Hunky Dory (2013)

Anyone who was around in the 70's and think this will provide an accurate nostalgia trip will be disappointed. The hairstyles, at least those of the male actors, are far too modern looking for 1976. The Incredible Hulk TV show is referenced two years before it aired (at least we can safely assume it's the TV show, it's highly unlikely the scriptwriters had the Marvel Comic in mind). More lazy 70's pop culture tropes follow. As someone else pointed out almost no one in the UK would have heard of The Ramones at this stage outside of a tiny London punk clique.Characters are too thinly sketched. One main female characters romance with a DJ she spots at a Northern Soul venue seems like an afterthought. The ending is laughable with a fictional montage of "what they did next" character biographies that try to add meat to the sketchy ensemble

Hunky Dory tries to emulate what has already come before it in terms of musicals; Glee and Across the Universe, neither of which I have to say I'm a fan of but I'm willing to give anything a chance so I decided to see Hunky Dory.The generic coming-of-age plots are held together by the show the kids are performing in with Minnie Driver at the helm but that's the problem; there are simply too many characters. In fact, there are a dozen and it's just too much to try and take in. No criticism towards the actors but 12 different characters to follow just gets confusing and bogged down. Now, 3 or 4 main story lines I think would have worked perfectly but we aren't given the chance to engage with any of the characters as their stories are jotted all over the film and it's hard to remember who's doing what, who's going where and frankly, it's just hard to care.The musical numbers, as enjoyable and respectfully done as they are, sometimes seem just to be thrown in for the sheer hell of it. It suffers from 'Across the Universe syndrome' in that, the songs they perform happen to tie in with exactly what the characters are feeling and going through. Now that might work for some people but I'm not a big fan. It's just too corny. I did find myself getting quite into some of the songs however, the covers are good, as is the soundtrack. I just love Bowie in honesty!I'm not a fan of the film, obviously, but I will say it's good for it's music and soundtrack. That isn't enough reason to go and see it however and I would say it could definitely be given a miss.

People have complained that this film is too formulaic, it's too glossy and sugar-coated and that it's so steeped in saccharine sentimentality that it will make the overpriced, syrupy Coke that you bought from the multiplex foyer seem sour and flat.While there is definitely truth in the above statement, I think enjoyment of this (and any) film depends on your attitude. If you go into this film expecting to see some gritty socio-political drama focussing on the oppression of Welsh mining classes, you will be sorely disappointed. You will come out complaining about how populist it is, how it's so conventionally structured and emotionally sensationalist etc, etc.The poster is a lovely snapshot of a group of idyllic young friends having fun in the blistering summer of 1976. It's all orange and glowing. The trailer gives a taste of how packed the film is with poppy love songs of the era, how predictable the premise makes the plot, how familiar the angsty teenage characters are, how petty the conflicts seem in this hazy summer utopia of a bygone Britain and how indulgently reminiscent it is. It's called Hunky Dory.The signs are there - everything about the design screams out feel-good mainstream movie. It is unashamedly populist, unashamedly sensational and is obviously going to be as conventional as any piece of popular cinema. There's nothing subtle about the way the film advertises this sense of style.To know all this, watch the film then criticize it for the glaringly obvious is lazy criticism, at best. Don't go and see the film if you know you're going to suffer an adverse reaction to the sheer amount of light-heartedness going on. That's like going into a screening of Shrek with your arms folded for the entire movie then coming out in a huff saying to your bemused/horrified children "the guy's an ogre but not once did I see a man's skin being peeled off while he was still alive."For those more willing to accept this film for what it so blatantly is, I'd say it's an easy, feel-good film with and great 70's soundtrack (from the likes of Bowie and ELO) and superb Welsh accents throughout. A coming-of-age film set in a specific place and moment in British history, it shares an obvious affinity to Ricky Gervais and Stephen Mechant's Cemetery Junction as well as Billy Elliot (a couple of the producers made this film too). There are a lot of characters so the attempt to squeeze in all of their individual stories is overly ambitious, but the cast are great. Minnie Driver is easily lovable and I get the feeling you'll be seeing a lot more of Aneurin Barnard's face in the future. The ending is a little bit vague and they try and remedy this by giving a 'where are they now' sequence during the end credits – which is a bit half-baked (no reference to the recreational activities of the time intended).Overall, a likable film with some nice messages (namely Karl Marx's sentiment "don't let the b*st*rds grind you down") and a well-polished style that makes for easy watching.http://ionlyaskedwhatyouthought.blogspot.com/

Set in 1976 Swansea, "Hunky Dory" follows charismatic drama teacher Viv (Minnie Driver) as she attempts to stage a rock-opera version of Shakespeare's "The Tempest", set on Mars. Predictably, the play serves as a catalyst to examine and solve some of the students' problems, such as broken families and burgeoning homosexuality, and as a point of confrontation between liberal Viv and other sterner and more classically minded teachers.What the "Freedom Writers", cum "Glee", cum "School of Rock" plot lacks in originality is more than made up for by the stellar ensemble cast. Driver provides a strong, believable lead performance, supported by the frankly superb rising star Aneurin Barnard, as troubled student Davey, and backed by a surprisingly good cast of relatively unknown young actors.Without a doubt, the best thing about "Hunky Dory" is the great soundtrack, which is performed entirely by the talented, young cast. The film features a staggering selection of classic 1970s rock artists, such as Pink Floyd, The Who, The Beach Boys, with an emphasis on David Bowie, whose album the film takes its title from.Overall, "Hunky Dory" is a film that would appeal to the younger "Glee-generation", had it not been awkwardly clashing with a classic rock soundtrack, and a more adult storyline. Nonetheless, it is an entertaining, if schmaltzy and clichéd, film.