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Amazon.co.uk Review
What would you do if you wanted to live the rock and roll lifestyle, but you’d ended up in the wrong band? That’s the conundrum at the heart of Killing Bono, as Neil McCormick finds himself in the music group at his school that didn’t turn out to be U2. And as such, he sets himself a simple challenge: to be bigger than them.
This quest for fame and fortunate, inevitably, doesn’t quite go to plan, and Killing Bono follows Neil, played by Ben Barnes, as he considers a more extreme solution to his problem. Quite a few, as it happens.
It’s a bit of a muddled film, but it isn’t bad. There are some nice comedy touches, and the performances in places are really rather good. Robert Sheehan, of the TV show Misfits and Ben Barnes fare well, while Pete Postlethwaite makes much of little in his last screen role before he died.
It’s a far-fetched piece of work, but it does charm its way through its bumpy patches. And, come the end credits, you’re not like to feel shortchanged by it. Killing Bono may not be perfect, but it does remember to entertain, and raises its fair share of chuckles, too. --Jon Foster
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Neil McCormick (Ben Barnes) always knew he'd be famous. A young Irish songwriter and budding genius, nothing less than a life of rock n' roll stardom will do. But there's only room for one singer in school band The Hype and his friend Paul's already bagged the job. So Neil forms his own band with his brother Ivan (Robert Sheehan). There's only one problem: The Hype have changed their name. To 'U2'. And Paul (Martin McCann) has turned into 'Bono'. Naturally there's only one option for Neil: become bigger than U2. The brothers head to London in their quest for fame, but their every action is dwarfed by the soaring success of their old school rivals. And when Ivan discovers the shocking truth behind Neil's rivalry with U2, it threatens to destroy everything. As his rock n' roll dream crashes and burns, is Neil forever destined to live in the shadows of superstardom? And what if the answer lies in... Killing Bono? ...Killing Bono ( I Was Bono's Doppelgänger )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I loved this movie. I'm not a huge U2 fan but I grew up with them being played by my dad, who was a massive fan in the 80's, so I knew enough about their early years to recognise various time points but you don't need to be a U2 fan to watch this because it's not about them, it's about the McCormick brothers and their struggle to rise from the shadow of their friends, who happened to go on to become one of the biggest bands on the planet.
The music featured by 'Shook Up' is good and I have been humming a couple of them since I saw the movie. I think Ben Barnes and Robert Sheehan were great as Neil and Ivan, I liked the eagerness with which Ben portrayed Neil's determination to make it big without using his old friend (Bono) as a stepping stone. Also impressive job on the Irish accent and a great singing voice too.
Pete Postlewaite makes his last onscreen appearance in this and I have to say he was one of my favourite characters, despite being featured little but considering how ill he was it's understandable, also Peter Serafinowicz as 'Hammond' is fantastic, especially in the scene we first meet him in.
Overall I enjoyed this alot and I wish it got more notice. If you liked The Commitments then I recommend it as their writers were involved in this and the humour runs along the same lines.
The music featured by 'Shook Up' is good and I have been humming a couple of them since I saw the movie. I think Ben Barnes and Robert Sheehan were great as Neil and Ivan, I liked the eagerness with which Ben portrayed Neil's determination to make it big without using his old friend (Bono) as a stepping stone. Also impressive job on the Irish accent and a great singing voice too.
Pete Postlewaite makes his last onscreen appearance in this and I have to say he was one of my favourite characters, despite being featured little but considering how ill he was it's understandable, also Peter Serafinowicz as 'Hammond' is fantastic, especially in the scene we first meet him in.
Overall I enjoyed this alot and I wish it got more notice. If you liked The Commitments then I recommend it as their writers were involved in this and the humour runs along the same lines.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I think Killing Bono is a very charming, funny and entertaining film. I'm not a U2 fan, but luckily this film focuses on the McCormick brothers and their desperate attempts to achieve the same sort of fame and fortune as their former schoolmates. There are good performances from Robert Sheehan and the late Pete Postlethwaite, but for me Ben Barnes steals the show with his very endearing portrayal of Neil McCormick, who's envy and bitterness towards U2 lead him to make one disastrous mistake after another.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Killing Bono is one of those films which has received surprisingly little public recognition, but which has been rated highly by nearly everyone who has seen it. It certainly deserves a much wider audience.
