24 Hour Party People is the kind of movie that was too new to Americans when it arrived. Now, it’s too old for a new generation of music fans trying to check it out now. While Steve Coogan’s performance is top notch, it’s almost too avant garde for its own good. After the third 4th Wall break, the mugging for the camera gets obnoxious. Plus, parts of the film require an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the British music scene from 1977-1992.
While our foreign friends might have a better grasp on that, it will leave older American viewers scrambling to put names to faces. If your audience spends all of their time playing Britpop Guess Who, then how can they enjoy the film? Most credit the film with breaking Steve Coogan into the American film scene, but I don’t agree. It did get his name on radars, but honestly it would take more work than being a smarmy record producer for Coogan to work.
The Blu-ray special edition from MVD comes loaded down with two commentaries, 11 deleted scenes and a ton of archival featurettes. The 1.85:1 1080p transfer is good enough for an older indie title. However, the real winner is that booming DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track. Check it out, if you’re a fan.
24 Hour Party People is available now!