Karma Caméléon

Boy George's autobiography Take It Like A Man I think is the best I have read. It offers a unique insight into fame, money, drug addiction and a cynical pop industry. I know that this movie is not based on the book and that Boy George was involved in the script. This film is decent enough, but it fails to embrace Boy George's personality, charisma and unique and fresh image that conquered the entire pop world. This is too static and slow for me, and I can't quite get involved. I hope the next biopic about Boy George manages to highlight the essence of Boy George's abilities and talent that made him a major pop star and the honest and straightforward personality he always offers in interviews and performances.

Douglas Booth made an utterly stunning and very watchable Boy George, capturing his sharp witted and ultimately rather romantic character without ever resorting to campness or cliché. I enjoyed this drama for the gorgeous recreation of what must have been a fascinating time in London's cultural history and the fabulous design of the costumes and sets. But even though the dialogue at times sparkled (special mention here for Freddie Fox playing a magnificent Marilyn) it was rather a case of style over substance. The story just felt very thin and although there were some surprisingly touching moments (with Kirk as well as John Moss) there just didn't seem enough story here to sustain an hour and a half. I felt the addict section of the story really limped along and felt underdeveloped and unnecessary in particular. However they did a good job of making the characters engaging and likable and for that reason it was worth the hour and a half spent with them. I just would have liked to have seen a bit more of events, and also a bit more about George's motivations - what made him who he was.

To the mainstream, Boy George appeared from left-field, a chart-topping male pop-star who dressed like a woman. Yet George was not just a freak show; he emerged from the androgyny of the New Romantic club scene, even if few had attempted such an extreme look before; his band made records of genuine merit; and of course, in a period where homosexuality was still not as widely accepted as it is now, it was not just for its aesthetic qualities that his dress sense attracted attention. Julian Jarold's film, 'Worried About the Boy', gives a good feeling of what it was like for George prior to fame, finding his way through a world in which he always possessed a measure of star quality; although I don't recall George ever looking quite as naturally feminine as actor Douglas Booth. What the film lacks is a certain narrative purpose: George got dressed up, had relationships, formed bands and eventually made it onto 'Top of the Pops'; 'Worried About the Boy' explains how, but the problem with many real-life dramatisations is that they essentially amount to "stuff happens" and I felt something of the same here. There are hints of a bigger story in the relationship of George and Kirk Brandon; but you need to know what happened later to understand these. And the film is also guilty of some obviousness; when George visits Malcolm McLaren, the Sex Pistols appear on the soundtrack, even though the period is wrong. In spite of this, I still enjoyed the film, an interesting view of an unlikely road to fame.

Boy George can certainly be described as an 80's icon. I distinctly remember as a youngster first seeing his band Culture Club perform 'Do You Really Want to Hurt Me' on some kids TV show some time in the early 80's and then seeing him interviewed immediately afterwards and being utterly amazed he was not a she. I seem to recall fellow school-mates being somewhat flabbergasted about this the following day too. These were less enlightened times as far as homosexuality was concerned, so I guess Boy George was even more of a cultural happening taking that into account. Despite his image, part of the reason Culture Club became so massively popular was that George himself was never promoted as threatening sexually, while the band's music was very contemporary new wave pop with little edge. But like most things that connect so fully with mainstream culture, the fame and success only lasted a fairly short while.

This TV biopic is unusual in that it hardly focuses on the Culture Club years at all. Instead, it covers George's pre-fame and post-peak tabloid celebrity years. In doing this, it sort of misses out the most dramatic section of the story and looks at what led George there and how it affected him negatively afterwards. This approach means that you have to accept what the film is not, although it definitely makes the story more small-scale and lower key. The early years are typified by the fashion scene that revolved around the Blitz Club which was populated by the New Romantics; while the later scenes happen in the midst of George being hounded by the press over his reported heroin addiction. The film flashes forward and back to these two periods to tell the story. And in some respects it's quite a limited story in all honesty. The early years were typified, after all, by George not really doing a lot and gaining minor celebrity for merely wearing the right clothes. One of the more notable events happens when he briefly hooks up with Malcolm McLaren – very well played by Mark Gatiss – and is photographed with his then pop pets Bow Wow Wow but little came of this, so it's just a colourful detail.

Mainly the film works as a time capsule movie, where we are transported back to the early 80's. Several characters from the New Romantic scene appear, such as Steve Strange, Marilyn and Kirk Brandon; the latter of which had a sexual affair with the singer. The costuming and soundtrack have been chosen well and despite the low budget, it's convincingly of its time. The main acting duties are covered by newcomer Douglas Booth, who is decidedly more androgynous than the real Boy George. He puts in a pretty good performance, especially when you consider he was only 17 years old at the time. On the whole, this is a film that should appeal to those who like biopics about popular music figures. It might not be the most dramatic story but it is well told for what it is.

I was born in 1991, so i missed out on the 80's, which really frustrates me, because i really wish i could have been part of it. I felt like i kind of was watching this, i thought it captured essences of it really well. Although i wasn't around for the 80's, i know a lot of my stuff about the era, having listened to all the music and loved it, and watched many things. I thought Douglas Booth did a fantastic job playing the role of George. He made it extremely moving to watch, and i cannot believe he is only 17. He really demonstrated his wonderful talent, and will no doubt have a very successful career. Mark Gatiss was another performance that was just basically outstanding, playing the role of Malcolm Mclaren, he was brilliant, i thought he had him down to a tee, he really showed a lot of his characteristics. Then again, i have always found him to be a great character actor. Mat Horne playing Jon moss, i thought was an interesting choice, but i thought he carried it off brilliantly. And i can't forget Marc Warren as Steve Strange. Imspired. He was amazing. The music was used in a very clever way during this programme, not just a load of well known 80s tracks thrown in for good measure, like most 80s programmes we see nowadays. I think every track was so appropriate to the scene it was used in. Also, i was very surprised to hear 'Hiroshima mon amour' playing in the opening titles, it was great. Overall, i thought the visuals were fantastic. The Blitz club sequences were ace, and the outfits were very 80s (and it really is all coming back). I thought this programme was a refreshing TV experience, and i myself, thoroughly enjoyed it. It was funny, yet really moving. All in all a great show.