Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

TheLittleSongbird Found '24 Hour Party People', telling the story of Tony Wilson and the rise and fall of the Manchester Factory Records, an absorbing and very well done biographical comedy-drama. Not a flawless film or among the best biopics or overall films ever seen but there is a lot to admire.'24 Hour Party People' may go on a little longer than necessary and the final parts are not as strong as the rest of the film, with a sense that it ran out of gas. It would help if one knew and had knowledge of Wilson and the music and mania of the Madchester years, that way they would find that it would make more sense. As a documentary-like film or a biopic it is inaccurate and strays far from the truth, but as it is common in biopics it didn't feel as big an issue.For its flaws, there is a lot to recommend with '24 Hour Party People'. It is a good-looking film with a good amount of authenticity, and having the touch of Wilson often telling the tale talking directly to the camera was quite a masterpiece. The vintage music is just great.The script is also strong, with an adept balance of irreverent and genuinely funny comedy, gripping conflict and poignant drama. The story has a huge amount of evocative energy and is always absorbing.It's very well cast, with a brilliant Steve Coogan who plays Wilson with gleeful relish and expert comic timing.Overall, very well done. 8/10 Bethany Cox

SnoopyStyle It's a semi-true story as Coogan would himself tell the audience as he breaks down the 4th wall. In 1976 Manchester, TV presenter Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan) is risking his life hang gliding for silly Granada Reports and he's not happy about it. Then he is one of the 42 people to see the first Sex Pistols gig along with others like the kids in Joy Division. He would tout the overlooked music scene on his small show "So It Goes". He rents out a club to play his type of music on Fridays. He turns that into Factory Records where he signs up Joy Division among others. Joy Division would attract skinheads because of their Nazi inspired name. Lead singer Ian Curtis commits suicide just when the group is on the verge of their American tour. Tony continues with the creation of the infamous dance club The Hacienda.The movie starts pretty funny with Coogan breaking down the 4th wall within the first 10 minutes. Ian Curtis becomes the second most important character in the movie. That's why his lost leaves a big hole in the emotional feel of the movie. It's like the comedic air is let out and the movie feels flattened. The funny is gone. The movie still works but it's just not as much fun.

Thorsten-Krings Tony Wilson was the man who put Manchester on the map as far as music is concerned with his innovative label Factory records and his Hazienda club. With total disregard for all commercial aspects Wilson followed his vision to enable bands to develop themselves by granting them total artistic freedom. Needless to say he went bankrupt. Unfortunately, Tony Wilson also came across as a pompous ass occasionally. I'm not sure if that judgement is fair: Wilson was a highly educated man who never seemed to fit into the music business life style. Steve Coogan , who is a brilliant comedian, does not really play him in this film. He delivers more of a parody of the man although to be fair he does give him some moments of dignity like when the Joy Division leadsinger kills himself or when he tells his punters to loot the offices when the Hacienda is closed down. I just feel there is more to Wilson then just the pompous wide eyed boy. From my perspective Wilson would be a very good subject for a docu-drama because he has the depth to be taken seriously and he deserves it. As a comedy drama 24 hour party people works quite well. The cast is great, Coogan is very funny (as always) although I find the idea that Steve Coogan in his Wilson persona actually comments on the film during the film a bit contrived. All in all it's hugely entertaining but I can't help feeling that after a very elaborate first half, the second half (when the really exciting things are happening) is a bit rushed. All in all the film is well worth watching but I feel that there still is a story about Tony Wilson and the Madchester movement that waits to be told.

dfle3 Saw this movie last year on SBS TV (Australia) and it was quite a revelation. It stars comedian Steve Coogan as Tony Wilson, a central figure in the Manchester, England, music scene (on the 'corporate' side of things). I can't say how realistic Coogan's portrayal of Wilson was, as I wouldn't know Wilson from a bar of soap. All I can say is that Coogan gives one of the most charismatic performances I've ever seen (some other charismatic performances I'm quite fond of include Orson Welles as Citizen Kane in the movie of that name, Robert de Niro for one scene in the otherwise dull Mean Streets and for a similar reason, Noah Taylor for one scene in "He died with a felafel in his hand").Coogan plays Wilson as a rather droll person who wears his university education on his sleeve in his media work as an on-air personality (hosting a music show, amongst other things). If you don't have an Arts degree, you may find Wilson to be a bit of a tosser, but as someone with an Arts degree myself, I did find him hugely entertaining and, dare I say it, quite perceptive in his overly analytical dialogues on all manner of subjects.The movie charts the nature of the music industry from pre-Sex Pistols to around the time of New Order. I'm not a huge fan of the bands covered, but I learned a lot of interesting factoids about them. For fans of bands such as Joy Division etc, I'm sure that this movie will be even more rewarding, for purely music fan related reasons.As Wilson, as played by Coogan, might himself say, the movie has many post-modern conceits. As post-modern cultural artefacts go, you'd have to go back to the mid-18th century (to Henry Fielding's novel Tom Jones) to find one as post-modern as this. In other words, expect to see Wilson in this movie pointing out that he really isn't Tony Wilson, and that the real Tony Wilson has a cameo appearance in the movie as a TV director. That scene is actually in the movie and is not a spoiler. Other such cameos are pointed out in the movie.