Good Vibrations (2012)

A chronicle of Terri Hooley's life, a record-store owner instrumental in developing Belfast's punk-rock scene.

Directors:

Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn

Writers:

Colin Carberry (screenplay), Glenn Patterson (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Dormer, Liam Cunningham, Jodie Whittaker

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Richard Dormer	...	Terri Hooley
Liam Cunningham	...	Davy
Jodie Whittaker	...	Ruth
Adrian Dunbar	...	Andy
Kerr Logan	...	Feargal Sharky
Killian Scott	...	Ronnie Matthews
Dylan Moran	...	Pat
David Wilmot	...	Eric
Patrick FitzSymons	...	Des, BBC Reporter (as Patrick Fitzsymons)
Karl Johnson	...	George
Andrew Simpson	...	Getty
Mark Ryder	...	Greg Cowan
Ryan McParland	...	Fangs
Patrick O'Kane	...	Hatchet
Ruth McCabe	...	Mavis

Storyline

In 1970s Belfast, Terri Hooley is an idealistic rocker who finds himself caught in the middle of Northern Ireland's bitter Troubles. Seeing a parallel in the chaos with Jamaica, Hooley opens a record shop, Good Vibrations, to help bring reggae music to his city to help encourage some harmony. However, Hooley soon discovers a new music genre, punk rock, and is inspired by its youthful vitality to become an important record producer and promoter of the local scene. In doing so, Hooley would struggle both with the industry's realities and his chaotic personal life that threaten to consume him. However, he would also be instrumental in creating an alternative Irish community that would bridge his land's religious and social rivalries with an art no one expected.

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Plot Keywords:

punk rock | ireland | record producer | 1970s | record store | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK Ireland

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 2013 (UK)

Also Known As:

Dobre vibracije

Filming Locations:

Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canderblinks Film and Music, Revolution Films, Matador Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer Glenn Patterson got the idea for the film when he bumped into Terri Hooley in a bar in Belfast and was entranced by the stories he told about his past.

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Goofs

During the concert in the Ulster Hall, a punk is seen wearing a Casualties patch.The Casualties were formed in 1990.

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Quotes

Terri Hooley: When I look out at youse all gathered here, it confirms something I always felt.
Terri Hooley: When It comes to punk: New York has the haircuts, London Has the trousers, but Belfast has the Reason!

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Connections

Featured in The EE British Academy Film Awards (2014)

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Soundtracks

Perfect Crime
Written by Paul Burgess and Thomas Coulter
Performed by Jason Falkner
Produced by David Holmes
Published by Paul Burgess and
© 2008 Cherry Red Songs/copyright control For The World
Administered on behalf of Cherry Red Songs
by Kassner Associated Publishers Ltd.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

User Reviews

An entertaining music biopic

This is a biopic about Terri Hooley, the owner of Good Vibrations record shop and record label. His biggest claim to fame was in getting The Undertones seminal single Teenage Kicks to DJ John Peel. Considering that this became Peel's favourite song of all time, this is something of note. I hadn't heard of Hooley, or Good Vibrations but this isn't too surprising seeing as – aside from The Undertones who were only involved with him briefly – the other punk bands on his label were very minor players such as The Outcasts and Rudi. It's probably fair to say that the movie overstates the significance of Hooley and of Belfast as a punk capital.

Nevertheless, this is still a good film. It successfully illustrates how punk rock served a different purpose in Belfast compared to most other places. It happened during the height of The Troubles and music was a means of bringing people together from both sides of the fence, while the youthful anger of punk rock tapped into something very relevant in a population living in grim times with the fear of violence a constant situation. To help give a better feel for the times there are actual newsreels from the period spliced into the story. Although the politics always hover in the background and never really move into the central ground of the story. This is above all a story about the love of music and its power to overcome wider concerns. Although, admittedly it failed to bring an end to the civil war, seeing as it lasted for a further twenty years.

The story is a fairly standard feel-good biopic with a little bit of adverse drama thrown in about two thirds of the way in. In fairness, it's only being true to its source material which is fairly slight to begin with. The period setting is captured quite well in its beige horror although there were some (very) dodgy wigs on display. This will connect most with folks who remember the punk times, especially ones who were in Belfast at the time. But it is a good film about a minor piece of music history.