Never Seen It #287: 24 Hour Party People

It's my belief that history is a blog. "Inconstancy is my very essence," says the blog. "Rise up on my spokes if you like, but don't complain when you're cast back down into the depths. Good times pass away, but then so do the bad. 400 films we've never seen before is our tragedy, but it's also our hope. The worst of times, like the best, are always passing away."

24 Hour Party People

2002

Michael Winterbottom

Zoom: January 28, 2026, 9 PM to 10 PM

Participants: Brianna, Joe, Kait, Sam, Sean E., Stef, Sunny

There was a question toward the end regarding whether this movie was what I wanted for a group discussion. I've said too many times in this space that we can talk about anything, and I think that's true, but I always end up saying it here because I'm typing this in the glow of post-Zoom satisfaction. It's cool hanging out with my friends, and I think we can chat about anything. But in terms of what I wanted to chat about with this movie specifically? I guess I was hoping to chat about music in addition to the movies, and 24 Hour Party People got us closer than we usually get (thought there has been a couple country music movies so far, hasn't there?). I also wanted to challenge myself with something British, which is not something we touched on in the discussion (full disclosure: I needed those subtitles desperately). 

Here are some other topics we passed around:

• Parts of this felt like an inside joke that you weren't a part of, especially if you're not familiar with post-Smiths Brit rock or the Madchester acid house scene.
• There was discussion as to whether you need to like the music featured in the movie to like the movie.
• All of this was undercut by the fact that the movie was very explicit about printing the legend and not the truth.
• Would knowing that Ian Curtis was going to kill himself change how you viewed him throughout his parts of the movie? Undercutting that thought process is the fact that the film itself said that it wanted you to picture Curtis, not hanging from a rope, but hanging off his friends' shoulders as he sang "Louie Louie."
• Tony Wilson says that this story isn't about him. Is that true? If it's not, why would he say it? What is the purpose of this film? (Answers were given, but let's hear your answers in the comments.)
• The fourth-wall-breaking felt to some like a movie like VICE. Is there something to the contrast between being snarky about a serious subject vs. being snarky about an unserious subject (music)?
• This is a movie that you need to google the characters. But do you really need to? Or can you go along for the ride without knowing everything?
• Plenty of funny jokes (the table, the two Tonys). What's your favorite?
• The joke about the frontman of the Happy Mondays being comparable to W.B. Yeats was funny, and definitely a signal not to take anything Tony Wilson says seriously.
• These people were young! There was the big about Ian Curtis calling David Bowie a liar for living into his 30s. He says it like a joke, but knowing that he's going to die, and also knowing that lots of kids struggle with the idea of getting older and growing up, make it sound not like a joke at all.

What am I missing? Besides the button of Muppets Christmas Carol at the end, which I forget how that tied in.

Bobby M. couldn't make it this time, but we mentioned in the Zoom how this is one of his favorite movies, and before the Zoom, he sent me a few texts about his thoughts, so I'll reprint them here:

My contribution would have been the influence that Guy Debord had on the Manchester scene. It was locally popular amongst the local musicians and Tony Wilson, and influenced a lot of the decisions they made. Specifically when it comes to live performances. The fact that rave culture grew out of an alternative post-punk scene makes sense in that context. It's all about pulling people out of their day to day lives and grounding them in real, physical experiences. 

I could talk about the scene all day, but I would say that essential media related to the scene:

— Among the Thugs (book about the football hooligan culture pre-Madchester)

— How Not to Run a Club (book about the Hacienda Nightclub)

Albums:

— The Stone Roses' self-titled (a literal perfect album, masterpiece)

— Happy Mondays' Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches

Also fascinated in the scene because of death of both subculture in a geographic sense AND the subsequent death of monoculture with the internet. Something like the Madchester scene just could not happen today. It would commodified, stamped out, and killed immediately. Cultural production exists outside of local geography with the existence of social media, and I think it's a net loss for the world.

...And yeah, it's a weird scene because the bands were so different from one another, and eventually evolved out of it after the scene died down. Blur's first album was a Madchester album, and they dropped it when the scene died off.

Thanks Bobby, and thanks to all who made it out to the Zoom. I think some Zooms make me reconsider my position on a film, and I don't think that this was one of them. A solid 3.5 pukes out of 5, meaning that I felt a little defensive of the more negative takes, but also understood some of the criticisms, like maybe I would've benefitted from knowing this scene a little more beforehand.

How about you? Drop your grade or your further thoughts in the comments. I'll be down there to respond. Thanks again, everybody!

(NEXT TIME: Before we start our round robin for the next three months, let's take a little sojourn with 3 Ninjas, with a special appearance from a Film Club non-member.)