Wilde one : falling out of favour with the Ibiza crowd

This is Ibiza, and the philosophy that the island's party people subscribe to, as portrayed in Canadian director Michael Dowse's latest mocumentary It's All Gone Pete Tong.

Exaggerating the amount of blow humanely possible for someone to snort was what I expected from Dowse whose 2002 film Fubar turned a head-banger's battle with testicular cancer into a philosophy on the pitfalls life: "Deaner's gonna keep on given'r and that's all there is to it."

Thanks Dean.

Taking the same approach he used with head-banger heroes Terry and Dean, Dowse illuminates Ibiza's infamous island club culture by chronicling the rise and fall (less rise, more fall) of superstar DJ Frankie Wilde (Paul Kaye).

It's painfully obvious that anyone, including DJs with unlimited access to fame, sex, and drugs, faces possible ruin. And while the scenes of Wilde walking around in his bathrobe with sticky cokesnot dangling from his nose are funny, they are also redundant and take away from the film's real focus: Wilde's loss of hearing.

Cockney for it's all gone wrong, Pete Tong begins at the height of Wilde's career and leads us into the downward spiral of a drug-addicted deaf DJ.

As we watch Wilde's life crumble, there are few surprises. "Deaf, dumb, or blind we will get through this," his wife Sonja (Kate Magowan) tells him. "It's brilliant to almost hear that," Wilde responds, but it's hardly comforting since she soon leaves him, as does everyone else. People who can hear react like this: "He was another deaf guy with deaf-guy needs who went off to a quiet place."

Comments like this have provoked accusations that Dowse's film is insensitive towards the deaf. In a recent interview, he said it's merely knee-jerk reactions by critics sitting on their moral high horse.

But brilliant acting by Kaye and an appearance by Paul Spence (Fubar's Dean) as Austrian heavy-metal guitarist Alfonse, help save this film from being just another comedy poking fun at a sub-culture, drug addictions and disabilities. Though not as good as Fubar, it will likely become another cult classic.

