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120 reviews in total

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54 out of 58 people found the following review useful:
From punk to rave in northern England - a pulsating, highly original, thoroughly entertaining mess of a film., 17 April 2002

Author: Kev-B from London

24 Hour Party People is the story of Factory Records, a defiantly eccentric independent record label based in Manchester, England, which discovered acts as influential and diverse as Joy Division and the Happy Mondays.

The film is shot in mock-documentary style and narrated by Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan), the founder of Factory. Coogan portrays Wilson's double life as music svengali and cheesy local TV reporter to brilliant comic effect. Although Brits will draw the inevitable parallels between Coogan's Wilson and his ultra-naff TV persona, Alan Partridge, Coogan actually has Wilson off to a tee. Arrogant and pompous, Cambridge-educated Wilson is master of the pseudish sound bite (when he realises they have no tickets for a concert in his nightclub, he retorts `Did they have tickets for the Sermon on the Mount? Of course they didn't, people just turned up because they knew it would be a great gig'). But he also has a perceptive eye for the zeitgeist and his vision to create the Hacienda club transformed Manchester into Madchester, for a brief time the music capital of the world.

The story really starts with an early Sex Pistols gig in Manchester, attended by only 42 people, most of whom went on to have an influence on the Manchester music scene of the next 10 years. Wilson was in the audience, together with members of the band who went on to form the brilliant post-punk pioneers Joy Division. The first part of the film is really focussed on them and their manager, the aggressive and cantankerous Rob Gretton ( played by Paddy Considine), and their producer, the irascible acid-casualty Martin Hannett (another superb cameo by Andy Serkis) - both of whom are no longer alive. Joy Division's lead singer, Ian Curtis, is portrayed so accurately by Sean Harris that it's positively eerie, and the scenes of the band playing in rundown venues seem remarkably true to life and capture effectively the rawness and intensity of their live performances. The film also deals, rather insensitively, with the death of Curtis, who's feet we see swinging after he has strung himself up on a rope in his house. This segues uncomfortably into a town crier announcing his death to the world, and ends with scenes showing Curtis's body in a coffin at the crematorium.

From then on, the story continues with Joy Division's reincarnation as New Order and the building of the Hacienda nightclub, and the sometimes disastrous business decisions made by Wilson and Factory. When New Order released Blue Monday, the record sleeve was so expensive to produce they lost money on every copy sold. The single went on to become the biggest-selling 12' of all time, paradoxically crippling Factory in the process. The first nights at the Hacienda were also calamitous, with bands playing in front of single-figure audiences. Eventually however, the druggy indie dance kings Happy Mondays arrived on the scene, and acid house was born. Suddenly the Hacienda was the place to be and the Madchester rave scene became famous all over the world. The scenes of drugs-and-sex-excess on the Monday's tour bus and the re-creation of the Hacienda club nights are superbly portrayed.

The final part of the film tells how gang violence led to the closure of the club and the drug-riddled misadventures of the Mondays, especially their singer Shaun Ryder, led to their downfall and had severe financial implications for Factory Records (Wilson had inexplicably sent them to Barbados to record their last Factory album). Eventually, Factory was sold, lock, stock and barrel, to another label (who were perturbed to find Wilson had not signed any contracts with any of the Factory bands, effectively giving the artists total creative freedom).

24 Hour Party People is a real rollercoaster ride. There are some brilliant acting performances, punctuated by cameos from real members of the Manchester music scene (such as Howard Devoto and Mark E. Smith). The merging of legend and reality may make it difficult for people unfamiliar with events to work out what actually happened. But this is no accurate, austere documentary, but a touching, sometimes surreal, and often very, very funny, anarchic portrayal of a time and a place and it's music. Oh, and of course, the soundtrack is fantastic.

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51 out of 61 people found the following review useful:
Worth multiple viewings and a little homework, 24 June 2003
Author: DestroyTheFives

I get the general sense from reading some of the reviews that people didn't like this movie because it didn't provide any instant gratification or personal meaning. That's probably true for people who don't know Joy Division, New Order, or the Happy Mondays, but I think it's totally unfair to discredit this film on a basis of a lack of prior knowledge. Many great films and novels aren't great because you get them on the first try, and I think that this movie follows the same path. If you didn't like it the first time, take a look at an old Tony Wilson interview or a concert tape of Joy Division and you will instantly see the quality production and acting that went into this film. Ian Curtis/Joy Division are portrayed with an eerily haunting accuracy (down to the instruments they play, which are rumoured to be the originals from the late 1970s) and you can tell that the cast really did their homework. The concert scenes are spectacularly energetic, the sets (especially the Hacienda) are ripped right out of the time period. Comic relief isn't overlooked, as the dry humour of Steve Coogan and the rest of the cast is pursued to the dime. The unscripted dialogue is also quite good, which is another indication of the actors' homework. This movie is worth the time: it details a very important time and place in pop music history that is often overlooked in the wake of much larger, more commercialized scenes. Rave and post-punk may be fading today, but one need only take a look at the charts to see its influence. Go out and get this movie, learn a little about it, and you will be impressed.

