I’ve seen a lot of films that deal with the record industry and or singers and bands. This genre has had a lot of hits over the years, no pun intended. Spinning Gold is a new story about the record industry I haven’t heard before even though those involved and the record label name is named after my favorite film Casablanca, and its star Humphrey Bogart. Casablanca Records and Neil Bogart changed the industry forever. And his son, Timothy Scott Bogart, gets to tell his father’s story.
Neil Bogart (Jeremy Jordan) previously Neil Scott was a good young singer and hustler. He had to hustle at a young age because his father wasn’t always there for him. His ability to wheel and deal allowed him to be the musician he always wanted to be. This enabled him to parlay his singing ability into creating his own record company. He worked first with other record executives and then broke off on his own. He signed some big-name artists like Kiss, Donna Summer, Bill Withers, The Eisley Brothers, and many more.
Like most films about musicians or bands, this one follows popular tropes that the others have followed. The main character has a journey of success and eventually their success goes to their head and they throw away the relationships that have helped them get to the point where they are at the end of the film. And of course, drugs and alcohol sometimes also play a factor as well. There is always a downfall in these types of stories or they wouldn’t make very good films.
Jeremy Jordan is mostly famous for television shows like Supergirl on the CW where he played Winn Schot but this is his breakout performance. He owns the role of this young up-and-coming record producer and musician. This is the kind of role that elevates an actor. He stretches his ability further than he did in his television work. There is a level that he reaches for that proves he’s a young actor to look out for in the future. This is a role he can be proud of. This sorry is a good one as well.
With a film about music and the music industry come the songs and the performance within it. This movie is full of very good music from Kiss, Bill Withers, Donna Summer, and The Eisley Brothers. It even has popular singers and other named actors who portray these famous singers and musicians like Like Jason Derulo, Wiz Khalifa, Michelle Monahan and Jason Isaacs as Al Bogart Neil’s father. The cast is filled with fantastic performances and musical performances throughout the film.
Spinning Gold follows a lot of popular biopic tropes but does them in new and interesting ways. The various music acts are all pretty cool and hearing their music was equally cool. The story of Neil Bogart and Casablanca Records wasn’t one I was familiar with until seeing this movie but I was glad I did when it was over. It’s a fantastic story about a rags-to-riches kid who had father issues but his own ability to fight for what he wanted shined through in the end until his inevitable collapse. The film handles this nicely. With Jeremy Jordan as a perfectly cast lead actor.
3 ½ stars
Dan Skip Allen
From the Fourth Row! 