24 Hour Party People (2002)

In 1976, Tony Wilson sets up Factory Records and brings Manchester's music to the world.

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writer:

Frank Cottrell Boyce (screenplay)

Stars:

Steve Coogan, Lennie James, John Thomson

1 win & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Coogan	...	Tony Wilson
John Thomson	...	Charles
Paul Popplewell	...	Paul Ryder
Lennie James	...	Alan Erasmus
Shirley Henderson	...	Lindsay
Mark Windows	...	Johnny Rotten
Paddy Considine	...	Rob Gretton
Raymond Waring	...	Vini
Ron Cook	...	Derek Ryder
John Simm	...	Bernard Sumner
Danny Cunningham	...	Shaun Ryder
Dave Gorman	...	John the Postman
Ralf Little	...	Hooky (Peter Hook)
Andy Serkis	...	Martin Hannett
Nigel Pivaro	...	Actor at Granada

Storyline

Manchester 1976: Cambridge educated Tony Wilson, Granada TV presenter, is at a Sex Pistols gig. Totally inspired by this pivotal moment in music history, he and his friends set up a record label, Factory Records, signing first Joy Division (who go on to become New Order) then James and the Happy Mondays, who all become seminal artists of their time. What ensues is a tale of music, sex, drugs, larger-than-life characters, and the birth of one of the most famous dance clubs in the world, The Hacienda - a mecca for clubbers as famous as the likes of Studio 54. Graphically depicting the music and dance heritage of Manchester from the late 70's to the early 90's, this comedy documents the vibrancy that made Mad-chester the place in the world that you would most like to be.

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Plot Keywords:

manchester | drugs | violence | suicide by hanging | snorting cocaine | 

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Taglines:

The unbelievably true story of one man, one movement, the music and madness that was Manchester.

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, drug use and sexuality

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

24 ores gemates rock

Filming Locations:

Mam Tor, High Peak Estate, Derbyshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£265,428 (United Kingdom), 7 April 2002, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$34,940, 11 August 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,130,379, 13 October 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revolution Films, Baby Cow Productions, The Film Consortium

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Appeared on Entertainment Weekly's list of The 50 Best Movies You've Never Seen in the Jul 16, 2012 issue.

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Goofs

The Haçienda's last night of operation wasn't a rave night as seen in the film. It was actually a performance by the English space rock band Spiritualized. The building was used for two parties after the club officially closed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tony Wilson: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's the latest craze sweeping the Pennines, and I've got to be honest, I'd rather be sweeping the Pennines right now.

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Connections

Referenced in One Hit Wonderland: Unbelievable by EMF (2013)

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Soundtracks

Louie Louie
Written by Richard Berry
Published by EMI Publishing Ltd
Performed by The Factory Allstars

User Reviews

Two words: Fookin' Brellyint!

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.