'Funkytown' follows the impact of the disco era on the lives of the main protagonists and how they come together and interact, where else, but in a Montreal Disco called the 'Starlight'. There's some mention of the politics of the time in the background, but that's all it is, context.
The main character leaves his family and loses his career to cocaine while the Italian Guido discovers his homosexuality after his moma commits suicide. The son of the disco owner becomes a man when he stands up to daddy and the model finds a voice thanks to lip synch. Wait there's more. The gay fashionista falls for the straight, who finally isn't. The washed up singer discovers new wave and the crocked artist manager gets shot.
If it's sound like a seasons worth of afternoon soap opera story lines, it's because it is. 'Funkytown' manages to hold it together for about half the film but unravels under the weight of all those intrigues.
Much of this movie is based on the lives of real people notably Alain Montpetit, the king of disco and Douglas 'Coco' Leopold, the Perez Hilton of the time. Both of them defined the Disco Era in Montréal.
Patrick Huard does a good job of playing Montpetit but he can't hide that he's a little too old for the role and that goes to credibility.
This movie was conceived in an attempt to appeal to both the Québec and the larger Canadian market. So marketing to both audiences is an important element of the writing in this movie and certainly does it a disservice.
The main character leaves his family and loses his career to cocaine while the Italian Guido discovers his homosexuality after his moma commits suicide. The son of the disco owner becomes a man when he stands up to daddy and the model finds a voice thanks to lip synch. Wait there's more. The gay fashionista falls for the straight, who finally isn't. The washed up singer discovers new wave and the crocked artist manager gets shot.
If it's sound like a seasons worth of afternoon soap opera story lines, it's because it is. 'Funkytown' manages to hold it together for about half the film but unravels under the weight of all those intrigues.
Much of this movie is based on the lives of real people notably Alain Montpetit, the king of disco and Douglas 'Coco' Leopold, the Perez Hilton of the time. Both of them defined the Disco Era in Montréal.
Patrick Huard does a good job of playing Montpetit but he can't hide that he's a little too old for the role and that goes to credibility.
This movie was conceived in an attempt to appeal to both the Québec and the larger Canadian market. So marketing to both audiences is an important element of the writing in this movie and certainly does it a disservice.