Release Date – 11/4/2011 (limited)
It’s the late 1970s and the McCormick brothers are growing up in Dublin, Ireland. They have a local band and their dream is to one day make it big. They plan on being career musicians, with no other career aspects. The only problem is another band trying to make it in the Dublin music scene during that same time. Maybe you’ve heard of them. A little band called U2. The older McCormick brother, Neil, hates living out his dreams in the shadow of the more popular band. He refuses every opportunity given to them in order to make it on his own with a distance from Bono and the gang. This is much to the disdain of his younger brother, Ivan, who could have been the 5th member of U2 if his brother didn’t put a stop to it. Rock N Roll movies are always good and this is no different. While it’s a little slow to get going, it eventually starts rocking your socks off.
Ben Barnes plays older brother Neil. He’s not very likable as a main character but the contrast between him and his brother Ivan, played by Robert Sheehan, make for some good on screen chemistry. They are very different yet with the same love of ROCK! Both want to make it big in the music business. Neil may be a bit jealous when U2 asks to steal Ivan away as their rhythm guitarist. Or maybe Neil just wants to keep family close to pursue their dreams. I guess Neil should have actually told Ivan about the U2 offer instead of keeping it a secret. You know its going to cause a rift down the line, its not a big surprise when the secret comes out. They chose a really great Bono in Martin McCann. He looks the part and seemed like a genuinely nice guy, much like the real Bono. Always trying to help others over himself. Even if you don’t like the real band U2, this is an interesting story that has them in the background while this little underground band is the focus. Krysten Ritter plays Neil’s love interest. Not a real meaty role to work with. Peter Serafinowicz plays the crazy record executive that signs Shook Up (Neil & Ivan’s band). Pete Postlethwaite even appears as a pretty funny gay guy in his last film role before his death.
I love a good music movie. Almost Famous if you’re into drama. This is Spinal Tap if you’re into comedy. Killing Bono mixes a bit of both, although leaning much more towards comedy for the bulk of the film. Playing shitty gigs, changing band members, sibling arguments, everything you would want in a music film while rocking to some good tunes along the way. It plays well with the early 80s music scene where the clothes and sound were a bit “out there”. Even showing real clips of U2 during the end credits that could be a bit embarrassing. The whole film is (semi) based on a true story, a book written by the real Neil McCormick who called himself Bono’s Doppleganger. Its pretty damn interesting if you can suspend disbelief and realize they might have imagined a few extra scenes to better the film. Director Nick Hamm may not be well known. His last film was a picture called Godsend with Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn from 2004. Ever heard of it? Me either. Maybe Killing Bono will put his directing career into an upswing. Because I can say one thing for sure, this movie was not Shite.
IMDB – 6/10
Rotten Tomatoes – 54%
Movie Wiseguys – 7/10