A documentary about Wham! It reduces the dark side of the group

Sasha van der Speten looks endlessly. today: Wham!the documentary.

“The couple famous for their short shorts and bare knees.” “You’re tacky, George.” “Labor is useless, thought is superficial.” “Perhaps they themselves have not yet realized how stupid they are.” Help yourself. Netflix Documentary Wham!, about the British pop duo of the same name from the 1980s, once again reminded us of how disdainful and sinister the press can be Wham! between 1982 and 1986. Although his later songs seemed quite layered, and though George Michael brilliantly rubbed himself against the classic songwriters of Motown and Stax, the duo was judged for its frivolous and questionable image. Fashion sense and cheerful choreographies.

It didn’t stop George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. The documentary showcases their extraordinary self-confidence and belief in their own talent: despite the laughing, smug reactions of the music press, the boys honed and refined with their formula until they hit the top spot on the charts with exemplary pop songs. This included neat parodies like “Young Guns” sure, and fake raps like “Wham Rap,” a hopeless whitewashed version of Grandmaster Flash, but in the early ’80s, nobody cared about cultural appropriation, or so our movie.

Choose the form Wham! Structure based on a scrapbook Andrew Ridgley’s mother kept: lots of fun titles and a stack of pictures. Thank God we hardly get talking heads On our board, enough archival materials (interviews, live performances). There are beautiful, doctrinal voiceovers by George Michael (recorded during the last years of his life) and Ridgley (who recorded his story especially for the documentary). Only director Chris Smith — known for an Emmy nominee — gets it Jim and Andy And Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened – Only intermittently George Michael’s Devils who finish Wham! About Me. This emphasis on insolence I feel good Risky.

Fears

George Michael’s struggle with his sexuality is mentioned, yes, but not his distorted self-image that has crippled him at times. It’s also all too easy to ignore his penchant for painful perfectionism: We got a glimpse of him when he records “Careless Whisper” with legendary producer Jerry Wexler at Alabama’s Muscle Shoals Studios, and eventually dumps that version. The singer also struggled through one disappointing romantic liaison after another during that time that remains unmentioned. But all these worries scratched his soul, as we read in the excellent biography George Michael: A Life. recommended.

Wham!, the documentary, so it seems a light-hearted introduction to the layman. Those who want depth and nuance should look elsewhere.

to be seen on Netflix.