Frankie Wilde

Considering the beating this film got in some reviews, I went to see it the other day, not expecting much from it. Surprisingly though, the film was pretty damn good! Paul Kaye (some of you will remember his often hilarious Dennis Pennis taking the mickey out of celebrities at film premiers) plays Frankie Wilde a mega famous DJ who's bringing dance music to Ibiza. All's going well for Frankie, he's rich, successful, has a wife and a string of sexy ladies on the side. All this goes down the drain when Frankie starts to lose his hearing, which of course, is not that good for a famous DJ. Kaye delivers some funny, upbeat lines throughout the film and so long as you don't mind his gurning for laughs, you'll enjoy the flick. Despite his arrogance and dirty coke and drink habits you find yourself cheering Frankie along and when he meets Spanish lip-reader Penelope you almost want him to get his hearing back for good. Although a gag-fest, filled with dirty humour and teenage-boy jokes, It's All Gone Pete Tong is a funny, witty film which will happily fill an hour or two in the coming summer months.

I was fortunate enough to score a ticket to the 9:45 AM screening of this film at the Toronto Film Festival. It's not usual that I'll be anywhere at eight AM, let alone standing in line, but as a fan of FUBAR, I simply had to see this movie. I'm not going to give anything away, nor will I waste space with a synopsis, but I will tell you that this is one of the best films I have ever seen. Paul Kaye does a remarkable job capturing both the humorous and painful essence of Frankie Wilde, a God-like worshiped DJ hammered with immense fame, beautiful girls, endless drugs and the physical toll of his role in the music scene. I'd never seen Paul in a film before, but after this I'm sure he'll be everywhere and I think that's awesome because his performance was Oscar worthy. Alongside Paul, is Mike Wilmot playing the part of Max Hagard and after his hilarious performance I cannot imagine anyone else in the part. Wilmot nailed it with grace, for he would spit out his lines with such conviction and meticulous comic-timing that he often caused gut-wrenching laughs and applause from the theater crowd.

Actors aside, it's the brain of Michael Dowse that we have to thank for such a film. Shot on a Sony 300 (I think) it has a crisp vivid look that sucks you in from the first frame. For the record, I hate house music, but I found myself so engrossed in the film that my head was bobbing to the beat. I didn't know what to expect after FUBAR, well okay "funny" was what I prepared myself for and it came in waves of hilarity. But it was the charming story, stellar performances and clever dialogue that make this picture stand way above the crowd. Seeing "It's All Gone Pete Tong" was a total cinematic sensory overload. At times I felt like someone was main-lining cocaine and scotch into my forearm while at others it was as if I was getting a warm hug from a loved one. FUBAR rocked and put Micheal Dowse on the map but "It's All Gone Pete Tong" that can, should and will, take over the world. Without blinking I give this 10/10 and encourage you to check it out and see what the hell I'm raving about.

This amazing movie just won the grand prize at this weekend's US Comedy Arts Festival and it totally deserved it! I normally would have written this movie off without ever seeing it because I figured I'd hate it since I'm not into the DJ thing, but the audience in attendance, myself included, at the two screenings were floored! I even went back the second night to see it again and Ben Stiller had volunteered to introduce because he loved it so much and wanted to give it some extra attention. I think they said it's coming to theaters around April but I'm not sure. Anyway, you MUST go see it. Paul Kaye (he won best actor for the film, too) was supposed to be there but I never did see him. Too bad... This film wouldn't have been the same without his spot-on portrayal of DJ Frankie Wilde and I'd like to have seen his acceptance speech.

This movie has been entirely under my radar until Sound Of Metal came out and made waves last year. A few different people brought this movie up and called it "the original Sound Of Metal". While the primary plot point is generally the same (professional musician goes deaf and tries to deal with it in the best way they can figure out how), the movies couldn't be more different tonally - and guess what, they are both completely worth watching. While Sound Of Metal is a hyper-realistic, bleak, tasteful film - It's All Gone Pete Tong is almost the polar opposite. It's fully over-the-top, comical, loud, in your face, lightning paced, and hilarious.

I was entirely unfamiliar with lead actor Paul Kaye but his performance as cocky Ibiza resident DJ Frankie Wilde floored me. He perfectly captures the highest level of comic character acting while simultaneously capturing a very real, very depressing element of a man completely lost in the sauce (his head all the way up his own ass, you could say). The film uses a mish-mash of filmmaking styles to conjure a very unique vibe when viewed as a whole - when I first turned it on I thought that maybe I was about to watch an actual documentary, but that very quickly transformed into something else, but even then, I still found myself wondering if this was in fact based on a true story or not. It felt like it had to be! (It's not).

The first half of the film is such a riot that it demands a score as high as I've given it. However, I did find the second half to be less fulfilling as it very much turns into a sappy sort of happy ending that honestly feels a bit too far of a stretch from reality to be effective, and also a bit too far from the masterful hilarity of the first half of the film - like, why ditch it? If it would have kept the same tone all the way through it could have been a complete masterpiece.

Now, I've gotta ask... why the hell is this movie called It's All Gone Pete Tong??? Pete Tong is an actual DJ and film producer in real life, and only appears once at the beginning of the film, interviewing Frankie Wilde - and then we only see his name once more, as the support act on a show flyer. That movie has almost nothing to do with him - why is his name in the title?! Second, I feel the need to add that this film was the follow-up to FUBAR - the second film from that director. I had no idea until doing research, but, it makes sense tonally & stylistically - it seems that this is his most acclaimed film, and I can see why. It stands out big time. The Fubar guys have small roles as absurd Austrian musicians too! I recommend this to those who are into absurd, over-the-top comedy.

Paul Kaye is the perfect type for this DJ-character in the Ibiza music & party scene. I'll keep it briefly. The film got lot's of aspects as my summary explains. A genius in his own right.

We saw the movie at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam (the Netherlands). It was a surprise movie at the last evening of this Festival. It really surprised us. Nighty minutes after the movie ended we were still laughing and talking about this unique movie. Something to remember: the alternative 'scarface' scene. It's the brain of Michael Dowse that we have to thank for such a film

Go see the movie and have fun! Even if you don't like house music.