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39 out of 42 people found the following review useful:
A charmingly British film that is both funny and facinating, 10 April 2004
Author: darknessbeauty666 (darknessbeauty666@hotmail.com) from Blaxland, Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia

Alternative music is a passion of mine, so when I heard that there was film being made about factory records/'madchester', I was looking foward to seeing it. I wasn't disapointed. The script is very witty, the soundtrack is brilliant (Buzzcocks, A Certain Ratio, Sex Pistols, Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays, I could go on....), it probably isn't 100% true to what actually happened, but that doesn't matter that much, after all, 24 Hour Party People is only a film. It also brings you into the lives of those there, and also heavily explores not only the music, but the scene too, which is very important because it essentially spawned the rave music of today. A fun filled way to spend a couple of hours. Highly recomended.

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25 out of 29 people found the following review useful:
Two words: Fookin' Brellyint!, 24 February 2004

Author: Lexx-2 from Melbourne, Australia

This is, was and forever will be one of my favourite films of all time. A joyous love letter to the music, magic and madmen of Manchester, 24 Hour Party People is utterly, utterly exhilarating. Even if you don't know your New Order from your Durutti Column, you'll be hard-pressed not to get a kick out of Michael Winterbottom and Frank Cottrel Boyce's freewheeling depiction of a great time in pop culture.

In a nutshell, this is the story of a scene, a scene that grew out of the british punk explosion of the mid seventies. Inspired by the rising vibe in his home town, television presenter Tony Wilson, with the aid of colleagues Rob Gretton and Alan Erasmus created Factory Records. Factory is, as described in the film "an experiment in human nature", with no written contracts (barring one written on a napkin in Wilson's own blood) and total creative freedom for its acts. From the mid seventies to the early nineties, Factory launched a barrage of fresh and exciting talent on an unsuspecting world, ranging from punk (Joy Division, later to become New Order) to house (A Guy Called Gerald) and dance (Happy Mondays). At the centre of it all was Wilson, all the while balancing his empire building with a steady day job with Granada Television.

Winterbottom's film crams sixteen years of music history into under two hours, using and appropriately chaotic mix of storytelling techniques to rocket the story along. It's by no means an accurate account, (just listen to the commentary by Wilson on the DVD) but encapsulates the spirit of the Manchester Movement beautifully. The plot itself is split into two halves. Firstly, the early punk days, spearheaded by a promising quartet called Joy Division. Joy Division were the first notable artistic success of the label, but were hindered by controversy (the name was derived from the Nazi division of women who were used in an attempt to create the master race), gigs that often degenerated into brawls and most crucially, a talented, but troubled, severely epileptic lead singer, one Ian Curtis. The rapid rise and even faster fall of Joy Division anchors the first half.

The second half sees us bear witness to the birth of rave culture, aided along by one of Wilson's acts, the Happy Mondays. Formed by brothers Shaun and Paul Ryder, they blazed through Manchester in a blizzard of coke and heroin and shaped dance music in no small way. Oh, and they pretty much helped to run Factory into the ground.

Bouncing from hilarious comedy (a great deal of it improvised)to genuine poignancy (the decline of Curtis is heartbreaking stuff) the film is an utter triumph of wit, wonderment and technique. As Wilson, comedian Steve Coogan is nothing short of dynamic. Teetering on the right side caricature (and injecting a great deal of his Alan Partridge persona in to the mix) Coogan is the lynchpin for an otherwise wildly chaotic narrative. The entire cast do sterling work impersonating the Manchester luminaries of old (and by old, I mean young, before the drugs and booze). From Danny Cunningham's uninhibited Shaun Ryder to John Simm's gentle Bernard Sumner and Andy Serkis's fearsome Martin Hannet, (an arguably more fearsome character than Gollum if you ask me....) they're all great. But best of all is Sean Harris, who is simply unforgettable as Ian Curtis. He's so dead-on accurate its almost scary, from the haunted eyes and cheeky humor (witness his first meeting with Wilson) to the eccentric dance moves, its a performance that deserves every award in the book.

