The Go-Go's is a 2020 American-Irish-Canadian documentary film directed and produced by Alison Ellwood.[1] The film follows the rise of the girl band the Go-Go's.
| The Go-Go's | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Alison Ellwood |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Sam Painter |
| Edited by | Brett Banks |
| Music by | Matt Hauser |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Showtime |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020, followed by its release in the United States on June 30, 2020, by Showtime. It runs for 97 minutes. On March 16, 2024 it premiered on The CW making it the first non pay television network to air the film.
Synopsis
editThe Go-Go's become the first successful, all-girl band to write their own songs and play their own instruments while making it to No. 1 on the charts. The Go-Go's follows the rise of a band starting from the LA punk scene.
Interviewees
edit- Charlotte Caffey, lead guitar, keyboardist
- Belinda Carlisle, lead vocalist
- Gina Schock, drummer
- Kathy Valentine, bassist, rhythm guitar
- Jane Wiedlin, rhythm guitar
- Margot Olavarria, former bassist with the Go-Go's
- Elissa Bello, former drummer with the Go-Go's
- Paula Jean Brown, former bassist with the Go-Go's
- Ginger Canzoneri, former manager of the Go-Go's
- Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill
- Pleasant Gehman, writer and musician
- Lynval Golding of the Specials
- Lee Thompson of Madness
- Stewart Copeland of the Police
- Chris Connelly, journalist
- Martha Quinn, former MTV video jockey
- Miles Copeland III, music executive with I.R.S. Records
- Dave Robinson, music executive with Stiff Records
Critical reception
editThe review consensus at Rotten Tomatoes for The Go-Go's had 98% of critics recommending the film, based on 45 reviews and an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Emulating the spirit of punk in form and function, The Go-Go's is a raucous celebration of the pioneering band and a stylistic knockout that will blow viewers' hair back."[2] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[3]
Reviewers praised the film, noting it would appeal to fans and non-fans alike.[4][5][6] Reviews noted the candor that the members of the band bring to their contemporary interviews.[7][8][9][10][11]
References
edit- ^ "the-go-go-s". www.sundance.org. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ "The Go-Go's (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ "The Go-Go's Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- ^ Fear, David (2020-07-31). "'The Go-Go's' Gives '80s New Wave Band a Proper Music Doc (Finally)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ Willman, Chris (2020-01-25). "The Go-Go's on Sundance Doc: Neither 'America's Sweethearts' Nor 'Drug-Crazed Demons'". Variety. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ Anderson, John (2020-07-30). "'The Go-Go's' Review: From Punk Band to Pop Pioneers". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ Lopez, Kristen (2020-07-31). "'The Go-Go's' Review: Showtime Documentary Explores a Hall of Fame Slight". IndieWire. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ Roeper, Richard (2020-07-30). "A movie that Go-Go's there: Documentary digs deep into band's history". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ "Review: 'The Go-Gos' get the kind of catchy, layered documentary every '80s icon deserves". Los Angeles Times. 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ "Showtime's 'The Go-Go's' Documentary Breaks The Seal". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ Stuever, Hank. "Review | For too long, the story of the Go-Go's was a cautionary tale. A new documentary turns it into a triumph". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-01-03.