SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

HippieRockChick I didn't exactly hold high expectations for this, and I admit I watched it solely for David Bowie. But any hopes or expectations I held were speedily dashed.What the hell WAS this farrago? A British "West Side Story", with much less compelling music. Instead of Jets vs. Sharks, it was Teds, neo-fascists and greedy developers vs. just about the entire rest of society. In 1958,the year of the story, I was 12 years old, on the verge of becoming a "teenager", this mysteriously powerful being lauded by the film as a kind of godlike figure. But the glamorization of such nasty people and the romanticism of violence, improbable situations is SO unlikely and hard to swallow. I was a kid, as I said, but I really doubt that people sat around in cafés in narcoleptic trances snapping their fingers, or at least not for long periods of time. This fictional romanticism of parasites on society is my major hate on "West Side Story" itself. And the music was godawful, except for Bowie's contributions.As for the actors: Patsy Kensit was charming enough in a thankless role, Eddie O'Connell basically disappeared into the scenery and didn't have the chops to carry the part, James Fox was delicious as always, and Bowie had about ten minutes total screen time, including a fairly dumb musical number, only tolerable because it was him and because he's a really good dancer who wore one of the best suits I've ever seen. A sad waste of his talents: I find him to be a very engaging actor and a lot better than people give him credit for.All in all, an unpleasant, improbable piece of silliness, reducing the Notting Hill riots to choreographed posing. Avoid.

johnstonjames absolutely perfect. in my opinion one of the very best film musicals of all time. to quote those that love indulgent hyperbole, "the very best EVER!".i don't always like movies that are all about the joys of being young and alive, even when i was young i felt old and didn't usually like 'em. i make exception for subject matter when the cinema is this good. especially when it involves Julien Temple.i've always felt 'Beginners' was an ironic example of the material being far superior to it's source influences. Julien Temple and film critics have often stated the the influences of 'Absolute Beginners' were the films of Vicente Minnelli. that's pretty obvious. but take it from a long time fan of film musicals, this is better than anything Minelli ever put out. not only is it more sophisticated and boast better concepts and ideas, it's technically much better than the old musical film master was capable of.lemme say this. Eddie O'Connell and Patsy Kensit are perhaps, in my humble opinion, one of cinema's best screen couple and romances ever. EVER. their characters and also the performances resonate with intelligence and soulfulness. something lacking often in the overstated and overworked romances in the popular media.'Beginners' is such a combination of so many elements that work out beautifully. a thing that often occurs with Julien Temple. Temple's sense of perfectionism never drives anything into the ground or results in overkill. every element blends perfectly. the story, music, cinematography, the incredible performances, all done with such excelled artistry that you would think something would give and overpower the whole. not so. it works out evenly, smoothly and to cinema perfection.rarely are musicals so entertaining as musicals and also comprise great cinema. as usual everything that Julien Temple does with music and cinema results in cinematic perfection. brilliant.

pedond I remember when "Absolute Beginners" was being filmed, and MTV had a contest where one lucky fan got to appear as an extra in the "Selling Out" number, and who got to hang out with David Bowie (man, did I wish rains of rocks to fall on her head- I wanted to hang with Bowie, damnit!) I didn't get to see it until years later, when I rented it. I ended up buying it on VHS, and have loved it now as I did when I first rented it. The 'serious' part of the film- the race riots- seem to not quite jibe with the rest of the film upon a first viewing. But, once you realize that you're not watching a serious BBC documentary on the subject, and that the package as a whole is meant to be entertaining and exciting to watch, it all fits together quite nicely.Even though Bowie is prominently featured in all the adverts and on the video cover, he is actually only in it for about 10 minutes. But, what a ten minutes! His theme song (the movie's title) is wonderful, and if you can find it, the full-length version (around 8:00 + minutes) is spectacular. "That's Motivation", his sole musical performance, is a sly dig at the pretentiousness of the advertising world and the self-motivation needed to truly sell your soul to Madison Avenue (or, London's equivalent). As Vendice Partners, he exemplifies the kind of greasy vampires who were beginning to discover the power of the teenager and advertising. The late Anita Morris is delicious as Dido Lament, the yank gossip columnist, who is just as much of a vampire as Vendice, except her prey are horny teenage males. Eddie O'Connell as Colin and Patsy Kensit as Suzzette (Crepe' Suzzette, as she is referred to in the film) are cute together as the lead teens, with "Having It All" (Suzzette's number) a showcase for her singing style, which is a cross between Minnie Mouse and Tracy Ullman (and I mean that as a compliment!) Julien Temple is a fantastic director, and his keen sense of style is evident throughout this picture (the same style he brings to his music videos). The fantastic opening shot, one (apparantly) long take, is exciting (he did the same thing for "When I Think Of You" by Janet Jackson). The sets all evoke a hyper-realistic view of 1950's London, when times were finally good and London started to swing. The costumes are imaginative, and the dance sequences vibrant.It's kind of surprising that "Absolute Beginners" gets overlooked when flashy movies of the 80's are listed. I was surprised to hear it was a huge bomb on both sides of the Atlantic, and held contribute to the film's studio, Goldcrest, going bankrupt. It's a true undiscovered gem, one that should be picked up, polished to its ultimate brightness, and looked at again and again. It's (to coin the title of my fave sitcom) Absolutely Fabulous! If you're reading this, and you haven't seen it yet, you won't regret it if you do. Absolutely.

Peter Hayes Recreation of 1950's (London) Soho and the up-and-coming people. Based on a cult novel.Julian Temple is a video director. No more, no less. Give him 15 million dollars and he will make you a 15 million dollar pop video. Here he forgets that two minutes with people that can't really act is one thing - but two hours? What was he thinking of. Besides who are the audience? Who cares about a book that was well remembered way-back-when. The usual London story of the chancer taking his chance. What could really drag this film even further down? Oh I know, third rate songs that sound like they were made up on the spot. David Bowie crones the film title over and over a few times and that is the highlight. The soundtrack album is clay pigeon material.There is one good thing though. Good recreation of period Soho. Shame they couldn't think of anything to put in front of it.