Oh and the music. Well if you're already a fan, I sure as hell don't need to say it, do I?

As it was, so it goes and so do I. See this movie before you die. Go on, rent it tonight, rent it now, buy it if you have to or if you're really desperate, just steal a copy. But please, see this movie, you won't regret it.

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28 out of 37 people found the following review useful:
Flying too high, 22 October 2005
Author: JoeytheBrit from www.moviemoviesite.com

There's a scene in 24 Hour Party People in which Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan) enters the loo of a seedy nightclub to get car keys from his wife, who happens to be engaging in sexual intercourse with Howard Devoto. Retrieving the keys, and admonishing his wife for having penetrative sex in revenge for him merely receiving oral pleasure from a hooker, Wilson walks out of the toilet, passing a cleaner who turns to the camera and claims to have no knowledge of the event. The cleaner is actually the real Howard DeVoto.

This is one example of a technique director Michael Winterbottom uses throughout this movie. With a skill that ranges from deft to clumsy, he repeatedly disengages Coogan from the story to make a direct to camera comment; he introduces major and minor characters and reveals future plot twists – 'he will try to kill me, he will sleep with my wife'; he lists the cameo appearances in the film, and explains that a scene he has described isn't in the film – but will probably be on the DVD. It's a device that works surprisingly well, even though it shouldn't, but then, in a docudrama/biopic that strays into the surreal with comical encounters with UFOs and interviews with God, straight-to-camera dialogue is almost normal.

Coogan must have seemed a compulsory choice for the role of Wilson – he reputedly based his TV character, Alan Partridge, on him – and there's a lot of Partridge in Coogan's portrayal. It's a little irritating at first, but despite this Coogan manages to make Wilson quite an endearing – if slightly buffoonish – character, and you can't quite understand why he seems to attract such contempt from those around him (Genius. Poet. Tw!t. read one of the taglines for the movie, with pictures of Ian Curtis, Shaun Ryder and Tony Wilson respectively).

Tony Wilson is (still) a Granada TV reporter who hosted, back in the 70s, a regional TV show that championed, in its own small way, the likes of the Sex Pistols and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Wilson was so enthused by the music scene in Manchester and Liverpool that he and Alan Erasmus recruited local producer Martin Hannett (the tragic subject here of a fierce impersonation by Andy Serkis) to produce a record featuring Joy Division (who would later evolve into New Order), The Durutti Column, John Dowie and Cabaret Voltaire. The record was a success: the Factory record label grew out of this success and would go on to record James and the Happy Mondays among others, as well as opening the legendary Hacienda nightclub in Manchester.

Early on, Coogan explains, after we have seen him crashing a hang-glider in the course of a news report, that the scene is symbolic and refers to Icarus, the character of Greek legend who flew too close to the sun. From the outset it's made clear to us that what we are to see is a modern spin on a Greek tragedy – and there is tragedy aplenty in Factory's story – although whether Winterbottom is comparing or contrasting Wilson's story is open to debate.

Although an aura of impending doom hangs over the entire film, and becomes increasingly oppressive as it reaches its final scenes, the tragedies within the story are never dwelled upon purely for emotional impact. There's a death scene and a funeral and the story moves on, and this is where one of the movie's real strengths lie. It doesn't try to feed us emotional cues, it doesn't try to make us like any of the characters, it merely tells its story – albeit in a decidedly quirky manner. At times you do feel as if you're merely watching a bunch of scenes that have been cobbled together, but Winterbottom captures a feel of what it must have been like to be a part of such an extraordinary and explosive organisation, and an equally exhilarating time in British music history (the sense of history is a thread that is continually reinforced throughout the film). The use of digital video also works well (for a change), especially in the early scenes, which closely resemble the grainy feel of newsreel from the Seventies.

As always, the downfall of an empire is always more engrossing than its rise, and it is nothing short of horrifying at times to see the fundamental errors made by Wilson and the others at Factory – problem with drug dealers at the Hacienda? No problem – make them the doormen so that they can control the situation. Trying to dry heroin addict Ryder out so that he can finish the CD that will shore up the Factory's creaking structure? Fine, send him to Barbados where he can get hooked on crack. And as it all falls apart around their ears you realise that you're not really watching a modern version of Icarus, you're merely witnessing the inevitable collapse of a house of cards built against all the odds by spiteful, boorish children – there is no comparison, after all.

