re:mote voices

Title: Its All Gone Pete Tong
Cast: Paul Kaye, Mike Wilmot, Beatriz Batarda, Kate Magowan, Pete Tong, Gideon Gold
Director: Michael Dowse

Its All Gone Pete Tong is an oddity. Apparently the name and location were chosen before the film was even written. With major plot points not even coming into play till the later drafts.

For those that don't know, Pete Tong is a DJ, he has had a dance show on BBC Radio 1 for years. His name has become used in rhyming slang, "its all gone pete tong" being "its all gone wrong". With that, Pete Tong makes a cameo early in the film and is credited as one of the associate producers.

To be honest Its All Gone Pete Tong is a mess of a film. All over the place, a bit of this, a bit of that. Structurally it is trying to be a mockumentary about a superstar DJ in Ibiza. With this there are all sorts of cameos by name DJs, scenes from inside Ibiza clubs, and even a spoof video.

From there we follow this DJ, Frankie Wilder (Paul Kaye), and his lifestyle. Marrying the scene slapper, adopting her bastard son, and getting absolutely and totally fucked. Thus we have gone from the idea of a music scene, to a lifestyle of excess. Which is where the film particularly flips out - using a giant apron wearing badger as a metaphor for cocaine addiction or something - honestly!

Then the film changes again, partly following the result of working as a DJ and exploring some of the reasons for those excesses. Though mainly it is just another tangent tacked on to the whole. Wilder realises that he is going deaf, so he goes through the phases of denial, anger and finally acceptance.

Its All Gone Pete Tong could have worked. There are some interesting things going on in there. There are some moments that are actually pretty funny, as well as some issue driven material. But the result has some jaw droppingly baffling moments. So while I kind of, perversely, enjoyed It's All Gone Pete Tong, it was the most people I've seen walking out of a film in a while.