Very well executed

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The world was shocked by the news that music icon George Michael had died, Christmas Day 2016, from natural causes (as a result of dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and a fatty liver), aged 53. This film, which he directed himself, alongside David Austin, was completed two days before his sudden death, so additional material was added, it serves as both a celebration and a tribute of the life and career of the acclaimed singer-songwriter. George Michael was born 25th June 1963, he formed the pop duo Wham! in 1981, alongside Andrew Ridgeley, and they had great success with many Top 10 and chart-topping songs, including "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)", "Young Guns (Go for It)", "Bad Boys", "Club Tropicana", "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Freedom", "Everything She Wants", "Last Christmas", "I'm Your Man" and "The Edge of Heaven". In 1984, George recorded some solo work, including Number One songs "Careless Whisper" and "A Different Corner", and "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)", the duet with Aretha Franklin, before the breakup of Wham! in 1986. George released his first solo album, Faith, in 1987, hit songs from the album included "I Want Your Sex", "Faith", "Father Figure", "One More Try" and "Kissing a Fool", the album went on to win at the Grammys, the MTV Video Music Awards, the BRITs, and the American Music Awards (awards then were normally given to black artists). His second solo album released was Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, featuring hit songs "Praying for Time", "Freedom '90" (the music video does not feature George, he directed it, it features supermodels, including Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford), "Waiting for That Day", "Heal the Pain" - which later became a duet with Sir Paul McCartney, "Cowboys and Angels" and "Waiting (Reprise)", but George refused to appear on the album cover, or do any real promotion for the album, it went on to win at the BRIT Awards. He released many songs and went on stage, including "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" - the duet with Sir Elton John, "They Won't Go When I Go" (a Stevie Wonder cover), "Living in the City" - live duet with Stevie Wonder, a collaboration with Adamski on "Killer/Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", singing "Desafinado" with Astrud Gilberto, "Too Funky" (his final single with Sony), and a cover of "Somebody to Love", with Queen as part of the Freddie Mercury tribute concert. But George went on hiatus from the music industry, leaving record label Sony, he went to court about ending his contract, he felt he had no control of his work, he lost the case and was out of work for five years, during this time he also suffered the death of his partner, Brazilian dress designer Anselmo Feleppa, who died of an AIDS-related brain haemorrhage. He finally returned to music in 1996, releasing his third solo album, Older, which featured the songs "Jesus to a Child", "Fastlove", "Spinning the Wheel", "Star People" and "You Have Been Loved", the album went on to win at the MTV Europe Awards, the BRITs, and The Ivor Novello Awards. During the late 1990s, George came out as gay, following his arrest for lewd conduct in a public toilet in Los Angeles, he released songs "Outside" (his "coming out" song), "As" - the duet with Mary J. Blige, and "If I Told You That" - the duet with Whitney Houston. George's fourth solo album release was Songs from the Last Century, but none of the songs on the album charted, he also suffered the devastating news in 1999 that mother Lesley had cancer, she died a year later. The fifth and final solo album George released was Patience, with many songs from it charting in the early 2000s, including "Freeek!", "Shoot the Dog" – 2DTV animation in the music video, "Amazing" and "Flawless (Go to the City)". In the late 2000s and early 2010s, George released many compilation albums, including Twenty Five, and released songs including "An Easier Affair", "December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas)" and "How Do You Keep the Music Playing" – duet with Tony Bennett. The documentary features many clips of George's personal home footage, his appearance on BBC Comic Relief – the first Carpool Karaoke with James Corden, his guest star appearance in the Extras Christmas Special, and his performance at the London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony. It also features a cover of "Fastlove", a ballad version by Adele (she famously performed it live at the Grammys, and swore requesting to start again), and a new version of "A Different Corner" – a duet with Chris Martin, plays in the end credits. Introduced by Kate Moss, with contributions from David Austin (friend and manager), Emmanuelle Alt (editor of French Vogue), Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Naomi Campbell, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Clive Davis (Whitney's manager), Tracey Emin, Linda Evangelista (model), Jean Paul Gaultier, Liam Gallagher, Ricky Gervais, Sir Elton John, Tatjana Patitz, Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, Christy Turlington (model) and Stevie Wonder. This film really makes you realise how much George Michael changed the music industry, touched many people across the world, how talented he was both writing and his brilliant voice, featuring great use of archive footage, George narrating a lot of it himself, a most watchable music documentary. Very good!

This documentary isn't just for fans of George Michael. This is an insightful look at an extraordinary artist. Over 95 minutes, George primarily focuses on the time from his release of Listen Without Prejudice through his much publicized court case with Sony in the early to mid 1990's. Especially for any fans in the U.S., you will learn why it seemed George Michael may have disappeared from the music scene.

George Michael is honored in a fine documentary released in October 2017, a film he wrote and directed and supervised about his life in show business before his death on Christmas Day 2016. The film was completed under David Austin's direction. As he states in the film, 'Stars are almost always people that want to make up for their own weaknesses by being loved by the public and I'm no exception to that.'The movie is a frank and honest account of George Michael's professional life and career. Though the film was made by the man himself, various artists add to the narrative – Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Emmanuelle Alt, Naomi Campbell, Ricky Gervais, Elton John, Liam Gallagher, Cindy Crawford, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Kate Moss Nile Rodgers, James Corden, Stevie Wonder, and many others.The film highlights conversations with Michael, his crisis with Sony, his 'coming out' as a gay man and finding love with a Brazilian man who subsequently died of AIDS, his driving force to be the best performer and songwriter ever known, his many successful videos and clips from live performances and much, much more.This is a very beautifully made film, steaming with love from Michael and from his many fans, and filled with information about the positive impact he made on the world. Completely entertaining and a fine tribute to an enormously gifted artist.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning George Michael was born in the 1960s to Greek immigrants, in London, and in the early 1980s, formed one pop pairing that wasn't terribly successful, before forming Wham!, which enjoyed phenomenal success that resonates until this day, whilst also enjoying a solo career of his own. But while becoming a worldwide superstar, in his private life, he was battling his own personal demons, including his repressed homosexuality, his unease with the limelight, through to the death of his partner and battle with his record company. Made in the few months leading up to his death, this documentary lifts the lid on his life in a way nothing else probably has before.In a year where a superstar a minute seemed to pop off this mortal coil, the news of George Michael's death on none other than Christmas Day last year was like the final cherry on top of a particularly poisonous cake. So many cultural icons just snuffed out like candles, but no others seem to have left us with anything quite as revealing and intimate as this. As we learn, George was a guy who had to do everything on his terms, who had to be controlling the direction his life was taking, and so in this documentary, we learn in his own time, about the impact his personal and professional life took on him personally.What emerges is a portrait of a young guy, thrust into the pit of fame, but he was no manufactured teen heart throb, a mature young adult, wise beyond his years, who allegedly wrote Careless Whisper, one of the most stirring and beautiful ballads of all time, on the back of a bus when he was just 17. It's interesting to wonder how a man of such tender years could have the emotional understanding and intelligence to write such material, but as we learn, he always felt more comfortable as a writer than a performer or celebrity.The numerous musical talents who provide commentary never at all feel like unsavoury arse kissers, but give off a vibe of genuine admirers, whose musical style was genuinely influenced by George, possibly more than anyone else. You don't know what you've got till it's gone, I guess, and this revealing documentary certainly doesn't let you get away without knowing what exactly a one and only George was. ****