Con O'Neill is absolutely superb as Joe Meek, genius-but-disturbed record maestro. His slow descent into darkness is brilliantly captured in this movie, as is his gradual loss of all his friends and associates. Kevin Spacey is also a standout as his financial backer.
At one point we see an advertisement phrase "Go to Work On An Egg" - which was also a t.v. advert that legendary comedian Tony Hancock fronted. There are some pretty close parallels between Hancock and Meek - a clever touch.
The centre of the movie is really about his relationship with Heinz (J.J. Feild who is also excellent) and his attempts to propel him to pop super-stardom. It's worth pointing out that Heinz's family were deeply unhappy with his portrayal in this movie, stating none of it was true.
At times the movie is very funny. Heinz's punch-up with Jess Conrad is hilarious. But overall this is a dark drama that packs a real punch. Even if the movie is fictional it largely sticks to the facts as I understand them. It also uncovers the sleaziness behind the early 60s pop world fantastically well. It's probably isn't a movie for someone just looking for a pleasant two hours of movie-watching, though.
At one point we see an advertisement phrase "Go to Work On An Egg" - which was also a t.v. advert that legendary comedian Tony Hancock fronted. There are some pretty close parallels between Hancock and Meek - a clever touch.
The centre of the movie is really about his relationship with Heinz (J.J. Feild who is also excellent) and his attempts to propel him to pop super-stardom. It's worth pointing out that Heinz's family were deeply unhappy with his portrayal in this movie, stating none of it was true.
At times the movie is very funny. Heinz's punch-up with Jess Conrad is hilarious. But overall this is a dark drama that packs a real punch. Even if the movie is fictional it largely sticks to the facts as I understand them. It also uncovers the sleaziness behind the early 60s pop world fantastically well. It's probably isn't a movie for someone just looking for a pleasant two hours of movie-watching, though.