Travel back to the ’80s with the new film ‘Worried About the Boy’ which traces the life of Boy George from when he left home to the cusp of his Culture Club success. Newcomer Douglas Booth successfully takes on the challenge of becoming Boy George. The make-up and costumes get him eighty percent there, but it’s a solid performance from Booth that takes the portrayal to full capacity and makes this film rise above its TV movie of the week origins.
There are no great revelations. This is the dramatization of the first part of Boy George’s biography Take It Like a Man. Bowie loving queer boy moves from suburbia to a London flat and get’s a job as the Coast Check Girl at The Blitz club. This Camden club is remembered as the birth place of the new romantic movement where Spandau Ballet, Visage and a ton of others emerged from. Boy George and his friends have outrageous hair, boys wear make-up and the clothes are spectacular.
All the characters are there Marc Warren is Steve Strange, League of Gentleman star Mark Gattis makes a brilliant Malcolm McLaren, Mathew Horne best known for his leading role in Gavin and Stacy is Culture Club drummer Jon Moss. Boy George’s best friend the trans*tastic Marilyn is played by Freddie Fox and Richard Madden embodies Spear of Destiny front man Kirk Hammett.
Throughout the film we flash forward to Boy George’s life just after the demise of Culture Club, to a time when he’s battling drug addiction and the stalking paparazzi. It’s an interesting story structure because while it captures what are ultimately the most interesting points in Boy George’s life, you feel a bit cheated that they most successful part of his life story is cut from the middle.
If you can get a copy of Boy George’s first autobiography, it’s a much more rewarding experience but the movie’s not too bad and a lot of fun to watch and it’ll leave you with a huge desire to dress elaborately next time you go out clubbing.
Worried About the Boy is out now on DVD from Universal.
Graeme Watson
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