It's All Gone Pete Tong

When Fubar director Michael Dowse was approached by a couple of moneyed British guys with a name and a concept, how could he turn down the opportunity to poke fun at dance music culture? Set in Ibiza, Spain, a Balearic Island with the third strongest magnetic field on Earth and the world's most amazing clubs, which attract party people from all over Europe, the dramatic life of Superstar DJ Frankie Wilde unfolds. There's one catch: as cokehead Frankie slowly goes deaf, it's all slipping away from under him. This is an entertaining film with some good laughs and UK actor Paul Kaye's performance as Frankie Wilde is perfect. There is a very interesting metaphor for addiction with the Cocaine Badger popping up in Frankie's life, giving him toots from his golden shovel and a big glass of scotch to wash down the drip. After fighting addiction, Frankie goes on to pick up the pieces with the help of a lip-reading instructor played by Beatriz Batarda. Beatriz's performance is stunning and tops even that of Kaye's. It's All Gone Pete Tong has won countless awards but fans are of course wondering, "How does it stack up next to Fubar?" Well, Fubar is a little sillier and has many more belly laughs, whereas Tong is a little glossier and although funny, isn't really about the hysterics. There are loads of actual superstar DJ cameos that are sure to delight club heads and the best parts of the film feature Frankie in his blessed-out prime. Things get a little lame when they attempt to get all serious and emotional about Frankie's problems. The extra features include the regular things like director commentary, deleted scenes, interviews and the "making of," but it would have been nice to see more about the clubs and island that are at the epicentre of dance culture, as the location helped make this film what it is. (Alliance Atlantis)