Absolute Beginners

A fun musical with a lot of energy and great acting, 'Absolute Beginners' will win a place in your heart. This is the sharpest I've seen Bowie in a film, and Patsy Kensit was beautiful as Suzette. A political piece as well as a time piece, Temple captured the feel of a Broadway or West End musical perfectly. A great turnaround for Temple, who really had me worried after directing 'Mantrap'. It is a musical, so liberties have to be allowed, but for fans of the musical this is a great one to check out. Rating: 27/40

A great idea and a huge Brit budget, ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS is so ambitious and so technically well and packed with great 80s Soho jazz musical numbers that it forgets to include the hooks for an audience. It is actually for people in theater and film who love musicals and the techniques. It isn't for the general ticket buying public who expect a conventional story with a structure. The lead actor Eddie OConnell is a bit Ken doll or even Cliff Richard...maybe that is the point but he is lacking in charisma. Visually it is a feast and musically it is very engaging, but like the Minnelli musicals YOLANDA AND THE THIEF or THE PIRATE and the Brit satire Ken Russell musical THE BOYFRIEND or John Waters 1988 film of HAIRSPRAY there has to be a strong core to break though to mainstream cinema goers; otherwise, like those films, it is relegated to cult interest and the 'noble failure' bin. In time it will be a quintessential 80s style musical and we are not far enough away from then yet. It also cost a massive amount and lost it all, killing off the studio that financed the $15m.... ugh. If made today, it would be financed by Absolute Vodka and marketed with panache, finding a huge multiplex audience and making zillions of dollars for all concerned...thus being hailed as a success and a masterpiece.

First, I must respectfully disagree with the other reviewer who hated this movie. It has a complex set of plot lines that deal with a number of issues revolving around the lives of a young up-and-coming "pop photographer", and his love interest -- played by Patsy Kensit. Then, there is the "old queen" (also an unscrupulous real estate developer) who marries Patsy. Now, add to that the ad agency aspect (David Bowie's song and dance routine to "Selling Out" is a classic), plus the racial tensions in 1950's or 1960's London, and you have a multi-layered plot tapestry.

Personally, I don't mind that David Bowie is only in the movie for ten minutes -- I am a fan of Bowie, but this is really not "his movie".

The main attraction here is the score, which features the title song and "That's Motivation," performed and composed by rock icon David Bowie, as well as his version of the classic "Volare." In addition, you get "Killer Blow" performed by Sade and jazz tunes by Charles Mingus and Miles Davis performed by Gil Evans. This movie makes you believe that is David Bowie had been performing in the 1930s he would have been a sensation then too.

In 1958, aspiring photographer Colin is photographing the hip London scene. He loves model Crepe Suzette (Patsy Kensit) who is only interested in gaining fame. She crashes the catwalk of old style fashion designer Henley of Mayfair (James Fox) who is forced to appropriate her wild antics as his own creation. Colin befriends society king Vendice Partners (David Bowie).

The lead has no charisma. He needs some boyish charms. Without it, the movie struggles with a hole at its center. His character doesn't even like the world in his pictures and the audience returns the favor. He has a big overturning-the-tables turn and the movie tries to sell it as rebelling against the establishment. The problem is that I don't think he likes the alternative either. His character doesn't seem to like anything. He's a grumpy teenager. I waited a long time for David Bowie to show up but even his star power cannot save this. Quite frankly, this should be his movie, not the kid. He's the most interesting performer. Kensit is fine but she's just an object. The production is uneven with some stagey production while other parts are fake realism. It's both too glossy and too grimy at the same time. I don't mind the fake stage reality but it's an awkward mix. As a musical, it does have one great David Bowie song but otherwise, it is uneven as the actors do their own singing. Sade is a nightclub singer and that's fun. It's an uneven mix. The subject matter also gets uneven while dealing with some serious racial matters as well as fake fame issues. Other successful musicals have done the mix much better but this one struggles. This is a British flop. I don't know much about it. It came and went without much notice across the pond. At least, it's an interesting flop.