Running Time: 137 minutes
This feature from Hero Partners and Howling Wolf Productions opens nationally at theaters on March 31st.
If you listened to music in the 1970s and bought vinyl LPs or 7” singles, then you’re likely familiar with the Casablanca Records label. This outfit was run by a brash and cocky business executive named Neil Bogart (whose birth name was Neil Bogatz), known for his keen eye at discovering talent. Apparently, the man led an even more wild and crazy life than his soon-to-be famous artists. Spinning Gold is an independent feature that tells the story of Casablanca Records. Narration in early scenes admits that, in the tradition of Bogart, the stories being relayed may be exaggerated. And sadly, that comment ultimately defines the film’s major shortcoming. While there is some fascinating material, much of it is so over-the-top and jumbled that this story struggles to suspend disbelief.
From its opening moments, Neil Bogart (Jeremy Jordan) directly addresses viewers and tells his life story to the camera. That is, sometimes he does (at some points he looks directly into the lens, while at other times seems to stare off-camera). After growing up poor in Brooklyn and seeing his father Al Bogatz (Jason Isaacs) hustle and fail to get ahead, Neil becomes determined to be successful. After talking his way into a successful position as a music executive, he focuses on his own label. Eventually, Bogart gets financial support from Warner Bros. Records and forms Casablanca Records. He moves wife Beth Weiss (Michelle Monaghan) to Los Angeles and begins to sign acts like Donna Summer, Kiss and Parliament. Alas, his artist’s early releases underperform and pressure begins to rise. Yet Bogart continues to live the high life, beginning an affair with artist manager Joyce Biawitz (Lyndsy Fonseca) and ultimately putting both his personal and professional life in jeopardy.
There is certainly some interesting material. The opening scene, featuring Bogart talking about his passionate love of music and vinyl (right down to the manufacturing of records) is fun to witness. The script also features several famous acts being discovered and touted, often with initially disastrous results. This includes the premiere of Kiss, who do a show for the press in a hotel and set off a fire alarm and sprinklers in the process. Berlin-based, working-mother Donna Summer (Tayla Parx) has an interesting backstory and the details on how Bogart eventually created a popular public image for her is entertaining. Parliament’s George Clinton (Wiz Khalifa) also makes an impression, asking for cash to build a spaceship for his live tour. And as Kiss fails to gain traction during their early days, there are some effective interactions between Bogart and Gene Simmons (Casey Likes), including one tense exchange that reveals more behind one of the band’s most famous tunes.
There are a few bits with some of these artists that are compelling. However, a few other depictions of personalities (including one who works with one of the artists listed above), come across in such an exaggerated manner that it takes one out of the proceedings. In fact, there are a few moments of serious drama that, due to blunt handling, almost come across as unintentionally funny.
Additionally, the movie has difficulty juggling between several plotlines. Besides working with talent, there is a lot of family drama between Bogart and his two love interests, as well as his efforts to impress his gruff father. And as the lead begins living an overly lavish lifestyle and debts pile up, an ever-growing money ticker appears onscreen. It’s supposed to generate tension, but after the number passes a couple of million dollars, the impact is lost. The screenplay also attempts to wedge in the effects of Bogart’s erratic behavior on his friends and staff, as well as some of his schemes to draw attention to his artists. As a result, no relationships are fully developed. There’s too much going on and the movie can’t seem to decide what to focus on.
It also suffers from some budgetary restraints. The setting moves around from Brooklyn to Los Angeles and even Berlin, and green screens are used a few times in the process. There is more than one moment when two characters are having an important discussion at a public site with a computerized backdrop that doesn’t look convincing in the least. A couple of these scenes left this reviewer wincing.
Neil Bogart was an interesting character and much of what is being depicted may have been true, but the lack of focus, and artifice in the presentation quickly takes viewers out of the picture. One gets the distinct feeling that a documentary on Bogart might have been a much better route, allowing real associates to share their incredible stories and let the audience imagine how it all went down. In the end, Spinning Gold barely charts at all.