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IMDbPro

Hype!

  • 1996
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 24m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
3.2K
YOUR RATING
Hype! (1996)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:10
7 Videos
3 Photos
Music DocumentaryDocumentaryHistoryMusic

Documentary covering the growth and subsequent overexposure of the Seattle "grunge" music scene in the early 90sDocumentary covering the growth and subsequent overexposure of the Seattle "grunge" music scene in the early 90sDocumentary covering the growth and subsequent overexposure of the Seattle "grunge" music scene in the early 90s

  • Director
    • Doug Pray
  • Stars
    • 7 Year Bitch
    • Valerie M. Agnew
    • Carrie Akre
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    3.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Doug Pray
    • Stars
      • 7 Year Bitch
      • Valerie M. Agnew
      • Carrie Akre
    • 14User reviews
    • 17Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations total

    Videos7

    Hype!
    Trailer 2:10
    Hype!
    Hype!
    Trailer 2:39
    Hype!
    Hype!
    Trailer 2:39
    Hype!
    Hype!
    Clip 2:04
    Hype!
    Hype: Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit
    Clip 2:07
    Hype: Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit
    Hype: The Bands
    Clip 1:57
    Hype: The Bands
    Hype: The Bands Look Back On Their Performances
    Featurette 2:02
    Hype: The Bands Look Back On Their Performances

    Photos2

    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top cast99+

    Edit
    7 Year Bitch
    • Themselves
    Valerie M. Agnew
    • Self - 7 Year Bitch
    • (as Valerie Agnew)
    Carrie Akre
    • Self - Hammerbox
    Jeff Ament
    Jeff Ament
    • Self - Pearl Jam
    Dawn Anderson
    • Self - Local Music Critic
    Michael Anderson
    • Self - Blood Circus
    Paul Arkin
    • Self - Band Practice Space Tour
    Mark Arm
    • Self - Mudhoney
    James Atkins
    • Self - Hammerbox
    John Atkins
    • Self - Seaweed
    Jon Auer
    • Self - The Posies
    Love Battery
    • Themselves
    Leighton Beezer
    • Self - Stomach Pump…
    Martin Bernier
    • Self - Some Velvet Sidewalk
    Nils Bernstein
    • Self - Sub Pop Records
    Don Blackstone
    • Self - Gas Huffer
    Don Blair
    • Self - Some Velvet Sidewalk
    Kurt Bloch
    • Self - The Fastbacks, The Young Fresh Fellows
    • Director
      • Doug Pray
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews14

    7.53.1K
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    Featured reviews

    10mudhoney10

    I loved it!

    An incredible reminder of the intense, passionate, and powerful grunge movement from the late 80s through the mid 90s. A wonderful 1996 surprise for any rock lover, but especially those loyal to the genre itself. The honest and direct interviews, commentaries, and live performances provide inspiration to all open to hear what the fuss (or should I say fuzz?) was all about.
    10noxvomica-3

    Great film documenting the hype and history surrounding the "seattle sound"

    This film documents what was is referred to as the "Grunge", or "Seattle scene". It goes into depth exploring the tools the media, and corporations used to exploit and market this scene.

    It goes back to the roots of grunge siting such bands as Skin Yard, Green River, and Mudhoney. One great thing about this film is the soundtrack. It's the best soundtrack since "Singles". It features The Gits, Mudhoney, Green River, The Fastbacks, etc.

    Watch this film. Watch live performances, interviews with SoundGarden, Pearl Jam, etc.
    9SKG-2

    Cautionary tale

    It's my hope that future musicians who are trying to make real music as opposed to Spice Girls pap and that ilk will look at this documentary and try not to make the same mistakes, and allow the hype to overwhelm what could have been a real musical revolution. The high points (or low points, depending on your point of view) are the Muzak version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and when the ex-Sub Pop employee made up "grunge" terms that The New York Times printed as gospel. I wish this had acknowledged earlier Seattle musicians like Hendrix and Heart, and tried to answer whether the Nirvana-Pearl Jam feud was real or just part of the hype, but otherwise, this is an important cautionary tale, and it's also fun and informative. Oh yeah, and the music is great too.
    8jellopuke

