Wham!

Released Jul 5, 2023

1h 32m

Documentary

Music

List

90%

48 Reviews

Tomatometer

88%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

In 1982, the best of friends and still teenagers - George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as WHAM! set out to conquer the world. By June of 1986 they played their very last gig at Wembley Stadium having done exactly that. Now for the very first time, told in their own words, the amazing story of how in four years they dominated the charts around the world with timeless and classic pop songs.

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Critics Consensus

While Wham! may mostly appeal to those familiar with shoulder pads and cassette tapes, it's hard not to swing along to this tribute pop-umentary about George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.

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Cowni F

Genuinely lovely and heartwarming.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/23/24

Full Review

Audience Member

The best documentary I've ever seen! It kept me very entertained and interested. It's so good it makes me want to see it again!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/29/24

Full Review

Robson C

O documentário conta a trajetória do duo pop dos anos 80, o Wham!, desde o início da amizade na infância entre George Michael e Andrew Ridgeley até o show final e dissolução do grupo, com a carreira solo de Michael. Um ponto importante desse documentário que o tema mais importante é a amizade entre George e Andrew. Como cada um se beneficiou dela e como isso mudou com o transcorrer dos anos. Se na infância, era Andrew que movia a dupla, por George ser mais tímido, com a criação do grupo e o desenvolvimento de Michael como cantor, compositor e ídolo pop, Andrew acabou por se tornar secundário. E é interessante escutar os depoimentos de Andrew ser a testemunha principal da evolução do seu amigo, ao mesmo tempo que via os demônios internos dele o consumindo, por causa da sua orientação sexual, do ego dele querer ser visto como um artista e não apenas um ídolo teen. E isso nos leva a pensar a falta que fez a Michael do apoio que ele tinha com Andrew. Não é somente um filme sobre um grupo pop de sucesso dos anos 80, mas principalmente de uma amizade e do nascimento de um artista com talento reconhecido, famoso, mas consumido por questões internas.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

Full Review

Jeff M

Though a child of the 80s, Wham! was never my thing. I knew a couple of their songs, but other than that, I was clueless about their early years and the formation of the group. And, to be quite frank, my knowledge is not necessarily that much greater after watching this documentary. If Wikipedia ever started its own movie studio, this is the kind of film that might be produced. It hits the bullet points, but never goes much deeper. It's also simultaneously refreshing but somewhat anticlimactic that there were no huge dramas behind the scenes, other than Michael struggling how to address his sexuality. If the filmmakers are accurate, they remained good friends throughout the relatively short span of the group, even at its demise. I can't say there's a lot here that warrants a feature-length documentary, but I was quite entertained and came away with a new appreciation of their music. I even wouldn't mind a follow-up talking about Michael's and Ridgeley's lives after the end of their collaboration.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/17/24

Full Review

stephen b

I never realized how well the other guy stepped away with such grace. In the end it was a pretty good story about friendship.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/03/23

Full Review

Alain M

if you are from that time period and you lived through the hype then this is a must watch, if your parents where from that time, then this is a must watch so you can understand why your parents are who they are today if it wasn't for pop formations like WHAM :)

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/02/23

Full Review

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Chris Smith

Director

George Michael

Self

Andrew Ridgeley

Self

John Battsek

Producer

Simon Halfon

Producer

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Max Weiss

Baltimore Magazine

I used to think of Andrew Ridgeley, one half of the pop duo Wham!, as this lucky guy who had hitched his cart to George Michael. Turns out, the real story is far more interesting.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 27, 2023

Full Review

Nick Hilton

Independent (UK)

Wham! inadvertently becomes a music documentary without much interest in music. Like the band themselves, this is a breezy watch, but if there's profundity beneath the perms and the cut-offs, the film struggles to find it.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 13, 2023

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Variety

If all you want from the film is a kind of nostalgic pep pill... you’ll find that the movie totally scratches than itch. But “Wham!” is also a fascinating music documentary that’s telling two stories at once.

Jul 9, 2023

Full Review

Amber Wilkinson

Eye for Film

We’re so used to the flotsam and jetsum of angst, bad blood and rancour in the ocean of pop history, that the positive energy of the Wham! documentary feels as welcome as a summer breeze.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 4, 2024

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

As a fan piece “Wham!” works pretty well. It highlights the bands ups while steering mostly clear of the downs, and it’s full of the music fans love. But as a meatier documentary it falls a little short.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 29, 2023

Full Review

Matthew Creith

IN Magazine

For anyone that might not know about Wham! and what made this band special, WHAM! is a worthwhile documentary to watch for its presentation of a musical act struggling with fame.

Jul 25, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

In 1982, the best of friends and still teenagers - George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as WHAM! set out to conquer the world. By June of 1986 they played their very last gig at Wembley Stadium having done exactly that. Now for the very first time, told in their own words, the amazing story of how in four years they dominated the charts around the world with timeless and classic pop songs.

Director: Chris Smith
Distributor: Netflix
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 5, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 5, 2023
Runtime: 1h 32m

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