Given the dislikeable nature of its characters, one suspects 24 Hour Party People's version of events isn't too far from the truth (although liberties are taken with the timeline), and it certainly boasts the energy of the music and times it portrays. For those who lived through those times, and who have knowledge of the people and events it depicts, the film will provide a fascinating insight into the lives of some of the people who were shaping that era, but it will never make you care for them. Which, in a way, is testimony to its quality because, despite the mean-spiritedness of the movie's characters, you will never be anything less than absorbed while watching it.

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18 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
Nicely done!, 9 February 2004
Author: Maksimilijan Bogosavljeviæ from Toronto, ON.

Like any other movie about rock music, documentary or not, '24 Hour Party People' packs its fair share of inside material and self-indulgent frivolity.

Due to a crammed timeframe of 20 years (essentially one big juggling act of people, bands and events) connecting all the dots required multiple viewings, even if I had certain prior knowledge of the Manchester music scene in the late '70s, '80s and the early '90s. Making matters still more difficult is the variety of extremely thick accents - to a point of entire sections of dialogue or monologue occasionally flying by with only a single word or two actually registering with me. While it added to film's authenticity, that got to be more than a bit annoying after a while. Where's that closed captioned TV set when you desperately need it?

As far as the treatment of the subjects themselves goes, the movie does an adequate job. I mean, when it gets right down to it, the only structure such a film can more-or-less follow is the basic listing of a series of real events (and in this particular case most of them already well documented). Naturally, as such it doesn't allow for a whole lot of substantial artistic freedom so the director employs many little asides, winks and nudges by our narrator Tony Wilson (often through the 'fourth wall') as well as visual tricks and, obviously, music to make this different from, say, something you might see on VH1's 'Behind the Music'. In addition to being one of the major driving forces behind the whole scene, Tony also held a full-time job at Granada TV all throughout this period, which the movie uses skillfully for comic relief.

Predictably (not that I'm complaining), things like: Ian Curtis' suicide, the opening of the Haçienda club, ascent and demise of Factory Records, Shaun Ryder's famously out-of-control & self destructive shenanigans, all receive special treatment. Through Steve Coogan's excellent performance, Tony Wilson, our guide through this zoo, comes off as a pretty fascinating fellow. Director Michael Winterbottom makes a wise choice in leaving out many details from his private life in favour of the music itself and the people who created it. Wilson's second wife and kids, for example, are barely mentioned - with a cheeky remark about Tony being a minor character in his own life story as an explanation for the lack of on-screen time devoted to them.

In the end, whether or not you enjoy '24 Hour Party People' will largely, if not entirely, depend on your level of familiarity or appreciation of the bands like Joy Division, New Order, The Happy Mondays and to a lesser extent of their punk inspirations and predecessors like The Stranglers, The Jam, Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie and the Banshees, who are also depicted in the film.

Personally, even though I was always aware of the British new wave, most of its music & 'shtick' pretty much slipped under my radar so I recently started discovering it retroactively. Therefore, it was a blast to see a well-done, interesting film celebrating that era in popular music. These blokes created & performed honest, full-blooded, passionate tunes, which is the single most important thing that comes through the movie.

P.S: The Smiths, another famous and influential Manchester band are notably absent from much of the film. This is probably due to the fact that back in 1983 both Tony and New Order producer/manager Rob Gretton agreed their demo was crap, so instead to Factory they went to Rough Trade Records based in London. They're mentioned briefly at the end, though, when Tony speaks to God himself who among other things tells him: "it's a pity you didn't sign The Smiths". :) Brilliant!

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15 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Terrific music bio with award-worthy acting by Steve Coogan, 11 September 2002

Author: Joe Stemme (gortx) from United States

Ignore the awful ads for 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE (which are bollocks!), and run out and see the film while it is out in limited release. Anybody with an interest in Alternative Music in general, and the British Punk/New Wave & Rave scenes should see this examination of the past 25 years of British rock as filtered through the eyes of Factory Records' Tony Wilson.

Perhaps a bit too "inside" for general audiences, it is a rare example of a music based film that its actually good cinema to go along with it's raucous soundtrack. Well done, wry and entertaining. My only quibbles are that the filmmakers seem to be preaching to the converted. Except for the tragic Ian Curtis (JOY DIVISION), little attempt is made to inform the uninitiated as to why these bands mattered (NEW ORDER in particular, is just tossed around almost as a brand name, rather than a living breathing artistic unit). Also, we are constantly told how wonderful Manchester is as a city, but we are never really shown why. Steve Coogan's portrayal of Wilson really makes the film flow and live. It's not the kind of role that usually wins awards, but here's hoping some critics group somewhere notices. He's that fine.

