After the Screaming Stops

This movie is what This Is Spinal Tap was trying to achieve but so much more. The Goss brothers unintentionally put together one of the funniest films of the last 10 years. Matt Goss' insane similes, metaphors and anecdotes are akin to Michael Scott of The Office and really must be heard to be believed. It spoke volumes about how brief and fleeting fame can forever skew a person's perspective of reality and a sense of their own importance. Ultimately Bros were huge for an incredibly small amount of time but seem to perceive themselves to have been at the level of the Beatles and their earnest belief in that makes them both comic and tragic. The battle of egos over the smallest detail in what turns out to be a not exactly sold out show at the shed that is London's O2 is akin to Christopher Guest's 1984 classic. Compelling in its madness and definitely worth a watch.

A music documentary about a band you have little emotional investment in is a big ask, especially when it's tracking their comeback. But this documentary is something different; for a start, love or hate their music, Bros were (for a short time) a genuine cultural force for those of us who were becoming aware of music in the 1980s. And, as this documentary makes clear, they make for unexpectedly entertaining subjects; it's not quite clear if this is deliberate or inadvertent (I tend to the latter). But this is a film full of endlessly quotable, genuinely laugh out loud moments; if's downright funnier than most comedies. For the most part Matt and Luke are the only voices we hear; and despite the humour, there are also some moments that are clearly moving; especially when they talk about the deaths of their sister and, later, their mother. The big London comeback gig - which the film builds up to - serves as a moment of genuine cathartic release for band and viewer alike; and though I still have no affection for their music, there's a sense of deeper appreciation for the people behind the music - even as I laugh at them.

I watched this doc on BBC iPlayer over Christmas - you really don't need to have previous knowledge of Bros to enjoy this. If you appreciate Spinal Tap, David Brent, Alan Partridge etc you'll love this. And it's real.

Best. Christmas. Ever.

Charming melange of Spinal Tap, David Brent and People Do Nothing which is compulsive viewing even for anyone who imagines that a Bros reunion gig is the last thing they fancy witnessing.

Great honesty shown by the identical twins, one apparently bald, one apparently sporting a full head of hair. They suffer from full on Gallagher and Davies syndrome. Yet their articulacy goes against the expected grain of a boyband. Great respect for allowing this to be exhibited, really wish I had gone to the O2 reunion now!