    Time Capsule of a lost time and ideology

    This is a great little look at the grunge boom and subsequent exploitation of said boom, but it's also a time capsule for people still believing in music and fighting "selling out" and that whole ideology that nobody really cares about anymore. You'll see lots of bands that no longer exist and a moment in time that came and went with a blink. Overall a great flashback.
    8AngryChairr

    Authenticity Meet Corruption

    When you think about what happened up in the Pacific Northwest during the late '80s and early '90s, you kind of realize that this "scene" was always destined to fail. There's no way a secluded, out-of-the-way region like Washington state could have produced a long-lasting cash cow. It did in a backhanded kind of way since people are still leeching off the scene to create a much more dumbed-down version (Seether, anyone?). That's not to say everything that came from Seattle was intelligent. No one would accuse Seaweed or Gas Huffer for being the most brilliant bands ever. But there was an authenticity that came from those bands and many others that were created in Seattle that scene-hoppers like Candlebox couldn't replicate.

    And the movie Hype perfectly illustrates this point. It shows the juxtaposition created by commercial success and authenticity. Occasionally the two can coexist, but more often then not they're mutually exclusive. So to see bands like the Screaming Trees on the cusp of fame, only to shy away from it (even if unintentionally), you kind of get the idea what a lot of the Seattle bands were about. Most never expected to amount to anything more than the guy who serves you your coffee at Starbucks. The goal for a lot of people was just to make music they personally enjoyed, and then play a few shows. If they got lucky, they expected maybe to tour up-and-down the West Coast. And then that's it But MTV came calling and then that was it. Authenticity is replaced by photogenic front men.

    Don't get me wrong. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains were all greats band, but they got a lot of their attention because they were lucky enough to be fronted by sensitive, good-looking guys that girls would go crazy for. They had great music, but their looks coupled with the down-and-dirty attire that they wore made them into the guys-next-door. The movie Singles helped to solidify that image, and then grunge became a household word. Meanwhile Tad were stuck out in the cold, stormy weather of Seattle, playing music that was equally compelling.

    If anything, don't watch Hype for the big bands that came out of the scene. Watch it for the obscure bands you've never heard of. Bands like the Fastbacks, the Gits, Some Velvet Sidewalk, and Love Battery. Is Eddie Vedder a good listen? Well, yeah. But does he make much sense? Nope.

    Another big highlight of this movie are the producers, the writers of fanzines, the current (and former) employees of Sub-Pop, generally everyone that lived in Seattle but wasn't in a band. They all have great stories that really go back to illustrating the authenticity of the music, and eventually also pointing out its corruption.

    This along with the more recent Brian Jonestown Massacre/Dandy Warhols-documentary Dig should be required viewing for any self-respecting music fan. They both brilliantly show the highs and lows of success in the music business, and everything those two polarities entail.

    Related interests

    Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and The Beatles in Part 2: Days 8-16 (2021)
    Music Documentary
    Dziga Vertov in L'Homme à la caméra (1929)
    Documentary
    Liam Neeson in La Liste de Schindler (1993)
    History
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)
    Music

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When journalist Jonathan Gold was supposed to interview Chris Cornell for the documentary, Cornell slipped out of the building while the camera crew was still setting up its lights, so that guitarist Kim Thayil and drummer Matt Cameron ended up being the only band members talking about Soundgarden in the film.
    • Quotes

      Van Conner: We were the guy in high school who people used to beat up and we couldn't even talk to the pretty girls. I mean, we couldn't... we're nerds, goddammit!

    • Crazy credits
      The credits end with the statement "Your town is next."
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: 101 Dalmatians/Hype!/The Crucible/Palookaville/Ridicule (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      Bandages
      Written by Crackerbash

      Performed by Crackerbash

      Courtesy eMpTy Records

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    FAQ14

    • How long is Hype!?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 8, 1996 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Истерия!
    • Filming locations
      • Bellingham, Washington, USA
    • Production company
      • Helvey-Pray Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $268,520
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $106,599
      • Nov 22, 1996
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 24m(84 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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