TV review

future bassist Dave Gent (Matariki Whatarau) outside the store. After their first practice he changes his tune: “He’s a genius,” he tells new drummer Harry (Simon Mead), “but don’t tell him I said so.”

The unlikely friendship which endures between Luck and Gent provides the film with heart when at times it threatens to turn into a jointhe-dots dramatisation of the band’s Wikipedia page. The number of cameos and winking references in the script also helps in that respect. Blink and you might miss Ed Hillary (Andrew Munro) as the band’s first manager Jim Wilson, or Buzz Moller from indie heroes Voom as a washed up rock star delivering a portent of doom to the band at Sweetwaters.

At the end even Mulheron himself appears as the director of the iconic Why Does Love Do This To Me? music video, which he then recreates shotfor-shot. And why not?

The biggest star is the music, after all, and barely a scene goes by without one of the band’s songs featuring prominently. Outside of the context they usually appear in these days — blaring out of the speakers at rugby stadiums and on Air NZ ads —

The biggest star is the music, after all, and barely a scene goes by without one of the band’s songs featuring prominently.

it’s like hearing them anew for the first time. The inclusion of deeper cuts is welcome, too — Perfect Romance at Sweetwaters is a highlight.

The script walks a high wire between clever and clumsy when it comes to shoehorning in the songs’ origin stories. Victoria, famously written about Luck’s landlady, hits home. Later attempts to plot the inspiration behind songs such as Whatever Happened to Tracey or Who Loves Who The Most aren’t quite as convincing.

Why Does Love? doesn’t completely gloss over the less-thanpositive parts of the story. Luck is rarely seen without a beer in his hand, for example, and this is the clear catalyst for blown auditions and ruined gigs. But even as the band selfdestructs in the second act the tone remains fairly upbeat. It maintains a broad crowd-pleasing appeal — a bit like the band itself.

The Dance Exponents’ story is particularly well-suited to the screen. But what about the Herbs story? The Toy Love story? The True Bliss story?

Let’s get it written into the TVNZ charter — from now until the end of time (or the end of Sunday Theatre, whichever comes first), at least one new local music biopic every year.