The film gives us a look at the New York City punk-rock scene and the venerable nightclub, CBGB, that helps launch the careers of such bands as Blondie, the Ramones and the Police.
It's '24 Hour Party People' without the wit and definitely without the love of the music it pretends to lionize.
The Film Stage
June 22, 2016
With nonexistent character depth, abysmal storytelling, and an aesthetic gimmick that hurts the film far more than it helps, all CBGB only benefits from a killer soundtrack.
Under Rickman's pained gaze you wonder what he saw in the music, although when you hear it... it does take you back. There's something there, but CBGB isn't it.
If you really want to remember those times? Get out "Horses." Or "Talking Heads: 77." Or "Blank Generation." Preferably on vinyl, with all the pops and scratches. And play them. Loud.
I would swear on a stack of Dead Boys T-shirts and a first pressing of Richard Hell and the Voidoids' "Blank Generation" that it could not possibly have been like that: so silly, so trivial, so boring.
Ultimately, CBGB tries to be too cute of a film about a great, gritty topic, but for those seeking an innocent trip through a pivotal time in rock, it's better than a kick in the head.
You figure a movie that features the Ramones and Blondie would be so extraordinary and energetic, but "CBGB" makes them seem so mundane and unimportant.
