Good Vibrations
Good Vibrations
| 31 May 2012 (USA)
Good Vibrations Trailers

The story of music legend Terri Hooley, a key figure in Belfast's punk rock scene. Hooley founded the Good Vibrations store from which a record label sprung, representing bands such as The Undertones, Rudi and The Outcasts.

Reviews
Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
GamerTab That was an excellent one.
Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
LouHomey From my favorite movies..
Harriet Deltubbo No matter what anyone says, this is utterly fantastic. Good Vibrations was well-received in its American premiere. A chronicle of Terri Hooley's life, a record-store owner instrumental in developing Belfast's punk-rock scene. I found the film a little too dark and a little too slow as it moves to what seems like an inevitable bitter end. The plot is not as well thought out as the original, but it still does the cast well. I would suggest renting it, or perhaps buying it if the price is right. My final rating for this movie is 7 out of 10, and it deserves it in every way. This film is worthy of all the hopes you have.
bbewnylorac I visited Belfast a few years ago and was horrified to see the Wall still standing between Protestant and Catholic parts of the city. A cafe owner told me that until recent years the CBD had to be closed down at night because it was unsafe. I welcomed a movie focusing on the Troubles. I need to know more about it. I love this film. I don't think the film even says what religion or politics Terri Hooley, the record store owner, hails from, because it's irrelevant. He treats people as he finds them. He simply hates violence. As Hooley, Richard Dormer gives a perfect portrayal of a man who is almost aggressively determined to be a peace lover and to follow his passion for music and community. Even though he doesn't get on with his crotchety old father, a communist would-be politician, the father oddly showed Terri a great example in following his own path, being true to himself and standing up to ridicule. Just watching the senseless gang and police violence and explosions, most of it shown to us from actual file news footage, is enough to make Terri realise that music is the way to escape, and to rise above it all, and he brings others along for the ride. Punk is an unlikely vehicle for his vision, but he realises that all these downtrodden youths around him are just like him -- sick of the stupid tit for tat going on and looking for a way to express themselves, socialise and even experience joy. It's a gritty film. In every frame someone is drinking and smoking heavily and committing crimes against fashion. Terri is hopeless with money, and not so great to his wife, but in the final scenes, you realise what heroic things he did achieve. This is even better than The Commitments in that it's more rooted in reality and it rings true in a lot of ways.
steinbergerxl I saw Good Vibrations today and I absolutely loved it. Perhaps the heavy accents will hinder its travel arrangements but I think it will win a few awards; it certainly deserves to! The music is mainly Punk and documents the early career of The Undertones. Any comparison between the young bands portrayed in this film and the top Showbands of the day would be very stark; they roughed it while premier league Showbands were treated like royalty. Nevertheless, it gives a very real account of the Belfast music scene during "The Troubles". I know, I was in the thick of it. The only dodgy thing about the film is Adrian Dunbar's wig……. Perhaps I'm biased because I know Terri but, if you see only one music movie this year, it should be Good Vibrations.
Red-Barracuda This is a biopic about Terri Hooley, the owner of Good Vibrations record shop and record label. His biggest claim to fame was in getting The Undertones seminal single Teenage Kicks to DJ John Peel. Considering that this became Peel's favourite song of all time, this is something of note. I hadn't heard of Hooley, or Good Vibrations but this isn't too surprising seeing as – aside from The Undertones who were only involved with him briefly – the other punk bands on his label were very minor players such as The Outcasts and Rudi. It's probably fair to say that the movie overstates the significance of Hooley and of Belfast as a punk capital.Nevertheless, this is still a good film. It successfully illustrates how punk rock served a different purpose in Belfast compared to most other places. It happened during the height of The Troubles and music was a means of bringing people together from both sides of the fence, while the youthful anger of punk rock tapped into something very relevant in a population living in grim times with the fear of violence a constant situation. To help give a better feel for the times there are actual newsreels from the period spliced into the story. Although the politics always hover in the background and never really move into the central ground of the story. This is above all a story about the love of music and its power to overcome wider concerns. Although, admittedly it failed to bring an end to the civil war, seeing as it lasted for a further twenty years.The story is a fairly standard feel-good biopic with a little bit of adverse drama thrown in about two thirds of the way in. In fairness, it's only being true to its source material which is fairly slight to begin with. The period setting is captured quite well in its beige horror although there were some (very) dodgy wigs on display. This will connect most with folks who remember the punk times, especially ones who were in Belfast at the time. But it is a good film about a minor piece of music history.