted, getting closer to a heaven, than they'd ever been before.

There are hardly any talking heads in this documentary. Even the old Andrew Ridgeley can only be heard, but is never seen. The story is basically told with archive footage. And what a great story this is, a bit like the Mozart fantasy in Amadeus (1984), but this time in real.

Two teenagers, who behave like stupid teenagers and are considered to be idiots by many experts from the music press, turn out a string of catchy songs that are still - 40 years later - well known and liked. They authentically embodied the youthful energy, genius and lust for life that's at the heart of pop music. When they ended the Wham!-project in 1986 with their final concert, nearly exactly 4 years after the release of their first - and unsuccessful - single in June 1982, the best reason given was that they considered themselves no longer to be adolescents. A rare realization.

Andrew Ridgeley was the moving spirit of Wham!, the energy. George Michael - nicknamed "Yog" by Andrew - was the genius. He became more and more obsessed with writing and producing songs, obsessed with the number 1 spot in the charts. He created most of the music, but turned a bit into a megalomaniac. During his solo career he wrote immortal songs like ... I don't know, actually. Aside from from the first post-Wham! Album, Faith (1987), he only released four more, from 1990 to 2004, with fine, but unremarkable music.

The Wham!-Story is unique, fabulous, magical. Does this documentary reveal the whole truth about this seemingly impossible success? Probably not. But it does a good enough job offering plausible explanations. It should satisfy most of its viewers.

Pop band formed in England by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.

And a Netflix documentary about this group.

As Turkey's biggest George Michael collector, this documentary contains records that I have never heard of before, and details that I have not seen.

This; The story of two misfits, who are not even alike, changing the history of music... This; A window into George Michael's personality... This; An impressive store of information about the entire world music industry over the England of the period.

This; A depiction of how volatile, forgetful the 80s were, despite not having the social media of today.

With pieces such as Careless Whisper and wham rap that George Michael wrote when he was only 16 years old, he proved what a great music person he was 43 years ago.

It is a very nice feeling to watch the unknowns of this great musician's adolescence period, but it is also a bit sad.

Here is the story of a lonely man in the crowd.

In England, because he comes from a Greek family... Because he has to do things he doesn't want in the music industry he loves so much ... Because he is a gay teenager who has to hide himself among the people he loves...

Long story short Wham! The documentary is a very important Netflix project not only for the fans of George Michael, but also because it portrays the period.

After a long day at work I needed something to watch and this came up since I had added it to my list.

It was nice to listen to George and Andrew go through the beginning of their friendship to the inspiration and growth of their music careers. You could see the ache Yog had for becoming that artist he always wished to be. These two young men had such an incredible experience and near the end when you could feel George becoming the solo star he was meant to be, it became a bit heartbreaking but you could see that was necessary. George was a powerhouse and yet he began a quiet, gentle soul. Made me teary at the end but truly enjoyed it.

There isn't anything particularly revelatory about this 2023 documentary about the definitive '80's pop duo, but it's a mostly effective retelling of their successful albeit brief track record on the top of the charts. What appears reassuring was the genuine friendship depicted between George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. And how George's mercurial talent as a songwriter and performer quickly broke the pair apart professionally. If there were ugly moments between them, you won't find evidence of them here. Director Chris Smith took a more vanilla approach and used audio-only interviews with George and Andrew to narrate most of the story. Since George died tragically in 2016, Smith apparently didn't want to lean too much on a present-day Ridgeley to have the final word on their story. The still-catchy music speaks for itself.