STARDUST
15
On digital now
It would have been David Bowie’s birthday last week and fans may want to mark it by staying well clear of this plodding biopic. Loosely based on real events, with no involvement from Bowie’s family and without the rights to his music, writer-director Gabriel Range sends him on a meandering road trip that sticks to the period before his subject found US fame.
It’s 1971 and a folky, proto-glam Bowie (Johnny Flynn) is in America for a promotional tour. His record label has stuffed up his work permit so he’s not allowed to perform any of his early songs.
Instead, the wannabe is driven around the country by a PR man (Marc Maron) who is desperate to score a career-breaking interview.
Flashbacks suggest the pretentious young singer is haunted by memories of his institutionalised, schizophrenic half-brother Terry (Derek Moran). But that’s about the only insight on offer. The man behind the music just comes across as a bit of a prat.