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14 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
great mocku-docu-rockumentary, 27 July 2003

Author: jimi99 from denver

This movie is quite hyperbolic about the Manchester scene which is portrayed with so much style, energy, humor, and gutty performances, that even if you weren't a fan of Joy Division & Happy Mondays, this particular musical revolution is extolled on a par with Memphis early 50's, the whole of UK 1963-65, San Francisco 1966-67, or Austin 1972-74. I wasn't a fan of those Manchester bands, but I really enjoyed all of the music in this film. And Steve Coogan's performance and the structure of his charismatic part are wonderful. And very funny.

Like "SLC Punk" and movies like "Rude Boy" and the Sex Pistols movies, "24 Hour Party People" captures the anger of the times and incredible energy of that socio-musical upheaval, and ultimately the sadness at the inevitable passing of a bright moment in popmusic history. When Coogan/Wilson brags about the birth of the rave culture in his club in his beloved city, taking credit for another major movement, I didn't feel his pride or excitement, only that sense of sadness at the techno-evolution of punk...

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15 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
how did I miss seeing this movie till now?, 3 August 2005

Author: MisterWhiplash from United States

24 Hour Party People is just one of those movies that has that click with the subject matter. The actual style of the film corresponds with the music, the irreverence, and the energy of it all. But there's more than just the unconventionality of the script and direction; the film has that sort of stream-of-thought, wry, distinct British humor to it, and a sincerity beneath the absurdist parts. It follows its main character down the line, in a surreal way like a documentary, if that makes sense- we move between Tony Wilson addressing the audience (played by Steve Coogan, who is so on target with the honesty of the portrayal you can't picture anyone else in the role), an almost behind-the-scenes filming of it (I think), and a dramatization shot on pure digital, independent vibes.

Wilson, who sees the Sex Pistols play in Manchester (his hometown, and the main base and heart in the location of this film), is also a journalist on television. He gets so enamored with what he sees as an extremely important part of history (the viewer will get a good idea of this), he gets involved with the bands, the locals, and goes from just bands, to maintaining the Hacienda, a club. Some parts of the film one might expect, if considering it includes the rise and fall of fame (or rather, in this film, a lot of times in the mind), and the drug scene coinciding with the music. One knows that Tony Wilson is the main character, the protagonist, basically in every scene, but somehow he does not become the only important part of the film's success. The music too is a huge factor, and the speed it sets for a movie like this.

As much biography as musical, 24 Hour Party People brings to light the scene of Manchester as a history lesson, but an entertaining one to boot. Bands like New Order (the form after Joy Division split) will be known to most who follow music, but unless if you're not really steeped in the new-wave/dance scene of the 80's and 90's, some of the bands may sound totally unfamiliar. Still, this is not an automatic deterrent- the music is what it is, and most who will want to see the film will know what they're getting (in truth, the ratio of British punk and new-wave vs. electronica is fairly balanced). But even when some of the music doesn't stand the test of time, it serves the story all the same (some of the more interesting and darkly funny scenes are when no one comes to the club the sort of 'mix-way' between the two musical eras).

And all through this, Coogan plays it like a pro. The Coogan Wilson, of course, is far from the real Tony Wilson (one of the DVD interviews says he's a 'Jerry Springer'-looking type), so it becomes more of being a character in this whole environment that springs up around and by him. In a way he's kind of like a British Andy Warhol with the idealistic, serious journalist instead of the painter/filmmaker. There's a sort of checked insanity that underlays some of his performance, and yet for most of the time, like a lot of the better British actors, he doesn't play it more for laughs than he needs, and when serious drama/tragedy comes up it's still kept to this reality. So, along with him, and the music, and the strange form of putting together a dramatized, documentary/musical/black comedy by director Michael Winterbottom and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce, it all gels. This is one of the finest sleepers I've seen in a while.

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19 out of 27 people found the following review useful:
Modern British film-making at its best, 24 March 2004
Author: Richard Foster from England

Previous reviewers of this film obviously just don't get it. This is unlike recent Brit stinkers like Rancid Aluminium, Down Time, or Fanny and Elvis. This is more in the tradition of Withnail and I, Trainspotting, Lock Stock, 28 Days Later, and Dog Soldiers.

The history of Factory records is chaotic and episodic. This is reflected superbly in the film. The characterisations are brilliant; from Steve Coogan's portrayal of the complex Anthony H. Wilson to minor characters such as Dave Gorman's John the Postman. If you were there at the time, it all comes flooding back... if you weren't then just sit back and enjoy the portrayal of a unique time in British popular culture...MANCHESTER 1976-1992

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