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United Kingdom, Canada · 2004
Rated R · 1h 30m
Director Michael Dowse
Starring Paul Kaye, Kate Magowan, Neil Maskell, Beatriz Batarda
Genre Comedy, Drama, Music
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This mockumentary-style comedy follows Frankie Wilde, a superstar DJ in Ibiza. Wilde leads a hedonistic life of drug abuse and partying, unaware that he was born with a rare hearing disorder. The film follows his wild career and subsequent disappearance from the club scene as he goes deaf.
In addition to possessing the most confusing title of the year, Canadian filmmaker Michael Dowse's high-energy dance-club saga It's All Gone Pete Tong arrives in an elaborate package of spoof and deception that should win the admiration of any practical-joke connoisseur.
Colorful, sometimes endearing but highly uneven picture.
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
It lacks the genuine wit to elevate it to a truly satirical level.
New York Daily News by Jami Bernard
The faux-documentary format does nothing for the material, but Kaye turns in a chaotic and ultimately moving performance.
Los Angeles Times by Kevin Crust
Grounded by a gutsy, over-the-edge-and-back performance by Paul Kaye as Frankie, It's All Gone Pete Tong takes the long way around before finally redeeming itself.
Village Voice by Laura Sinagra
Lots of Dowse's ideas work well--the ringing tinnitus, the conversion of sound to visible waves, the trimming of treble and bass for underwatery effect, the removal of ambient noise entirely. But as the humor flags, It's All Gone Pete Tong starts to feel more like an exercise.
The New York Times by Manohla Dargis
The British comic turned actor (Paul Kaye) appears in almost every scene and he carries that weight admirably. He manages the very neat trick of keeping you interested in a character who doesn't merit our affection but earns it nonetheless.
San Francisco Chronicle by Peter Hartlaub
The mockumentary-style delivery of a serious subject proves to be an unworkable mash-up.
New York Post by Russell Scott Smith
"Trainspotting" redux.
The movie catches us up so profoundly in Frankie's self-destructive spiral (and gradual rehab), it's as though we’re seeing it all for the first time. I'd like to say that's because the story is true, only it isn't.
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