SPINNING GOLD movie review

SPINNING GOLD is directed by Timothy Scott Bogart. The film stars Jeremy Jordan, Wiz Khalifa, Jason Isaacs, Jason Derulo, Jay Pharoah, Michelle Monaghan, Dan Fogler, Sebastian Maniscalco, Peyton List, Vincent Pastore, and Michael Ian Black.

From a young age, Neil Bogart knew he wanted to be in control of his life, becoming wealthy and successful and escaping his childhood neighborhood. Jumping around from many careers and eventually succeeding in the music industry, Bogart sets out on his own to found Casablanca Records, attracting a stable of artists that include KISS, Donna Summer, George Clinton, and Gladys Knight. But missteps and literally millions of dollars of debt threaten to derail the company. Will Bogart turn it around and make the company a powerhouse of the music business?

Odds are you’ve never heard of Neil Bogart. The name Casablanca Records may not even ring a bell immediately. But no matter who you are, if you’ve ever listened to music, you’ve heard some of their songs. With a stable that ranged from the theatrical rock of KISS to the literal on-stage spaceship of George Clinton, Casablanca’s artists made an undeniable impact on the world of music that’s lasted to this day and will likely never go away, even long after the passing of its founder.

SPINNING GOLD is a biopic of Neil Bogart, not a documentary, so it admittedly takes some liberties with its timelines and source material (what biopic doesn’t?) The material is in good hands, directed by Timothy Scott Bogart, son of the real-life Neil Bogart. Despite a running time that pushes 140 minutes, the film is never boring, telling the true stranger-than-fiction story of this iconic independent record label and it’s equally eccentric founder and visionary.

If there’s one aspect of SPINNING GOLD that deserves praise, it’s Jeremy Jordan who portrays Neil Bogart in an Oscar-worthy performance. This is a man who dared to dream, no matter how much criticism it garnered him or how far into the hole he had to go monetarily just to work toward making his dream a reality. At times the extremes he goes to are completely ridiculous, but Jordan chews up the scenery and quickly becomes the object of your attention. Jordan’s Bogart is a flawed protagonist who makes mistakes and manages to come off as slimy and detestable at times, yet thanks to this performance you can’t help but love the guy. While the supporting cast in the film features great acting, music, and comedic talents alike, it’s Mr. Jordan’s show through and through. It’ll be criminal if the guy doesn’t get a Best Actor nomination come Oscar season.

Thankfully, the production values of SPINNING GOLD are no slouch either. This is a journey from the old days of Bogart’s childhood right up to the disco revolution of the 1970s, with some brief talk of what happened afterwards. While I certainly can’t vouch for the absolute historical accuracy of everything that happens in this film, SPINNING GOLD looks like, well… gold. The attention to detail in the period settings and color pallet alike jump right off the screen and transport you back in time to a bygone era in the music world.

Even the style of storytelling is unique. Bogart serves as something of a narrator with some spoken word segments by him away from the main story, in which he explains and gives added clarity to certain situations is a unique gimmick that thankfully works; Jordan’s Bogart essentially serves as the Greek chorus to his own story. The film isn’t even above playing the “unreliable narrator” card in its opening sequence, showing that the movie, despite its seriousness and tragedy, isn’t above having a sense of humor either. There are many tones to this tale, though it thankfully balances them all carefully, striking all the right chords with the “feel” of the move never being off. You’ll learn a lot from SPINNING GOLD, and you’ll learn it in a most definitely not-boring way!

SPINNING GOLD, luckily, doesn’t falter in too many areas. The full-on story of Casablanca Records would’ve taken much longer to tell, so we obviously don’t get to visit every single artist on the label. Of course, one of my favorites, the rock band Angel, is MIA. And the artists who are featured are given somewhat inconsistent screen time and emphasis; much of this of course comes from the scope of the tale being told. Likewise, as a die-hard KISS fan, I did notice some major timeline/placement issues with what the movie depicted, though this is pretty much par for the course when it comes to biopics, and SPINNING GOLD is still an above average one.

As a music fan who was curious as to the story of Casablanca Records and its charismatic founder, I can confidently say that this is a biopic that doesn’t disappoint. Packed with style, substance, songs, and a career-defining performance from Jeremy Jordan, it’s already on the fast track to being one of my favorite movies of 2023. Absolute highest recommendations!