So much average

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

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

Oh, this is a brilliant movie, an absolute favourite of mine. It's hilarious, edgy, dark, tragic, shocking and hopeful as Frankie reinvents himself. Pete Tong has a definite Trainspotting vibe to it and has been cheekily filmed as a sort of mockumentary, with real DJ's being interviewed about the genius of Frankie Wilde and their theories on what happened to him since his disappearance from the scene. The movie then follows the legendary British DJ as he works the club circuit in Ibiza, loses his hearing, succumbs to drug addiction, fights the coke badger (awesome) and comes out the other side a very different person.Paul Kaye, Wow, what a performance he gives. His take on addiction is so real that at times its hard to look at, and that freaking badger (metaphor) brilliant, hilarious and scary. His agent Jack -what a pig, sweaty, obnoxious and a heart attack waiting to happen. Loved it when Frankie tuned him out- refusing to hear him just by turning away. Absolutely fantastic soundtrack too. 6/14/14

I was absolutely impressed by this movie, and it has become one of my favorite movies of its kind: rise-fall-life-after-fall.It is a so-called mockumentary about English DJ Frankie Wilde, who, at the beginning of the movie, is the absolute reigning star of the rave and dance scene in the world mecca of that movement, Ibiza. We're filled in on his stardom, wild eccentricity, heavy drug addiction, and above all his passionate love for music and his profession, at which he is especially gifted among DJs (for all DJ culture lovers, the movie includes brief but enjoyable headshots of DJs such as Tiesto, Paul van Dyk and others, talking about Frankie Wilde).The middle part of the movie narrates the fall, when Frankie starts to suffer from the worst ailment that a DJ can have: he was born with a progressive hearing failure, and his wild lifestyle has made it worsen very fast. Without ever falling into melodrama, and rather with a dry but hilarious sense of humor, we're told of Frankie's disgrace and change of fortune, and this is where we get to know more about Frankie as a person, aside from his life as a self-centered idol: his despair, how he rebels against the inevitable, his denial, but also more about his feelings, his reactions, and his weakness and strengths. This part is also a commentary of the proverbial loneliness of the fallen star: his wife, his fans, his producer, all turn their back on him, and his fellow DJs now claim not to know his whereabouts anymore.The third part begins when Frankie touches rock bottom, and his life after that.All in all, "It's all gone, Pete Tong" follows a classic rise-fall-rise scheme, and in this sense, it doesn't really offer anything ground-breaking. But it is different from other movies of this kind, first of all, in that it is very simple, very straightforward. The main character, Frankie Wilde, is also very likable, even at the beginning when he's such an extreme impersonation of a lifestyle gone out of control -this is possible thanks to Paul Kaye's extraordinary acting job. It is also a very approachable character, as we see him throughout the whole process of fall and redemption. Thirdly, like I said, the movie is never overly dramatic, its goal is not to make the audience cry, but to listen to the story, to follow this person, to reflect on the many commentaries and possible morals of the story -the relationship between stardom and dehumanization or loss of authenticity, the loneliness of the fallen hero, etc.- but also to have a good time and to laugh (the movie is very funny, and it adequately mixes different kinds of humor: dry, witty, sarcastic, surreal, visual, crude...). To top it all off, it will be especially interesting to all those fans of the DJ culture and dance music in general -we get to see bits of the life behind the scenes.My rating: 10/10.

I should say that the title refers both to what happens to the lead character, and the film features the DJ Pete Tong. Based on the true life of legendary disc jockey Frankie Wilde (Paul Kaye), this Ibiza rave based film uses both documentary style and regular comedy drama. Wilde clawed his way to the top as one of the best DJs, but his success turns to tragedy when he develops a hearing disorder. He is given a hearing aid which he can only use if he has to, and of course he should be giving up his DJ mixing. Unfortunately he is permanently deafened wearing his aid while hearing a loud tune, high volume, on a stereo. In his depression he is drug taking and drinking heavily, but he has found a way to get back into creating his fantastic mixes. Obviously he learns to lip read first from his new partner Penelope Garcia (Beatriz Batarda). Then, using his feet on the stereos he manages to recognise the beats and create the fantastic music he did when able to hear, and some of course praise him for being possibly better deaf. Also starring Kate Magowan as Sonja Slowinski, Mike Wilmot as Max Haggar, David Lawrence as Horst, Neil Maskell as Jack Stoddart, Monica Maja as Charlize Bondo, Paul J. Spence as Alfonse, Pete Tong of course, and DJs Carl Cox, Paul Van Dyk and DJ Tiësto. Kaye makes for an alright performance, and the music is very good listening, but it isn't exactly the funniest comedy films I've ever seen. Okay!

The story of a man who gets to the top (money, fame, women, drugs) and then falls hard. But he gets up and does what most people thought impossible. It's a DJ who creates his last album as a complete deaf person. It's even more powerful as it is based on a true story. This man really exists.The film is made almost like a reenactment. With bits played by actors, but trying to be as accurate and unbiased as possible. I thought the lead actor played very well and the direction was good. It is in the same time a hero story as it is an accurate overview of the soulless music industry.It is certainly worth a view, but I don't recommend watching it with grandmothers or anything like that. The title is a bit of a DJ slang thing, it comes from an European DJ radio show. It may have been a bad choice, as it made me think the movie was a fart/martial arts comedy type before I read the reviews.