As a celebration of two friends who defied the negativity of the pop press and loudly exclaimed ‘Choose Life’ Wham! is, like them, playful, joyous and full of colour. Wham! is streaming now on Netflix.
Despite constant negativity and snipes in the mainstream music press, Wham! took the world by storm in just four years. It was the dream of a lifetime for the young Andrew Ridgeley and Georgios Panayiotou (later George Michael), who had become besties at Bushey Meads High School in Hertfordshire. The journey to stardom was short, sharp and full of unexpected opportunities, like a last-minute performance on Top of the Pops in 1982. Wham! became the epitome of a new upbeat 80s pop, built on good vibes, big hair, colour and bright white smiles, but far from manufactured pop, George and Andrew’s talent for writing, composition and style shone through their upbeat songs and later ballads.
While Andrew helped the nervous and unconfident George find his musical voice in their younger years, George undoubtedly had the talent. Over the years, this caused many to speculate on the relationship between Ridgeley and Michael. As George began his journey to stardom, was there division, resentment or jealousy as Andrew became a shadow?
Director Chris Smith aims to answer these questions through archive footage and audio interviews with Ridgeley and Michael (who recorded many of his thoughts before he died in 2016). The result is an upbeat and affectionate portrait of two boys who achieved the dreams of stardom they talked about endlessly as teens. It’s a story of undying friendship, hidden trauma, and sacrifice that isn’t afraid to explore the darker corners of Wham!’s meteoric rise.
However, despite the intimacy of the conversations, archive footage and the youthful exuberance of Wham! you can’t help but feel we are still missing parts of the story as Smith’s delightful documentary ends. But as a celebration of two friends who defied the negativity of the pop press and loudly exclaimed ‘Choose Life’ Wham! is, like them, playful, joyous and full of colour.
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