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IMDbPro

Wham!

  • 2023
  • TV-14
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
9.8K
YOUR RATING
Wham! (2023)
In 1982, the best of friends and still teenagers George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as Wham. set out to conquer the world. By June of 1986 they played their very last gig at Wembley Stadium having done exactly that. Now for the very first time, told in their own words, the amazing story of how in four years they dominated the charts around the world with timeless and classic pop songs. Hit after hit "Club Tropicana," "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go," "Freedom," "I'm Your Man" and of course "Last Christmas". Their time in the spotlight was white-hot, becoming the very first western pop act to play in China. It was a time that both encapsulated and epitomized not just their youth, but also those of the many millions of fans that adored them.
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Music DocumentaryBiographyDocumentaryMusic

Through archival interviews and footage, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley relive the arc of their Wham career, from '70s best buds to '80s pop icons.Through archival interviews and footage, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley relive the arc of their Wham career, from '70s best buds to '80s pop icons.Through archival interviews and footage, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley relive the arc of their Wham career, from '70s best buds to '80s pop icons.

  • Director
    • Chris Smith
  • Writer
    • Clare Keogh
  • Stars
    • Wham!
    • George Michael
    • Andrew Ridgeley
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    9.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Chris Smith
    • Writer
      • Clare Keogh
    • Stars
      • Wham!
      • George Michael
      • Andrew Ridgeley
    • 52User reviews
    • 39Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 1 win & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:22
    Official Trailer

    Photos6

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    Top cast29

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    Wham!
    Wham!
    • Themselves
    • (archive footage)
    George Michael
    George Michael
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Andrew Ridgeley
    Andrew Ridgeley
    • Self
    Bananarama
    Bananarama
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Bono
    Bono
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    David Bowie
    David Bowie
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Boy George
    Boy George
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Phil Collins
    Phil Collins
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Mark Dean
    • Self - Innervision Records
    • (archive footage)
    Helen DeMacque
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Aretha Franklin
    Aretha Franklin
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Elton John
    Elton John
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Shirlie Kemp
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Paul McCartney
    Paul McCartney
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Freddie Mercury
    Freddie Mercury
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Simon Napier-Bell
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Kyriacos Panayiotou
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Sting
    Sting
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • Director
      • Chris Smith
    • Writer
      • Clare Keogh
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews52

    7.59.7K
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    Featured reviews

    7EUyeshima

    A Genuine Friendship Couldn't Overshadow George Michael's Dominant Shadow

    There isn't anything particularly revelatory about this 2023 documentary about the definitive '80's pop duo, but it's a mostly effective retelling of their successful albeit brief track record on the top of the charts. What appears reassuring was the genuine friendship depicted between George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. And how George's mercurial talent as a songwriter and performer quickly broke the pair apart professionally. If there were ugly moments between them, you won't find evidence of them here. Director Chris Smith took a more vanilla approach and used audio-only interviews with George and Andrew to narrate most of the story. Since George died tragically in 2016, Smith apparently didn't want to lean too much on a present-day Ridgeley to have the final word on their story. The still-catchy music speaks for itself.
    7TakeTwoReviews

    A love letter to Yog.

    Did I need a Wham! Documentary in my life? I didn't think do, but turns out I was wrong. Now let's be clear I wasn't a Wham! Fan. I did grow up in the 80s, but I don't think there's a single Wham! Song I like. So why on earth am I watching this? Well partly the power of Netflix marketing and partly that I do enjoy a good documentary. And this is a good documentary. It doesn't break any moulds, the format of tons of archive is fairly standard now, but there is a wealth of stuff here that takes you right back to the era with nailed on authenticity. Two high school mates, fooling around with music, playing, experimenting. Nothing much else to do and plenty of social discord to feed off, as they muck around with home demos. What's obvious though is they've got talent and drive and in George (or Yog), a great charismatic singer. 'Wham Rap' still leaves me cold, but hey at least there was some substance to it and in 'Careless Whisper', although it's pure schmaltz, it's pop potential really does smack you in the face. What's interesting now, watching in 2023 is the reliance they had on the record industry to be given a break. No social media or accessible DIY scene. Young George and Andrew aren't work shy, putting in the hours on dingy club tours, but it's a lucky break getting the chance to fill in for a no show on Top of the Pops and from there things go nuts. It's all about the look. It's the 80s after all. Pretty boys (plus the two girls) and a dance routine what more do you need? Nothing apparently. The hits keep coming, charting every single. There's no talking heads and most of the narration comes from Andrew Ridgley, stock filling in where the archive gets sparse, but there's plenty from George Micheal too, these parts beautifully edited to make it feel like he's been part of the production with the two friends still bouncing off one another. No more so, than when the subject of George's sexuality comes out. How he handled it or rather didn't. His realisation that he was gay, at a time where that was still an issue in a Conservative British society. Instead of being excepted as it would be today (in music at least), it's repressed and hidden. Overshadowed by the critical punches they took as their pop star rose. Screaming teenagers taking over as they go on tour, they play up to it, leaving by what I'm sure are the front doors of Manchester Apollo (58:50) in towel robes, when they could've snuck out the side door. It's the era of Whamania and they admittedly love it, sticking their faces on merch... and making sod all money. It's details like this that make documentaries on subjects you didn't think you cared about interesting. Because you don't know everything and often because you've not paid attention and dismissed something, you've not realised there's more meat on the bone. So we wind through the sordid issues or dodgy record deals, the band creative separation, ambition and two people on different paths. Ridgley talks openly and candidly, as much of the story becomes commanded by George. It's to Ridgley's credit that he drives this so well. It's a love letter to a lost friend. Am I a converted Wham! Fan? No, not at all, but I'll admit more respect for George Micheal and Andrew Ridgley, what they did and how they did it.
    8HerHolyMoly

