Year: 2004
Language: English
Format: HDCAM Colour
Runtime: 90 min
Director: Michael Dowse
Producer: Elizabeth Yake, Allan Niblo, James Richardson
Executive Producer: Rob Morgan, Rupert Preston, Kim Roberts
Cinematographer: Balazs Bolygo
Editor: Stuart Gazzard
Sound: Simon Willis
Music: Graham Massey
Cast: Paul Kaye, Beatriz Batarda, Kate Magowan, Mike Wilmot, Sterling Williams
Production Company: True West films, Vertigo Films (UK)

One of the top DJ=s in the business and the toast of Ibiza – the party capital of Spain and rave mecca of the world – Frankie Wilde=s (Paul Kaye) life is one long party, filled with all the opulent accoutrements – a gorgeous villa, a trophy wife, loads of money, fans and drugs – that celebrity status affords. But when he loses his hearing, Frankie=s life spirals out of control. Written off by his record company, manager, wife and friends, Frankie is forced to face the demons of drugs, alcohol and arrogance. With the help of Penelope (Beatriz Batarda), a tough and patient deaf woman, Frankie sets out to recreate himself within the superficial world that consumed him.

Taking the form of a tongue-in-cheek faux biopic, It=s All Gone Pete Tong (Cockney slang for Ait=s all gone wrong@) is an irreverent but affectionate look at a scene and its music, reminiscent of Rob Reiner=s This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and Michael Winterbottom=s 24 Hour Party People (2002). Writer-director Michael Dowse spoofs dance music culture by drawing an imperceptible line between the not-so-real Frankie and his very real colleagues – included are cameo appearances by scene-making DJ=s Pete Tong, Sarah Main and Carl Cox. Unlike its precursors, the film is neither a mockumentary nor a re-creation, but rather an alternately zany rave-scene comedy and sweet-natured, often inspirational romance.

The follow-up to Dowes’s cult hit Fubar (2000), It=s All Gone Pete Tong received the City TV Award for Best Canadian Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival7 and was named one of Canada=s Top Ten of 2004 by an independent, national panel comprised of filmmakers, programmers, journalists and industry professionals.

By: Liz Czach