Purely Joyful Movie!

One of my all time favorites.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Killing Bono reviewAs always, I'll start this review with info on the film. Killing Bono was a movie released in 2011 and was based on Neil McCormick's 2003 memoir 'Killing Bono: I Was Bono's Doppelgänger.' It was shot in Northern Ireland, funded by Northern Ireland Screen and was released by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Nick Hamm plus, the cast included some great young, upcoming talent in Ben Barnes and Robert Sheehan. In a nutshell, Killing Bono is a rock 'n' roll comedy about two Northern Irish brothers trying and struggling to forge their path through the 1980's music scene. At the same time, their old school friends successfully add their band name in the history of British rockers, their name being U2. Plunging the brothers' band deeper and deeper into the shadows, just like the thousands of other musicians that didn't make it. It has a great story: ambition, ego and the comedy of the 80's music scene all blended together. It's all told in an authentic, light-hearted way by director Hamm, who brings out the best in Barnes and Sheehan. The film overall is enjoyable and the main storyline- continuing dreams of stardom even when they remain out of reach-are hauntingly familiar for some. So it relates to many people well, but in my opinion it needs more funding to transform onto the big screen, although it does well considering the budget. If you're a British music fan or if you want an easy way to tell your kids it's not easy making it in the music industry I highly recommend this film, make sure your children have a working knowledge of U2 beforehand though. RATING: 7.3/10Best parts: The making of 'Bono' and 'The Edge' The "it's the Pope, or me" speech The ending-I won't spoil it

The part where Bono call's Neil up to ask him to open for U2, when Neil "says thanks but no thanks" That's when I shut off the Tele.Too bad the movie was going great with their struggles about trying to make it as a band. A few nude scenes and party scenes to brighten up the story, But if this story is about trying to make it as a band, a logical person would take a gig like,.. I dunno.. Opening up for U2 !!! I felt a shame for this character's poor decisions and to think that this person holds a grudge against Bono (or the story's premiss), He cant blame anybody else but himself.If this is a real story, then they should rename their band for "Natural Selection". Because they are the reason for being non existent today..Perhaps in the future I will go and watch the rest of the movie, (on Netflix) whenever i have time.Besides that, I loved Adams hair fro, the music was getting better,.. and it was nice to see the historical timelime.4/10

I will start to be very honest: I watched this movie because i do not like Bono and the title of the movie seemed suggesting...Nevertheless, i was presented with a great surprise! It's a really funny movie with some drama in it but overall it tells the story of anyone who was in a band i tried their luck into success. he competing with Bono only makes it more fun. The Soundtrack is awesome. Ben Barnes and Robert Sheehan actually sing most songs in the movie and they do a terrific work!If you like music or ever been in a band i really recommend this movie. If not, it's still a funny story and a good adventure to watch, even if it is only for the soundtrack.

Ask anyone under 25 what U2 means to them and most likely they'll roll their eyes and state that they're a parody of a rock band , effectively an Irish Staus Quo who receive undeserved acclaim from music critics who should be put out to pasture . . This is disingenuous and misinformed . For people of a certain age U2 were as much the 1980s as The Beatles were to the 1960s and some of us were there right from the start . Whilst Duran Duran and Human League were selling millions of synth pop albums which became dated overnight Bono and the boys were strumming guitars making music that will never date . If you think U2 are a band built upon hype rather than talent then go to youtube and type in " U2 I Will Follow The Tube " and you'll see a performance that is almost messianic in its life affirming streamlined beauty . Music is the greatest , most moving type of art whilst the music of The The has possibly changed my life through outside factors U2 remain my all time favourite musical iconsKILLING BONO is based on the memoirs of Neil McCormack and tells the story of McCormack and his brother Ivan . Neil and Ivan want to start a band and when Paul Hewson front-man of a band called The Hype asks Neil if his younger brother wants to join The Hype Neil refuses because they're brothers and their band is going to be the biggest band in the world . Paul Hewson changed his name to Bono and The Hype to U2 and Neil spends the next eleven years becoming more and more bitter at the band's success as his own plans for fame and fortune hit dead ends There's a few good points to the movie . The incidental music does mirror that of U2 and there's a few performances worthy of mention such Peter Serafinowicz as coke head manager Hammond , . Pete Postlewaite in an under used role as the camp homosexual landlord Karl and Stanley Townsend as violent gangster Danny Machin though to be honest Townsend is often let down by the screenplay In fact the whole film is let down by the screenplay . It's very difficult to believe there's a lot of truth in it because Neil McCormack must be a real life inversion of Jamal Malik from SLUMDOG MILLIONIARE . Every plan he comes up with seems so cursed by bad luck that karma must have it in for him . Either that or he must be the most stupid person to have ever lived . Considering he has the intellect to write a memoir one can't help thinking there's a massive amount of artistic license involved . Take for example the scene in the Dublin toilet with Neil and Ivan where someone drops a gun only to have another character put two and two together verbally which is overheard by a third character leading ... well let's just say it's too contrived to be taken at face value if someone says it's true There's also the problem as to who the film will appeal to . My cinema visit had a small handful of people not much younger than me .who probably grew up with the band and therefore could get the in jokes . If they were die hard fans like me then they'd be able to spot massive anachronisms such as Boy being released at the same time as the Pope's visit . Boy was in fact released a year after the Pope's visit to Ireland . Likewise Dead And Alive's You Spin Me Round wouldn't be playing in a Bohemian nightclub at the time of release of War in March 1983 and who would have booked a concert for their band on the day of Live Aid in July 1985 ? A stupid person ? One suffering from bad karma ? Or most likely a person being economical with the truth . The truth is anyone who saw the concert live knew well in advance it was going to the legendary event it's remembered for KILLING BONO is a fair film . It isn't going to be a massive success and one wonders if it might have worked better if THE COMMITMENTS where quixotic plans of making it big in the music world still in the public consciousness . It also suffers from the feel that it's made for TV a major problem with many Brit movies and will probably be remembered for being the final movie of Pete Postlewaite