IT'S ALL GONE PETE TONG
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL DOWSE
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This movie is nothing short of Brilliant     Writer-director Michael Dowse's "It's All Gone Pete Tong" works so wonderfully, even though it's a work of fiction posing as a true-story biography of a legendary Ibiza-based DJ named Frankie Wilde (Paul Kaye), who goes deaf from too much noise and drugs? Dowse introduces us to Frankie at the peak of his fame. He's seen in the opening credits descending from the heavens into a horde of sweaty Ibiza partygoers, a crown of thorns atop his head. We meet his model wife, Sonya (Kate Magowan), whom Frankie met while making the ridiculous video. They're the kind of couple who smoke while they play tennis, who come up with half-assed ideas they consider brilliant, who share lovers in front of each other. One minute he's watching T.V., the next he can hear only the ringing in the ears that precedes his going totally, maddeningly deaf. He proceeds to go slightly insane, believing that "total silence" will cure his condition. Frankie, too, is visited often by the Coke Badger, a giant drooling creature that bleeds white powder. What could have been a dumb, sick joke becomes a sweet and comic love story, as Frankie, dishevelled and self-loathing, emerges from his yearlong funk to find a woman who teaches him to lip-read (Beatriz Batarda) and helps him discover ways to feel and see sound. (This involves feeling the rhythm through his feet on the speakers.) He finally finishes his new record, only to see his work exploited by his manager and the label, who want to make him an idol to the deaf kids. (sic!)But Frankie's too grown-up now for such garish nonsense; the boy, in his late 30s, at last becomes a man. He will disappear again to where and to what who knows. The movie leaves us with a genuine smile; as opposed to a forced smile most mockumentaries impose on you. This is fiction, absolutely, but the good feeling it leaves behind is very very real.- Bravo Michael Dowse! This Author gives it two thumbs up!
Michael Levine	{31 votes}	June 23rd, 2005
Cool Movie     I thought this movie was very well done. The part that really hit home was when they used no audio at all in certain parts. It illustrated very well what it'd be like going deaf. I had alot of deaf friends when I was growing up, so this really helped me understand what they went through. The other thing that I'd like to point out that I liked is they showed him adapting to his deafness. He had to adapt certain devices in his home in order to do what he loved to do. Being physically disabled myself, I can definitely relate to it and I was glad that they made that aspect really clear in the movie.
Ryan Lythall	{3 votes}	June 23rd, 2005
Film Review 101/It's All Gone Pete Tong     "FUBAR" is easily considered a cult classic but that's just never going to happen with "It's All Gone Pete Tong". Yeah, it'll have its fans but for my money it can't anything else than a distracting mockumentary with a good sountrack. This movie has its warped and inspired moments but the protagonist and his plight don't always come across as believable and that's just death for projects like these. That's my take on it anyways.
Pedro Eggers		August 16th, 2005
wait for it.     Hmm, I wonder how many movies Dowse will do with the same sort of idea in mind. Yes Fubar was good, if you looked past the "Giv'r, and keep given'r" aspect, and to the true meaning of the story. But where will Dowse draw the line of trying to hide his messages behind a comic look at the disabled drug addicts? I'm hoping this movie isn't just a spin off of the cult classic Fubar, but can hold it's own down the road. I guess only time will tell.
Jeremy King	{4 votes}	June 24th, 2005
Turn It Up More Often     Its been way to long since we've had a classic music film such as this. I think there should be a golden rule in film that at least one gem, one beauty, should be made each year. I think the last music mocumentary we actually had was "Fubar" by the same director. There is no doubt we need more music fans in the film industry, because they truly bring to light and to laugh the high, lows, and comedy behind the industry as a whole. Although a writer has two directions to take when focusing on the music scene, either the mocumentary or the real life imitation band tale (almost famous), its best that a director sticks to what he is best at presenting and in Dowse's case its bringing laughter, PRICELESS. Now, we just need a mocumentary on the downfall of religous rock (aka Creed) and an inspired film on the single greatest band to ever live...Oasis.
Aaron Smith	{5 votes}	June 23rd, 2005
Already     The first few mocumentaries I watched were effective and worked. now it should be considered that this genre is limited in how much it can play on surprise and the fake nature of how it manipulates the 'truth'. Fubar was a classic, but the fake death scene will only work once i think.
Skeleton James	{5 votes}	June 23rd, 2005
Paul Kaye     It was like totally amazing i'm 15 and i enjoyed it so much that i got all of my friends to watch it. I have bought it on dvd, and have watched it about 9 times. Its great lol!!!! By the way Paul Kaye is so fit in it, even if he's high on drugs all the time! I still reckon that i would have been a better part instead of his wife! me and my friend are going to London and we are going to look for Frankie Wilde personally ourselves. I hope that we find him, so i can give him a hug!! i dont know if we will find him, but i beg whoever reads this to please show this to Paul kaye i love him to bits, he's an amazing actor, and he is also fit which comes as a bonus you know. Anyway the film was amazing the cast was great!! Everybody has had enough about me talking about him, so now here's my chance and im using all the best words i can think of!! The films shows what people who are famous lives can be like, they are not all perfect as you see that he was addicted to drugs and bad women, he starts becoming deaf, its a shock to everybody as he struggles to find a way. I get so mad at that boy for kicking that speaker, i always close my eyes, anyway the ending is totally wicked, and it makes you wanna go and try and find him. Anyway please show this to Paul Kaye i love him so much, dont worry i'm no stalker or an obsessed fan, i just wanna meet him or for him to send an email bk!! pretty outta things to say, and i cant wait to see what other films he's in! i love him to bits, he's sexy and im sorry if he's got a wife, becuz i'm the former Mrs kaye ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!! In my dreams maybe, when i become 15 at december the 20th. hint hint i will wish that one day before i die, i will shake hands with him hopefully anyway!!!! im doing my GCSE's at the moment, and all i concentrate on is the sticker of him on the backof my diary!!!! Good job i'm brainy!! I'm not vain or anything.... lol so this is my final plead if you can will you i beg, one last wish i hope you do from the forme
Joelle Sarah Oliva		November 4th, 2005
Fubar spinoff     Well, i thought Fubar was entertaining. this sounds pretty pretentious too. Just the reason i think would rent this movie. but add one character from Fubar and a heavy metal guitarist...don' t that giv'r..lol
Ger Madden	{3 votes}	June 23rd, 2005

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