    Really Fun Blast from the Past

    I was born in 1976 and grew up with Wham! Being a staple of the music on the radio as a kid. It was 'dare you to not dance and sing' amazing. I remember being 8 and belting out careless whisper so much that my mom begged me to stop and I did once my voice ran out. One day during a bath, I got my big toe stuck in the bathtub faucet. I was not paying attention as I was too focused on nailing the chorus down. The Wham!bulance and fire department had to come and free me from a very naked embarrassing situation. My mom did drain the tub and throw me a towel to cover up in. True story.

    We all know how George Michael advanced after his 4 short years in Wham! We know his trials and tribulations and the heartbreaking end of his story.

    But who really knows the story of how it all began?

    This is a brilliant documentary as you hear this wonderful story of 2 best friends since pre-puberty follow their dreams and create something truly magical. It's a fun ride, with lots of opportunities to sing along, and yet the entire time I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

    We ALL KNOW how hard that shoe drops when George is on his own.

    Baby spoiler- it never happens.

    These documentarians stayed laser focused on their formative years all the way up to the final tour. Then fin. It was so cool to see a documentary in todays times in which we crave off the negative, just spoon feed us the positive, even when we can still read between the lines.

    I recommend this doc if you are a fan of their music. Even if you just LIKE it, this flick will remind you that you've been lying to yourself all these years, and you love them as much as the rest of us. Assimilate.
    8TeddyKeaton

    Joyful memories of a snapshot in time

    I had a smile on my face as I watched most of this film, remembering how lovely George and Andy were together and the infectious smiles on the both of them. Their music is still as catchy as ever, and it was nice to see a lot of early concert footage of the group that I'd never seen before. Thank you Mr. Ridgeley for putting this together. My only complaint was that it was about 15-20 minutes longer than it needed to be, and it could've had more clips of Andy and George in the studio together. Definitely a must-see if you're a fan of 80s pop music, and if you know little to nothing about the underpinnings of George's meteoric rise to solo career fame.
    8Xstal

    Boys Will Be Boys...

    There's a decade that began with lots of style, if you were there I'd guarantee you had a smile, as New Romantics left a mark, Punk and Disco had a spark, but it was Wham that got you dancing in the aisle. Two bad boys who generated so much fun, they were the epitome of everyone's young gun, a ray of sunshine, panorama, cocktails abound at Tropicana, as they opened doors to everyone's freedom.

    A more than enjoyable reflection of a time two young lads came together to create some pop perfection, to wake up a generation and give those tuned in, everything they wanted, getting closer to a heaven, than they'd ever been before.

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    8.4
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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      In a 2023 interview with Smooth Radio, Chris Smith spoke about the unexpected way archive material was found and how it shaped the film: "The biggest surprise during the process was realizing that Andrew Ridgeley's mother had these scrapbooks. Those ended up, I think there were 50 in total and were this incredible document that sort of charted the rise and the ultimate conclusion of Wham!. To have those as a guide that we were able to come back to time and time and time again as a narrative device was such an incredible break. And then in terms of the actual archive, the process, it wasn't like we collected everything and then we cut the movie. It was ongoing throughout the entire process. And we had heard that there was this fabled footage that existed from the Club Fantastic tour. And I don't think we found that until like a couple of weeks before we finished. It was something that somebody knew someone who knew someone who had a copy of VHS tape on their shelf. It's much more happenstance than I think people would assume. I think that people would assume that this all exists in one centralized location in George Michael's estate. Andrew had a lot of it, but there were a lot of things that were just sort of floating out there that we were fortunately able to find and pull in."
    • Quotes

      George Michael: I always get really shy when there's loads and loads of other pop stars about. I just tend to clam up a bit.

    • Connections
      Featured in 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards (2024)
    • Soundtracks
      A Ray of Sunshine
      Published by Wham Music Ltd, All rights administered by WC Music Group

      Performed by Wham!

      Licensed courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd

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    FAQ15

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • July 5, 2023 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Netflix
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • WHAM!:渾然天成
    • Production companies
      • Ventureland
      • Passion Pictures
      • Library Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital

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