Velvet Goldmine

R

Released Nov 6, 1998

2h 3m

Drama

List

63%

Tomatometer

51 Reviews

80%

Audience Score

25,000+ Ratings

Glam rock star Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Myers) plays a character on stage named Maxwell Demon who predicts his death on stage. Shortly after he announces his prediction, he fakes his own death and is exposed as a fraud. A decade later in 1984, a reporter and former fan, Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale), tracks down the former rocker to do an article on his life and downfall. Arthur interviews the man who discovered Slade and a peer (Ewan McGregor) to understand Slade's motivations.

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Critics Consensus

Velvet Goldmine takes a visual and narrative approach befitting its larger-than-life subject, although it's still disappointingly less than the sum of its parts.

Read Critics Reviews

Kristy Puchko

Pajiba

Haynes makes the dream so sweet, you can't help but return again and again to crushing glamor and gorgeousness of Velvet Goldmine.

Jun 23, 2019

Full Review

Paul Tatara

CNN.com

I'm telling you, I was bored stiff.

Feb 8, 2018

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B+

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Connor Lightbody

Loud and Clear Reviews

A titillating dreamscape of a film that is presented as outrageous and lavish, having the same unbridled flamboyance as the people being portrayed

Rated: 5/5

Jul 4, 2024

Full Review

Kevin Harley

Radio Times

Todd Haynes's valentine to glam rock adopts the genre's styles and strategies with wit, ingenuity and exuberance.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 24, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... filmmaker Todd Haynes reimagines the Glam rock era and the iconic influence of David Bowie through the kaleidoscopic lens of Citizen Kane.

Jul 1, 2023

Full Review

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Alec B

A biopic that's both fake and real (which allows for several "Citizen Kane" references) with a number of earth shattering performances.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/24

Full Review

PridePosterStudios

“During the Festival sequence where Brian sees Curt perform for the first time, Ewan McGregor was only due to moon the disgruntled crowd. But inspired by the antics of Iggy Pop, he improvised, and ended up gesticulating wildly while flashing the audience, leaping about with his trousers around his ankles.”

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/13/24

Full Review

Zuzka H

Nice memory of glamrock, Bowie and others, but Christian Bale was so boring there. This character was inconsequential in this film. Ewan was given little space and I think that this theme could have been worked on more.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/27/23

Full Review

Shioka O

Good or bad, it's like a 2 hour hallucinate music video. It's a nostalgia of glam rock in 70s, but now watched in 2022, it appears like a pure 90s film with those talented actors from UK. Directed in the Citizen Kane style. It's not a bio, the main character is fictional, a mixture of the iconic figures of that era, and I kinda feel cheated to hear those iconic songs played at once. (and no Bowie) BTW, the director made a documentary about Velvet Underground in 2021.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/11/22

Full Review

Bah B

Where have I been? This film is a gem! I love the sociological insights of the story. I love its amazing casts. Jonathan Rhys, Ewan Mcgregor, Christian Bale really gave very beautiful, raw and soulful performance in this vivid film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/21/22

Full Review

isla s

The most memorable performances in this film, I felt, were from Christian Bale and Toni Collette. It was also nice seeing Eddie Izzard in this film too - he also does well in his role as Jerry Devine. Its a diverting, entertaining enough watch I suppose, with some amusing moments but I didn't feel there was very much in the way of a clear plot narrative/structure as such. Its alright but not a film I'd personally speciffically recommend as such, no.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Todd Haynes

Director

Ewan McGregor

Curt Wild

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers

Brian Slade

Toni Collette

Mandy Slade

Christian Bale

Arthur Stuart

Suzy Eddie Izzard

Jerry Devine

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Synopsis

Glam rock star Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Myers) plays a character on stage named Maxwell Demon who predicts his death on stage. Shortly after he announces his prediction, he fakes his own death and is exposed as a fraud. A decade later in 1984, a reporter and former fan, Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale), tracks down the former rocker to do an article on his life and downfall. Arthur interviews the man who discovered Slade and a peer (Ewan McGregor) to understand Slade's motivations.

Director: Todd Haynes
Producer: Christine Vachon
Screenwriter: Todd Haynes, Todd Haynes, James Lyons
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Single Cell Pictures, Zenith Productions, Miramax Films, Goldwyn Films, Newmarket Capital Group, Killer Films
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Nudity|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 6, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 20, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.0M
Runtime: 2h 3m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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