The story line is based on Neil and Ivan McCormick, who were contemporaries of Bono and the other members of U2. Like U2, they had a sixth form band and high aspirations. Neil always felt that his band should be at least as successful as Bono's and as U2 became the most successful band on the planet, this rivalry prompts him to make a series of disastrous mistakes as he seeks the success he craves. As the older brother he tends to make decisions, normally bad ones, without consulting Ivan. Ivan is also blissfully unaware that Bono wanted to recruit him for U2, but Neil vetoed it, and is understandably less than delighted when he does eventually discover this. Neil seems to have a special talent for getting Shook Up booked for the most inappropriate gigs. The one which clashed with the Pope's visit to Ireland and another in a sleazy strip joint being particularly hilarious.
This is quite a light hearted film, at times very funny and the sound track is excellent. When we hear the music of Shook Up, the McCormicks' band, it is actually rather good which really makes you wonder why they sunk without trace and were not more successful. There are some very good performances, notably by the late Pete Postlethwaite making his last appearance as Karl, the landlord, and Peter Serafinowicz as Hammond, the wonderfully insincere agent. Highly recommended!
The story line is based on Neil and Ivan McCormick, who were contemporaries of Bono and the other members of U2. Like U2, they had a sixth form band and high aspirations. Neil always felt that his band should be at least as successful as Bono's and as U2 became the most successful band on the planet, this rivalry prompts him to make a series of disastrous mistakes as he seeks the success he craves. As the older brother he tends to make decisions, normally bad ones, without consulting Ivan. Ivan is also blissfully unaware that Bono wanted to recruit him for U2, but Neil vetoed it, and is understandably less than delighted when he does eventually discover this. Neil seems to have a special talent for getting Shook Up booked for the most inappropriate gigs. The one which clashed with the Pope's visit to Ireland and another in a sleazy strip joint being particularly hilarious.
This is quite a light hearted film, at times very funny and the sound track is excellent. When we hear the music of Shook Up, the McCormicks' band, it is actually rather good which really makes you wonder why they sunk without trace and were not more successful. There are some very good performances, notably by the late Pete Postlethwaite making his last appearance as Karl, the landlord, and Peter Serafinowicz as Hammond, the wonderfully insincere agent. Highly recommended!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good and not so good...
I find it very difficult to criticize any creative work, whether it be a book, a film or an album. I watched this film, enjoyed it, but felt it was somehow abrupt and choppy in... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Jelly Bean
Great film about some terrible music!
Laugh out loud funny, endearingly hopeless characters and real heart - this film is great fun and just occasionally the music is OK too. Read more
Published 3 months ago by psmith
Stick it on your LoveFilm b-list
Based on the memoir I Was Bono's Doppelganger by Neil McCormick, Killing Bono tells the story of two Dublin brothers' attempt at rock stardom while school contemporaries Bono,... Read more
Published 6 months ago by G. O'Doherty
The other side of the 1980s U2 phenomenon: sharp, witty and clever
This 2011 comedy-with-a-hard-edge derives its screenplay from Neil McCormick's semi-autobiographical 2003 book `Killing Bono: I Was Bono's Doppelgänger'. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Dr. Trang
A great film about music and life!
Having read the book before I saw the film, I knew that it would be a great film with loads of laughs and cringworthy moments. This film was all that. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Alexandra Fleming
Painfully Underrated
I absolutely love this film! Whether you're a fan of U2 or not it doesn't really matter as the film is based around Neil and Ivan McCormick and their own struggle to find fame when... Read more
Published 9 months ago by M. Carthy
Very different from orginal book
Entertaining story with a great soundtrack but which diverges massively from the original book by McCormick. The original book is much funnier. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Under a Blood Red Sky
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