by Conan Simmons – August 1, 2020 – 4:08pm
Pleasant, inoffensive promotional film for fans and those unfamiliar with the band.
From the opening titles revealing that Universal Music Group produced this picture you know right away that this is going to be nothing more than a fluff piece. Recounting the formation of the group from the L.A. punk scene of the late 1970’s to their rise in the charts with hits ‘We Got the Beat’ and ‘Our Lips are Sealed’ to their breakup in 1985. Standard filmmaking along with commercial-style animation makes it easy viewing.
It’s also frustratingly superficial. Yes, the ladies talk about serious issues they dealt with over the years such as drug addiction and suicidal depression and yet so much remains unsaid. Very subtle hints are scattered throughout suggesting deeper storylines, for instance it is mentioned that a member of the band got so messed up on drugs that Ozzy Osbourne kicked her out of the dressing room. That’s all they have to say about that apparently. There is also a brief build-up to their performance on ‘Saturday Night Live’ where they claim to have been getting high and drunk all day before going on stage. Unfortunately there is no payoff as the story ends anti-climatically with only grainy still pictures and no actual footage of the show.
The most telling thing of all is what is not said. All the interviews are one on one, they are never interviewed together. There is plenty of talk about feelings of betrayal as various members recall disputes over publishing royalties and management. As much as they talk about being influential there is no evidence provided outside of a short interview with Kathleen Hann of the band Bikini Kill. Other interviews include Miles Copeland, the founder of IRS Records, Stewart Copeland of the Police, whom the Go-Go’s were touring with when they hit it big, and Terry Hall of the Specials, whose love letter was the inspiration for the lyrics of ‘Our Lips are Sealed’. It all culminates with them rehearsing and performing a brand new song, ‘Club Zero’, made specifically for this film. If they aren’t performing they aren’t seen together.
This film is essentially nothing more than a campaign advertisement to get the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If you look around for other reviews of this film you’ll find they all say exactly the same thing the movie says. The only review I’ve read that deviated a little from the stump speech was from Christy Lemire writing for rogerebert.com
The Go-Go’s (Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock, Belinda Carlisle and Kathy Valentine) deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They also deserve a better document of their time as a band.