Spinning Gold

"4⭐️ An indulgent epic on the life of music producer and pioneer Neil Bogart. Not necessarily a great film but does entertain. Yes it’s got sex, drugs and rock & roll .. with disco, soul, funk and a ton of great classic songs. Bogart wasn’t always likeable, making bombastically maddening choices with the overconfidence only a white guy with a ‘fro in the 70s could pull off. He’s portrayed with a bit of a wink and boys-will-be-boys [🙄] shrug, even at his ultimate worst. The performances by Jeremy Jordan and especially Jason Isaacs as his father(!), initially come off as near SNL quality, but eventually I was able to get beyond it. Ultimately I thought Jordan did a fine job, especially after seeing footage of real Neal during the end credits. I did have a lot to nitpick with the casting of the many iconic music legends (Ledisi as Gladys Knight the exception, pulling off a chill inducing Midnight Train to Georgia!) but despite the annoyances I still managed to enjoy this one. It’s imbued with a colorful liveliness and bounce, doesn’t take itself seriously and left me feeling upbeat. Some watered down covers, distracting casting choices, and a near to campy vibe can’t subdue the timelessness of an utterly fantastic soundtrack. All in all a decent addition for anyone into the 70s oeuvre. It hits it pretty well 🕺🪩"